ve a villain!"

So saying he turned slowly away, followed by Mr. Finney, who was more
than usually sober and solemn. Into the dry clatter of palm fronds
rose the rough voice of Ned Cilley laboriously reading.

"I am the Resurrection and the Life--"

But Chris, watching the disappearing backs of the Captain and first
mate, was thinking what a curious and fortunate thing it was that the
bales had fallen on Zachary just at the right time, and when there was
not a ripple on the cove.

Chris watched the fat short man and the tall lean one go, resolution
and anger still evident even in the set of their shoulders. The boy
was thoughtful, thinking back over what Ned had said of them, that
first day on the docks: Faithful! he seemed to hear Ned say, that's
true of the two of 'em! Whatever they can do for Mr. Wicker is law for
Elisha Finney and Captain Blizzard.

Chris thought them two very remarkable men indeed.

CHAPTER 24

Barely were the last spadefuls of sand packed down into Zachary
Heigh's grave when Amos, who had wandered to the beach facing the sea
and long outer shoreline, sang out: "Ship ahoy!"

Remembering their orders the men rushed over from the cove but
remained hidden behind trees or shrubs. Chris and Amos climbed a tree
from whose branches they had a fine unobstructed view up and down the
coast. To the left, far distant, a point of land jutted out into the
sea, tropical trees carrying their green out in a long curve. To the
right, just appearing from the direction in which they themselves had
come a few hours previously, came a majestic ship black from stem to
stern. Black was its hull, but black too were its sails. It looked
exceedingly ominous on the afternoon blue of the sea, and as it came
almost level with the channel to the cove, its sails were lowered and
the watchers on shore could hear the splash of the anchor as it was
heaved overboard.

Then Ned Cilley, oldest of the _Mirabelle's_ sailors, came panting up
from the cove and Zachary's grave to look out from the leaves at the
base of the boys' tree.

"Oh, Lordy, Lordy!" he exclaimed when he caught sight of the black
ship, the last of her somber sails being taken in, "what did I tell
you, lads?" he cried, addressing anyone and everyone near enough to
hear him. "That be the _Black Vulture_, the pirate ship. No vessel is
safe near the _Black Vulture_! What a God's mercy that all of us, and
the _Mirabelle_, are out of sight, for the men a