The Cruise of the Jasper B.

by Don Marquis

  CHAPTER XV

  NIGHT, TEMPEST, LOVE AND BATTLE

  And, indeed, if Cleggett had been of a mind to abandon the vessel, hecould scarcely have done so now. For his words were no more thanuttered when the sharp racket of a volley of pistol shots ripped itsway through the low-pitched roaring of the wind.

  Loge had chosen the height of the storm to mask his approach. Heattacked with the tempest.

  Without a word Cleggett put out the light in the cabin. His mengrasped their weapons and followed him to the deck. A flash oflightning showed him, through the driving rain, the enemy rushingtowards the Jasper B., pistol in hand. They were scarcely sixty yardsaway, and were firing as they came. Loge, a revolver in one hand, andCleggett's own sword cane in the other, was leading the rush. Besidestheir firearms, each of Loge's men carried a wicked-looking machete.

  "Fire!" shouted Cleggett. "Let them have it, men!" And the riflesblazed from the deck of the Jasper B. in a crashing volley. Instantlythe world was dark again; it was impossible to determine whether thefire of the Jasper B. had taken effect.

  "To the starboard bulwark," cried Cleggett, "and give them hell withthe next lightning flash!"

  It came as he spoke, with its vivid glare showing to Cleggett the enemymagnified to a portentous bigness against a background of chaoticnight. Two or three of them stood, leaning keenly forward; several ofthe others had dropped to one knee; the rifle discharge had checked therush, and they also were waiting for the lightning. Cleggett and hismen threw a second volley at this wavering silhouette of astonishment.

  A cartridge jammed in the mechanism of Cleggett's gun. With an oath heflung the weapon to the deck. A hand thrust another one into hisgrasp, and Lady Agatha's voice said in his ear, "Take this one--it'sloaded."

  "My God," said Cleggett, "I thought you were in the cabin!"

  "Not I!" she cried, "I'm loading!"

  Just then the lightning came again and showed her to him plainly.Drenched, bare-armed, bareheaded, her hair down and rolling backward ina rich wet mass, she knelt on the deck behind the bulwark. Her eyesblazed with excitement, and there was a smile upon her lips. Besideher was the zinc bucket half full of cartridges. George tossed a rifleto her. She flung him back a loaded one, and began methodically tofill the empty one with cartridges.

  "Agatha," shouted Cleggett, catching her by the wrist, "go to the cabinat once--you will get yourself killed!"

  "I'll do nothing of the sort!" she shouted.

  "I love you!" cried Cleggett, beside himself with fear for her, andscarcely knowing what his words were. "Do you hear--I love you, and Iwon't have you killed!"

  A bullet ripped its way through the bulwark, perforated the zincbucket, struck the gun which Lady Agatha was loading and knocked itfrom her hands.

  "Go to the cabin yourself!" she shouted in Cleggett's ear. "As for me,I like it!"

  "I tell you," shouted Cleggett, "I won't have you here--I won't haveyou killed!"

  He rose to his feet, and attempted to draw her out of danger. She roselikewise and struggled with him in the dark. She wrenched herselffree, and in doing so flung him back against the rail; it lightenedagain, and she screamed. Cleggett turned, and with the next flash sawthat one of the enemy, his face bloody from the graze of a bulletacross his forehead, and evidently crazed with excitement of fight andstorm, was leaping towards the rail of the vessel.

  Cleggett stooped to pick up a gun, but as he stooped the madman vaultedover the bulwark and landed upon him, bearing him to the deck. As hestruggled to his feet Lady Agatha, who had grasped a cutlass, cut thefellow down. The man fell back over the rail with a cry.

  For a long moment there was one continuous electric flash from horizonto horizon, and Cleggett saw her, with windblown hair and wide eyes andparted lips, standing poised with the red blade in her hand beneath thedriving clouds, the figure of an antique goddess.

  The next instant all was dark; her arms were around his neck in therain. "Oh, Clement," she sobbed, "I've killed a man! I've killed aman!"

  CHAPTER XVI

  ROMANCE REGNANT

  Cleggett kissed her....