66 What Birds Have Done With Me 



the woods adjacent to the settlement were full of 

 little pirates. On one summer afternoon, Shanty 

 Pete's crew had come ashore from their water- 

 logged flat boat, and the crew to amuse their 

 Captain, were staging one of English Bone's 

 hanging bees. Captain Shanty Pete stood about 

 minus the gold braid, but with the cigar and the 

 bored look. Stub Miner, with his bandy legs, 

 red hair, freckled nose and rabbit mouth that was 

 ever agap, in no way looked the part of English 

 Bone, the Sure Death's hangman, but was 

 hungry for the job and got it. Perhaps he 

 proved his fitness for so much honor in the way 

 he cursed his men for their clumsy efforts to erect 

 a gallows, according to his rather vague orders. 

 Captain Shanty Pete had finally to come to the 

 rescue with his profanity as it was getting to be 

 a question if his cigar, which had only been what 

 is called a snipe at the beginning, would last 

 through the execution. Guzzling Jack and Gorg- 

 ing Jimmy, i. e., the two little Eaton boys, finally 

 saluted and pronounced all things ready. 



Two sticks, with crotches at the top, had been 

 driven into the ground and into the crotches was 

 placed a horizontal bar and to this were attached 

 the nooses five in number made of fish line and 

 about two feet long. The trap was a slender 

 wand of willow placed parallel to the bar above 

 and aboijt six inches below it, easily yanked out 



