The young buccaneer Author:Percy Bolingbroke St. John Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 70 CHAPTER XIL UNDER HATCHES. The night was now rather misty than dark. A full and bright moon had arisen, but it pursued its way through the heavens be... more »hind a dense body of dusky clouds, which only now and then allowed the borrowed light to penetrate. From the deck of the Ocean Girl the Indiaman was still clearly visible, all her sails set, and forging slowly ahead, before a wind so light as to be scarcely perceptible. There was one figure only on the quarterdeck. It was that of the buccaneer. He stood with folded arms, leaning on his sword, which, as usual in the times of which we speak, was a heavy cavalry one. He had a brace of pistols in his belt, and others lying openly on the capstan. From Dirtrick he had just received a report relative to what was going on ; so that he was fully prepared, except that he knew not how far the mutiny had extended. Dirtrick had retired to leeward, where also Ned Drake sat, very indifferent as to what was going on aboard. His thoughts were far away on board the East Indiaman, with his companion and friend, little Loo, whose society to him was charming. The men came huddling up behind Grunn, very much like a ilock of sheep. The dense mass of the ship's crew could be distinguished forward. From habitual respect to the quarterdeck, a kind of instinct with the profession, the ugly sailor took off his hat. The buccaneer stood as if perfectly unconscious of his presence. " Ahem ! a word with you, if you please, sir." "Well," said Gantling, coldly. " Me and my mates we've been talking over this affair of Ned Drake's, and we've come to the conclusion " " You mean to say that, like the reckless vagabond you are, you have been inciting the men to mutiny. I've a great mind to put a bullet through your head." " Ther...« less