Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 143: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. 163 | » {My heart. will broak,/Jack, for the sun, which | blast of wind, which careened the ship, passed over, frowns upon you to me also wears a threatening : : and in an instant she righted as before, A few moments’ suspense, and. a second,,gust follows the first ; then another and, another, fiercer and fiercer still. The sea, although tranquil now, appeared *milk- white and of a death-like hue, as the typhoon,’ or hurricane, swept along in its impetuous and) head- long career, | hoysdann i It burst upon the vessel, 60 The “San Salvador” bowed down toitito her gu .- wale, and there remained, ban aspect.” Fear not, dear Violet, Proyidence that watches _ over the sparrow will care for you, and Heaven will _ be your protector when I am gone,” | » Musing, Jack Warbold arose from his recumbent _ position, and. walked fretfully across the deck. 5 This: scene, as the reader has been informed, had | been witnessed by Barabbas ; but he had remained | unnoticed by the speakers, the last of whom came . hak to his-mistress after he had taken a few _ turns, “Violet,” he muttered, “at noon endeavour to. be hear the ship’s companion, for that is about the _ time I shall arrive. Await me at this spot, I beg, where you must remain concealed, and in silence,” _ “Why this mystery?” “Rely on me—the only course that remains——” “Ts that of ——” “Flight—instant flight,” ** Dare you——” _ ‘Nay, Violet, reassure thyself ; something tells me I shall succeed. in the enterprise I. am about to undertake,” But Ellen Peveril,” “ Shalf be a partner in our escape.” Hush |” Heavy footsteps were heard advancing. Violet Tremaine heard all this with a cheek now crimsoned with expectation, now blanched with _ apprehensive fears. Leading her gently aside, affection, love, happi- ness Inspiring his theme, our hero sought to paint the bliss that should be theirs in his intended project. | * %* * With the sun rose the daring crew of the pirate barque the ‘San Salvador,” The motley throng were gathered apparently from every corner of the earth, and were composed of all nations, _ There were Lascars, Ethiops, and Chinese, Eng- lish, French, the Italian and Spaniard. All were bedecked in costume agreeable to their taste, mostly romantic, but in all cases picturesque. _Barabbas, their stunted leader, was dressed as a sea-captain of the period of our tale, save that, in lieu of the received cocked-hat, he affected a broad, black ‘‘sombrero,” ornamented with a silver band and tassels of that metal. Rotaldo, his lieutenant and second in command, by birth a Spaniard, was similarly attired, and, like his senior, eschewed the headgear usually worn, and substituted in its place a scarlet velvet cap, highly, if not to say, richly decorated. ‘We have every prospect of typhoon, skipper,” said Rotaldo, who had been watching the baro- meter, ‘“ Not only the glass, but the weather also _ threatens us.” “Then it behovesus to make all snug and square,” growled Barabbas. ‘‘Send down topgallant yards and small sails in the twinkling of a marling- _ Bpike, and we shall be out of it in a minute,”’ There were unmistakeable signs of that seaman’s _ dread, the typhoon, a tempestuous hurricane pecu- liar to the Chinese and adjacent latitudes. _ . The sea was smooth, but the wild moaning of the | wind gave notice of the approaching storm. _ » The white haze that had sprung up like a _ phantom round the devoted ship gathered fast, and grew thicker and thicker, The men were turned up, everything of weight | senti below, and the guns secured. : Suddenly, with the speed of lightning, came a In a quarter of an hour the tempest bad passed over, and the stout timbers of the corsair were relieved, | But, with the commotion, the ocean had risen in Surging billows, and a gale blew fast and strong. An hour elapsed, and the tyrannous blast again assumed its dominion. _ It came more furious and wilder than on its pre- vious appearance, fOLLO The waves rolled mountains high. ' The pitiless rain in torrents descended. The frail barque was on her beam ends, and there remained till the conflicting elements had hurried onward, to sweep destruction on the far-off region, - ‘but leaving behind them a’ boiling, raging, and tumultuous sea. For a third time the typhoon returned, and all was of a murky, dismal gloom, It seemed as if some heavy fog had been hurled by the angry wind, ot Nothing was to be seen but the white and seeth- ing foam, scarcely discernible at the distance of half the cable’s length when it was lost in a long, gray mist. ‘ The storm stay-sail yielded to, the force of, the hurricane, and was rent into a thousand, pieces, while the storm, which had gradually come on, at length assumed a fury too powerful, for pen-.to describe. | Oat This continued till twelve o’clock. at night.when all on board were awakened by a shock, The thickness ‘of the night prevented the pirates from seeing where they were, but throwing the lead over the side they found they weredying on shore on a sand-bank, | by There was not more than fourteen feet ofwater on the deepest side ; they were. broadside’ on, and a strong. current pressing: them: further up the, shoal. | on | The current run like a mill race; and) at‘each roll of the wave they. were swept further onward. The anchor that now was let go to prevent the vessel being carried on parted at the shank, and compelled the mariners to provide themselves with another. Nothing Gould be done till daybreak, and with impatience the desperadoes awaited: till the morn- ing. As the rising sun gilded the eastern horizon the mist cleared up, and the adventurous men found themselves more deeply embedded than ever in the sand-bank. A small portion was observed above the .water, and around this the water ran with greater im- petuosity. About three miles from the scene of this diaster were (a Cluster of small islands bearing tropical foliage, but without the appearance of inhabitants, “T fear, skipper,” observed Rotaldo, to Barabbas, ‘that we have little chance in thisdilemma. Hyen if we lighten our vessel, heaped with golden spoil, we’ shall be dragged forward, and it seems im-