Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 152: what you’re looking at

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

172 ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. a ne shores but-a few hours can be deemed guilty or accused of a crime ?’’ ‘“T grieve to say that there are men in the land who maintain that they have discovered upon you the implements of sorcery. And magic in a Catholic country is visited on its professors with penalties of the highest degree.” “ But what can have induced these men to make so false a declaration ?” “« They observed, on your first landing among them, that you wore around your neck the secret token by which the enchantress is distinguished,” “ Surely the trifling gift of a poor Obi woman is no proof that the wearer professes occult arts ?’” “No; but the fact with the superstitious ever excites suspicion, the raft is supposed to be due to supernatural agency. You must deliver up those who assisted at the ceremony, and bring them forward, or your life will be forfeited and the stake prepared for you.” Violet threw herself down on a couch in the corner ofthe room, and passed her hands over her forehead, * Burnt alive!” she exclaimed, “and these are Christians! ’Tis a cruel death; but what is ordained must be, and the deity that permits, gives power to his creatures to submit with resignation to his will.” - | Musing, she continued, “God of my fathers, give me also strength against these wicked beings, and enable me to bear all. It is my destiny, and I cannot save myself.” ‘‘But another may do so,” replied the monk, archly. “Listen. When first Isaw thee, ’twas not the fashion of thy face and form—though, from the hand of heaven, thou wert rich in beauty—that riveted my heart, but thy womanhood, which hath such firm devotion in her love, that made me covet thine.” ““Nay, holy father, such thoughts as those ‘are impious in your breast, since a sacred vow destines yor to a life of celibacy.” “I feel such vows are offensive in the sight of heaven, and that to gain possession of thy heart I would freely hazard the torments of the damned.” “The request you demand, should I accord in your scruples, I can never grant.” “Say not so, A single word ‘from thee may change the tenor of my life, and the man that has been good and virtuous become wicked and depraved.”’ ‘There is an inseparable barrier between us.” “The proverb will tell you that the transgressor writes with sand, the victim of transgression with marble. My love is stamped in an impressible material; but my hate may be engraved in ada- mant, In a word, will you deign to listen to my protestations ?” ‘IT cannot. I am betrothed to another,” “Then my ‘rival will perish, and his mistress is his executioner,” ‘Your words have some hidden signification,” “ Attend to those which I am about to utter, and you will learn if they have or otherwise,” replied the monk, ‘What am I to understand from this ?” The monk continued— “Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction, and what are all the tales of wild romance to the one I now relate? On the self-same day your raft reached the hospitable land that gave you welcome, another reached it, but at many miles distant, The frail frame bore on its timbers two human beings, travel- worn and exhausted.” i This is not the only cause of - premises, Your miraculous escape from death upon - “Gracious powers! should it be——” “These wanderers met a fate worse than that they had braved on the angry waves. They fell into the hands of those whom of all others they would have avoided—the daring buccaneers, from whom they had so lately escaped.” “The monsters have murdered them.” ‘“‘No ; their punishment was reserved for a mature consideration. In the power of his enemies the more robust was tried, found guilty, and left to die. But how? A consultation was held, to devise a plan ’ by which the wretched captive could suffer the greatest amount of lingering torment. previous to dissolution, He was condemned to suffer the pangs of fire by having his right hand consumed in flame ; his lacerated flesh to be anointed with molten lead, while his body, writhing beneath the agonies of his torture, was to be torn asunder by the united exertions of eight powerful horses. this miserable wretch I at length discover; it is John Warbold, the pirate-hunter. His life is in your hands; say, will you save him ; will you save ~ yourself ?” It would be impossible to picture the agony of mind Violet Tremaine suffered during the above terrible recital. She was p&le, breathless, and in- tensely moved. She felt as if reason was forsaking her, and but for her superhuman efforts, such a crisis would have occurred. But her failing senses warned her that hers and her lover’s welfare depended on her mental balance, and she strove to maintain it. She succeeded, and, with indescribable terror, after a pause, exclaimed, “ You say, mysterious man, that it is in my power to work out preservation. Let your finger point out the road, and I will take it, though the fiends of hell beset the path.” “‘The means are easy.” “Name them.” “Love me with a love unfettered by the marriage chain.” At that moment Violet endeavoured to pray, but her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth. The monk dropped the cowl that had hitherto disguised his features. They were those of the hideous and deformed pirate, Barabbas ! CHAPTER LXXX, THE PIRATES’ STRONGHOLD. On the north-western extremity of the island of Tidore was the gorge of Magalheans, a dangerous defile leading from nutmeg groves bearing the same name, The region, unlike the neighbouring country, clothed with tropical verdure and vegetation, was precipitous and almost inaccessible through its barren rocks. On the steepest escarpment, two hundred feet above the valley beneath, towered a pile of stone- work, the remainseof an oriental palace. This building dilated to gigantic proportions against the sky. Within its crumbling walls were now settled a horde of desperate men, for the pirates had con- verted this stronghold into a dwelling, from which they from time to time issued to follow their nefarious calling. Beneath the rendezvous were a series of dungeons, where the lawless men stowed away their illgotten riches or secured their prisoners till a ransom was sent for their release, In one of these vaults the dull light of a brazen (8Xe The name of <S,GOMm