Beadle's Dime Library No. 878

# Catalog Description

"The Cruise of the Sea Witch" by Burke Brentford is a naval adventure serial set in summer 1778. The British armed brig Hector, commanded by Lieutenant Romney, discovers a derelict schooner off New Jersey with a man lashed to its mast. The rescued castaway is revealed to be Dick Dareall, the notorious privateer captain Romney intended to execute. As Dareall stands on the yard-arm awaiting hanging, the fog-shrouded schooner Mist Witch attacks, forcing Romney to abandon the execution. In the ensuing chaos, a pressed sailor named Jack Simmons cuts Dareall's bonds. Dareall descends into the Hector's hold, planning to seize the vessel by accessing the forward magazine. Above deck, Romney's brig suffers repeated cannon fire from the circling Mist Witch, which maneuvers unseen through heavy fog, systematically damaging the British vessel and killing crew members.