Elmore County Republican. [volume], December 04, 1915, Image 5

About Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915

Image provided by: Idaho State Historical Society

                
NEAL of the NAVY
By* WILLIAM HAMILTON OSBORNE
Author of "Red Mouac," *'Running
Fight, * **Cat spa w , *' Buckle, " etc.
Novelized from the Photo Pity of tht Same Name Produced by
the Pathe Exchange, Inc.
(C
[ Hwjii. hw Wllllta Hi
SYNOPSIS.
On the day of the eruption of Mount
Pelee Capt. Jolin Hardin of the steamer
Princess rescues five-year-old Annette
Iltngton from an open boat, but ia forced
to leave behind her father and Ids com
panions. Ilington is assaulted by Her
naiidez and Ponto in a vain attempt to
get papers which Ilington lias managed
to send aboard the Princess with his
daughter, papers proving liis title to and
telling the whereabouts of the lost island
of Cinnabar. Ilington's injury causes his
mind to become a blank. Thirteen years
elapse. Hernandez, now an opium smug
gler, with Ponto, Inez, a female accom
plice, and the mindless brute that once
was Ilington, come to Seaport, where the
widow of Captain Hardin is living with
her son Neal and Annette Ilington, and
plot to steal the papers left to Annette
by her father. Neal tries for admissipn
pioi 10 Biem i
by her father.
to the Naval academy, but through the
treachery of Joey Welclier is defeated by
Joey and disgraced. Neal enlists in the
navy. Inez sets a trap for Joey and the
conspirators get him in their power. He
agrees to steal the papers for them but
accidentally sets fire to the Hardin hom«
and the brute-man rescues Annette with
the papers from the flames. Annette (Hs
covers that heat applied to the map re
veals the location of the loHt island. Bub
■equently In a struggle for its possession
tiie map is torn in three parts, Hernan
dez, Annette and Neal each securing s
portion. Annette sails on the Coronado
In search of her father The crew crazed
bv cocaine smuggled aboard by Hernan
dez, mutiny, and are overcome by a
boarding party from U. S. Destroyer
Jackson, led by Neal.
i
SIXTH INSTALLMENT
THE CAVERN OF DEATH
A Secret Service Message.
Neal turned to Annette. "Good," he
exclaimed, "you're safe at any rate.
Where is my mother—where are the
rest?" !
"In the wireless room," returned An
nette. She laughed a bit hysterically,
"Even Joe Welcher is quite safe," she ^
said.
Neal held her for a moment, shield
ing her body with his own. He looked
about him.
"This mutiny Is over," he said, in a
tone of relief.
He was quite right. The mutiny
over, but with disastrous results.
CHAPTER XXV.
was
Neal's commanding officer lay on the
deck with a fractured skull. The cap-;
tain and the mate of the fruit steamer
Coronado were dead or nearly so, and
the decks were strewn with disabled, {
bleeding mutineers.
"Now come with me," said Neal. He
waved h's hand and a small squad of
his companions joined him. He sought
and found his mother and her fright
ened companions, Joe Welcher and
the Castro girl—known to the rest as
Irene Courtier. He led them aft and
placed a guard over them.
"Now," he said warningly, "stay
where you are, mother, and all the
rest. You, too, Annette. I've got my
work cut out for me for some hours."
Annette shook her head. "Not until
I dress your arm," she said.
Neal nodded to one of his compan
"Mate," he said, "shoot the first
Ions.
person who disobeys. I've got other
fish to fry."
He went back to his work. He wig
wagged to the Jackson for his orders.
The orders were brief and to the
point:
"You take charge of the steamer.
We are sending help."
He took charge of the steamer, not
only because he was ordered, but be
cause he had to.
Inside of half an hour he had his
own lieutenant's wounds carefully and
scientifically dressed—had all his
own companions well attended to—In
short, in a few hours he had righted
the ship completely.
He signaled for further orders, for
the Coronado was now resting quietly
at anchor, and he got his orders:
"Put Into the nearest port."
By midnight they had reached the
nearest port—had docked,
night he had landed all his passengers
and had reported considerable prog
ress to his commander on tho Jack
By midnight something else
By mld
son.
happened—a secret service message
filtered through space and got the
wireless operator on the destroyer.
Reduced from cipher, it read about
like this:
American citizen said collecting
and ammunition at Martinique
Porto Rico for Dolores insurreo
Follow at once. Investigate, ar
arms
or
tion.
rest, prevent. Report.
Next morning this news had filtered
Into Neal. He took it to the homely
....
little hotel where Annette and his
mother and their party had been har
bored for the night. He dropped into
Annette pouted; then she smi.ed. l
love to talk," she said. And then she
added two significant words. Scar
face." „
Neal leaped to his feet. ' Scar-face
he cried. "Where? When? What.
"On the Coronado," said Annette.,
"I saw him twice—Scar-face and his
two companions, the big man and the
tiently until she had finished, then
darted down upon the wharf again.
He boarded the Coronado and gave or
a chair.
"Now," he said, "I can talk and
listen to some talk. Gee whiz but I'm
dog tired."
other."
"Tell me everything," said Neal.
He waited impa
She told him.
of
or
to
ders for a search,
made, but without avail, for at mid
night on the night before something
Hernandez and Ms
The search was
, , ,
e ' 8e happened.
two companions, together with his
slipped quietly overboard into a bor
knows. We go first to Martinique—"
Annette sprang to her feet. "Mar
cargo of cocaine and heroin, had
rowed rowboat and had disappeared.
Neal, chagrined, went back to An
nette.
"The bird has flown," he said dis
gruntled.
"Where do you go, Neal?" queried
his mother.
"It's an open secret where we go,"
■aid Neal, "but why we go nobody
tlnique," she cried, "that is where my
me up. 1 go there, too, Neal.
beginning point. It is there I can find
father came from—where you picked
It's the
trace of my father,
fate," »he said,
"Search me," said Neal, "but I can
... * '
find that out — there must be some ves
gel trom tblg port for B0U thern wa
. „
ters.
Inez rose and placed a hand on
Welcher's shoulder. "Leave it to Joey
Inez shrugged her shoulders. "It Is
"We will all go," said Mrs. Hardin,
"we will stick to Neal. But how?"
here and me," she said.
They scoured the town, but Inez
Castro was looking for something
other than a boat for Martinique. Fi
nally she saw what she was looking
for — a grimy hand thrust from behind
a window shade,
Pausing before the door of a dis
reputable-looking habitation
glanced up and down the street, then
dragging j 0 e Welcher close behind
she entered the low doorway and
pagg^d into the gloom beyond. A mo
she
ment later she faced Hernandez and
his crew.
"So," she said airily, pushing Joe
Welcher Into a chair, "so my flash
friends, where do you think we go to
new ?"
'Where?" demanded Hernandez.
"To Martinique," said Inez Castro.
Hernandez smiled and slapped his
thigh. "So you go to Martinique," he
cried, with a note of triumph in his
voice. "How very fortunate. I go to
Martinique myself."
*
*
*
The governor of Martinique glanced
gravely at the pretty girl who faced
him. He laid down the piece of tat
tered parchment that he had just in
spected and took up the locket that
she placed before him.
"I knew your father well fifteen or
sixteen years ago—even before that.
I remember him. This resembles him,
this picture, it does indeed."
smiled. "I remember something else.
I remember also you."
"You remember me," cried Annette.
"You must have a wonderful memory,
He
sir.
The governor held up his hands.
"One remembers everything that hap
pened in a year like that," he said, "a
year that wiped out thousands upon
thousands of our people."
"Is there any clue to my father?"
queried Annette.
"Little one," said the governor,
"there was no clue to anything or any
body, or any place."
Annette rose. "There's nothing else
that you remember of my father?" she
queried.
"The governor rearched his mem
ory. "Yes," he said. "I think a mys
tery—there was a tang of adventure
about him. He, too, was a rover—
always restless—always on the move.
But for his child one might have called
him a soldier of fortune—honest, per
haps too honest, but fearless—"
"And true," said Annette.
"Fearless and true," repeated the
governor nodding.
"What Is past is past," he Baid. "Old
Pales Is ashamed of himself.
Isle of Martinique grows green,
sing, we laugh, my people and myself.
Even all this week we celebrate. You
must Join us." He signed half a dozen
cards of invitation and handed them
to Joe Welcher, who sat quite as
usual, sulking in the background. "The
governor's levee," be went on airily,
"and you are all invited."
The
We
CHAPTER XXVI,
The Razor Back.
Around the corner of the coast line
on the Isle of Martinique—invisible
from the br j dge 0 f the destroyer
j ackgon and from tbe gro unds of the
governor, there jutted out into the
aea a cliff, stern and forbidding. As
a matter of fact, it was not all rock,
Oils cliff—a large part of its formation
was of clay. Down the face of this
Jtg gharp edge8 rising now and
then lnt0 the air like pea ks, there
tra jj ed a pa th. narrow and perilous,
from shore to cliff edge, known to cer
uln Qf the lnhabitantB 0 f Martinique
M the Razor Back.
A , ong thjg gharp gteep cdge ran
rope> and cllmblng the R azor Rack,
0 „ nglng to thig rope with a huge bur .
den on his shoulders, upward crawled
a man. Below him, thrusting its aose
Into the beach, was a disreputable
boa t i aden w fth heavy wooden
, boxes.
1
Thls fnan, In reality a giant, looked
like a pygmy from below as he 1
crawled hand over hand to the heights
above. At the edge of the cliff he was
who
assisted by two other men
dragged him on to terra firms and
who relieved him of his burden. This
burden they carried between them to
a hut. Before doing so they cut the
big man across the shoulders with a
whip and pointed to the shore below.
The big man nodded. He stood for
one moment on the edge of the cliff
and gazed about him. He gauged the
grade of the wicked, sharp, big Razor
Back, and nodded once again; then
nimbly he leaped over the face of the
cliff, striking his heels into the edge
of that perilous path some thirty feet
or more below—and then in spite of
his huge bulk ran like a deer down
to the beach.
The men above dropped their bur
den and watched him.
"Ah," said Hernandez to his com
rede Ponto "the beast-he knows that
Razor Back. He has not forgotten flfr
years ag0- . ,
There was a touch upon Hernandez
. .., TI , .. . .
shoulder. Hernandez whirled as
though at the fall of a trigger. A
third man faced him, low-browed, cun
ning-eyed. Hernandez breathed a
1 . 0 f re ]i e f
Half an hour later, with his final
load strapped to his back, the brute
climbed for the last time over the
edge of the cliff, this time bearing his
own burden to the hut. The three
men already within the hut admitted
him.
There was no window to this hut,
and the light within was dim. The
room was bare. "Tidy little bunga
low, friend smuggler of Martinique,"
he said.
The other man smiled grimly In his
"Tidy is the word, soldier of
turn.
;>
_£i;
At any rate
You think all the palace
He strode to the corner of the hut
Annette Conceals the Yellow Packet.
fortune," he returned.
It's safe.
matches it. Come with me. '
and threw aside a matchbox. Leaning
down he cleared away a number of
short wormeaten boards, then he lift
ed up a sheetiron door. With an ex
clamation of surprise Hernandez and
his companions observed that there
cut
was a narrow passageway
through the solid earth. One by one
each man lowered himself into this
passageway and followed his leader.
From a perpendicular shaft the corri
dor shelled off into a passage almost
horizontal and widened as it went.
"This," said the smuggler of Mar
tinique, "is the third story, as it were,
Neat, not gaudy."
"Now for the bathroom, if you
set of stairs and stepped out upon a
ledge that surrounded a deep and lira
pid pool of water. Hernandez regard
ed this pool attentively.
"First It rises," he .exclaimed, "and
"Ah," said the man of Martinique,
This is a cave
please.
This time they descended a wider
then it falls."
"we are at sea level,
and there is no outlet to it."
"Somewhere there is," returned
Hernandez.
"Yes, in the attic—the sky parlor,"
said the other man.
"Somewhere else," said Hernandez,
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The Governor's Loves.
said the
"Oh, well, If you will,
smuggler, "but one must swim under
water to find the other outlet."
folded his arms. "What do you think
of my palace now?" ho said.
He stooped and plucked at another j
He
Iron ring in the floor. It disclosed a
smaller hole—filled with contents of
strange appearance,
"What of this?" he said. "This com
modity 1 do not know."
Hernandez seized the lantern.
"Careful," exclaimed the otlier man. j
"if those ghouls, the authorities, ever
have the temerity to discover my
cache, 1 shall not be here. 1 shall be
a m j| e away—a mile, not less; and
f rom t hat safe point of vantage 1 shall
press a button and—pouf—none will
ev er live to tell the tale—hone, save
myself."
Hernandez eyed the other man with '
undisguised admiration,
"How 1 should like to see it work,"
hg gajd
The ' nodded . .. Some day _
who knowg _ you shaI1> for you are a
man after my own heart, friend Her
. .
nandez. Come, let us ascend to the
„
'
They did as they were bid and as
Bisted the gentleman of Martinique to
lower hia new stores to their resting
P lace below ' Suddenly the man of
Martinique held up his hand,
Wait, ' he whispered, someone
comes."
I
sound of stealthy footsteps creeping |
around and around the hut. The foot
Their trained ears detected the
steps ceased and there was a knock
upon the door.
Outside there stood a man—a man
who sprang back in alarm at the sight
Of the crafty countenance of this cun
nlng-looklng stranger. But Hernandez
clicked his teeth.
"It's Joe Welcher," said Hernandez.
"Come in, Joey boy, you're welcome."
Welcher looked about him and then
sidled to Hernandez.
"A note from Inez," he whispered to
the latter, "about the governor's le
vee.'
CHAPTER XXVII.
Decoy.
Neal leaped out of one of the small
boats of the destroyer Jackson and
ran nimbly up the wharf. He had
good reason to, for on the veranda of
a hotel not a quarter of a mile away
he saw a girl he knew. In record time
he was by her side.
"Look," said Annette to Neal's
mother and Inez, "look who's hero."
"Always," said Inez, "do I like a uni
form and," she added coyly, with a
leer toward Neal, "and what comes in
them too."
"You got my note?" queried Annette.
"I got it," returned Neal, "but no
SO.
"What are you talking about?" said
Annette. "We are specially invited by
the governor himself."
"I'm out of it, I tell you," repeated
Neal. "But I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll come to the back gate of the gov
ernor's garden and I'll flirt with you."
Many came and most were served
that night. But among the first to
come, though none were served, were
four uninvited guests. They were a
strange quartet, these four, and they
came to see rather than to be seen.
Each one of these four men became
a shadow In himself, watching, ever
watching. Suddenly there was a light
tread upon the graveled path,
Jaunty figure swung Into the moon
light and looked about him. Out of
the hundred guests or so that clus
A
tered about the verandas of the dis
.ant house Neal peered anxiously for
Annette Ilington.
nal and Annette's—and as though that
He trilled a little whistle—his sig
whistle were a signal for an onslaught,
a huge shadow and another sprang
across the intervening space and
cloak descended over his head with
all the effectiveness of a strait-jacket.
It was the governor himself who
kept Annette within the range of ar
tificial light and from her appointment
in the moonlight out beyond,
nor, an Individual with cunning eyes
and insinuating leer stepped up to the
flunky at the main gate that led to the
governor's mansion and handed him a
caught Neal from behind. A coat or
While she still talked to the gover
note.
"For a guest—Miss Ilington," he
said. "I ain to wait for an answer."
The flunky nodded, summoned an
other flunky, and handed him the note.
The flunky made an inquiry or two,
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With a Mighty Roar Dropped Into the Sea.
then stepped directly to the governor
and handed him the note.
"This Is the young lady here, Fran
cois," exclaimed the governor.
Annette took the note to a window
where there was somewhat better
ngj 1 ^ i an( j opened it. It was written
in a srawllng, unaccustomed hand.
Need you a
We have
This Is what it said:
Have seen scar face.
moment for identification.
run him down. Come with bearer of
this note. Excuse scrawl—right hand
N. G.
Hastily,
NEAL.
■ Don't drag mother Into this.
P. S.
Come as you are,
Annette beckoned to the flunky.
"Where," she said, "is the bearer of
this note?"
The flunky bowed. "Follow me," he
said.
At the gate there stood a man wait
ing hat in hand—a man with cunning
eyes and insinuating smile.
"Mr. Hardin sent you?" sho in
"Oui, mademol
"Where is he now?" she queried
qulred.
The man bowed.
selle," he returned.
cautiously.
"Where ho said he would wait—by
the postern garden gate," returned the
bearer.
Disarmed, she followed this man
Into the shadows.
In another instant sho had reached
a carriage and an instant later some
thing descended over her head, smoth
ering her cries—something bound her
arms to her side. But the smuggler
had been right. Noal was there, bound
and speechless- helpless on the bot
tom of the carriage.
An instant later the vehicle rattled
shurply off into the night.
CHAPTER XXVIH.
Annette opened wide hor eyes. She
uttered an exclamation of delight as
she saw Neal Hardin.
The Sponge Diver.
"Well, we're here," she said. ^
"I should think wc were, said Noal.
He looked about him. Annette was
bound firmly to tho only chair In the
place and he was tied quite as firmly
to a stanchion in another corner. The
place was a rude hut. _
"I see, said Noal, that woie not
a * one -
"Obviously not," returned Annette
On tho floor between them lay the
brute resting but wide eyed with the
lash of a whip lying across his shoul
ders. Ponto. the Mexican, watched
red eyed and gloating.
Something happened In a corner. A
portion of the floor rose from the
ground and two men struggled up
from a passageway. One of them was
Hernandez; the other was the smug
gler of Martinique. Hernandez nod
! ded to Neal and to Annette,
from his pocket a tattered parchment
map which he had pasted well to
gether.
"It is the map of the lost Isle of
Cinnabar," he said in suave accents,
"and I have other evidence besides.
He glanced uncertainly toward tho
brute.
went on, "and other things."
"What do you expect to do with
them?" said Annette belligerently.
"You are not Annette ilington.'"
He took
"An identifying locket," he
i grimly. "Perhaps," he said, "1 can
j find some Annette Ilington who will
do my bidding. At any rate there will
hereafter be no Annette ilington wbo
will try to thwart me."
Neal started. "What do you mean?"
:
Hernandez smiled—smiled a bit too
"I mean," returned Hernandez, with
a gesture toward the smuggler of Mar
tlnique, "that In all parts of the world
I am able to find people who do my
bidding. This gentleman can do it
well. I may as well tell you, children,
that you have perhaps an hour to live,
perhaps less."
The brute looked up, his eyes
he said.
glassy, strange. He rubbed a red spot
on his arm—the mark left by Hernan
dez' hypodermic needle.
"You are right, Ponto," said Hcrnan
dez, "It was the only way to drug him.
Lend me your whip."
He seized the whip and struck the
brute heavily across the shoulders,
The brute sprang to his feet, growling
in his throat, but he fell back before
Hernandez.
Ponto untied a single knot—the
knot that bound Neal to a stanchion.
Then at another word the brute
selzed Neal, struggling, in his arms,
! and with him descended through the
passageway.
Annette viewed this proceeding
with alarm. She struggled fiercely.
Five minutes later the brute re
turned and once more under the sting
ing lasli of the whip seized Annette
and bore her below. Hernandez and
hts two companions followed thorn
down.
"Ah," said the smuggler to Neal and
Annette, "this house has all appolnt
moots. This is the swimming pool,
You can swim here for
my friends,
one hour—or loss.
This is in truth
a cavern of death. 1 hate to do It,"
ho added Just before ho disappeared,
"but needs must when the devil
drives."
There was a click as the stone trap
dropped into place.
"This la a pretty pickle," exclaimed
Neul to Annette.
They were lying on opposite sides
of that black pool,
"If you can crawl," said Neal, "crawl
for your life."
Annette understood. Little by little
Neal worked himself along his side of
the ledge und Annette along hers,
each gradually approaching the other
around the circle. Finally thoir heads
touched.
"Careful," said Neal; "close to the
Now let me have your hands.
Let mo unbind you first."
On the surface of the earth above
Hernandez and his companions louded
wall,
their cases into a cart and drove far
across the wilderness into a ravine,
lifting up the cover of a metal box
Be t in the rock, "here is the Bwitch of
which I spoke. One turn of tho wrist—
p 0 uf—then oblivion."
-j gave them an hour," said Hernan*
dez gr j m i yi " an d 1 keep my word. Let
"Hero," said the man of Martinique,
us drink."
On the shore below the cliff at the
foot of tho furbidding Razor Back a
sponge diver disported himself in the
water beside his boat, cutting and
tearing sponges from their native
b ome 0 f ro( . k aud cora i f 0 r a living,
Then suddenly he forgot the business
0 f collecting sponges.
j.| e rose aga j n> emp ty banded this
u me an( j d | V ed again, peering at some
thlng Btranga aI1(1 new .
downward . B i anting strokes be sud
don]y d | gappe ared. n e came up In an
instant in almost total darkness, then
bobbing on y 10 surface he rubbed his
eyes, Jabbering excitedly.
„ crled a volee( .. ftud wh0
?M
^ g diver Jabbered Bome
^ Well mlght he Jttbber . it was
& (itrange glght Ulat confronted htm .
Two young people were seated almost
Jn dnrkneBS on the cdg0 of a black
poQl
.• i j ow dld you get b( , re ?" queried
^ |
Then with
The man for all his jabbering was
polyglot. He know pidgin English and
Neal knew how to talk it, so they got
along admirably together. Neal told
him Ills story. The man climbed up
upon the lodge and listened eagerly.
Suddenly ho grew excited. It was evl
dont tbat b0 i inow t be reputation o(
this place.
"You come with me—come right
away," he said.
Noal set the fast-waning lantern by
Annette's side. "Ono moment, dear,"
he said to Annette, "and I will be back.
If what he says is true—"
In another Instant with his hand
on tho sbou i der 0 f the sponge diver,
jqoal was swimming down, down
toward the outer opening. As he saw
tho ligbt filtering in from underneath
be gave a gaBp that almost choked
h)rn
ia another instant he had returned
for Annette, and with her at his side
tbe two Bwam f n t be direction that the
dlver had taken.
eX citedly, hauled them rapidly into his
Bma n boat,
The sponge diver, still gesticulating
"Mo row, you row—like the devil,
he exclaimed.
Neal rowed like the devil, and the
flat-bottomed boat skimmed over the
wa f e r like mad. Suddenly Annette in
the bow exte ided Her right arm.
"Look, look, Neal," she exclaimed,
"fo r God's sake, look."
Neal heard first, then he looked, and
as b o looked the whole face of that
huge cliff behind them thrust itself
j n t 0 t be a j r and with a mighty roar
dropped into the sea.
"It's Mount Pelee," cried Annette,
covering her face with her hands,
Pelee," ho returned grimly, it's dyna
m jt e —if I know anything of dyna
mite."
"That Isn't
Neal shook his head.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
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