"
"But the House-boat--you haven't told us how you lost her," put in
Raleigh, impatiently.
"Well, it was this way," said Kidd. "When, in response to our polite
request for supper, the ladies said there was nothing to eat on board,
something had to be done, for we were all as hungry as bears, and we
decided to go ashore at the first port and provision. Unfortunately the
crew got restive, and when this floating frying-pan loomed into view, to
keep them good-natured we decided to land and see if we could beg, borrow,
or steal some supplies. We had to. Observations taken with the sextant
showed that there was no port within five hundred miles; the island looked
as if it might be inhabited at least by goats, and ashore we went, every
man of us, leaving the House-boat safely anchored in the harbor. At first
we didn't mind the heat, and we hunted and hunted and hunted; but after
three or four hours I began to notice that three of my sailors were
shrivelling up, and Conrad began to act as if he were daft. Hawkins burst
right before my eyes. Then Abeuchapeta got prismatic around the eyes and
began to fade, and I noticed a slight iridescence about myself; and as for
Morgan, he had the misfortune to lie down to take a nap in the sun, and
when he waked up, his whole right side had evaporated. Then we saw what
the trouble was.
Pages:
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132