Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

106 “But the-young desperado has many mistresses, they say.” ‘Yes ; two especially, Edgeworth Bess and Poll Maggot.” “Then you may depend upon this, they are at the bottom of this business; it is not likely they will be willing to lose their dupe, who is such a source of profit to them.” “But they must have kidnapped him,” said our hero, ‘or why did he not meet at Portsmouth, according to our arrangement !” “It is a strange business, but I will not leave England till I have fathomed its mystery.” “Look, captain, young Ben Atherstone has arrived.” As Hal spoke, the pretty, fair-haired boy, who has before been mentioned as a special favourite of our hero, came over the side and walked aft, He touched his hat and smiled joyously. ** Come aboard, sir,’’ said he. Roving Jack seized his hand and shook it warmly. The three then descended the after hatchway, and entered the state cabin. Meantime a strange event took place in the hold of the vessel. A number of the seamen were, under the direction of old Clem Cleats, the poatswain, Mr. Junk, the purser, O’Kasey, the Irish mate, engaged in stowing away a number of casks, tea-chests, and the like ship’s lumber. Old Clem Cleats, despite his good-natured face, was rather inclined to bluster in the true seaman- like fashion. O’Kasey, as we have seen, was a hot-headed, hot- blooded Irishman, and a very highly-spiced speci- men of his peppery race. Mr. Junk was a stout, small-eyed, moon-faced fellow, with a bald head, and ruby-tipped nose ; he was “aman of few words,’ as he often declared, but, as brevity is said to be the soul of wit, he felt convinced that his lack of fluency in conversation was a proof of the possession of superior intel- ligence, ‘* Now, then, you block-headed, baboon-behaved, lady-fingered, lazy sons of guns, haul in, will ye? Look alive, be smart, ye lubbers, for its a’most eight bells, and we shall be wanted on deck,” roared old Clem, in his ostensibly fierce, abusive, yet really hearty and rousing style. ‘' Heave ho, my hearties ; here, out of the way, you swab; but—why—how —dam’me, what’s this ?” And old Clem stood for a moment in a state—as | his shipmates after described it—of ‘‘flounderin’ flabbergastration.”’ He had been attempting to heaye along a large cask, which he found uncommonly weighty, when suddenly he was startled by a rattling noise that resounded from within it, O’Kasey burst into a roar of alarm. ‘‘And bedad the pork’s alive, though dead and _ pickled ; and, bi the holy poker, did ye ever see the | like o’ sich a blatherin’ noise? Och, messmates; do but obsarve it ; whir-r-r, clatter, clatter ; amd what the divil does it mane ?” It was certainly surprising. The hold rang with a metallic clatter, Mr. Junk, sir, what is it?” gasped old Clem, grasping the purser’s arm. “ The devil |” returned Junk, sententiously. ‘Let me out! O lor, let me out!’ cried the muffled voice. There was a general shout of fright, ‘ ff ig in the head of that barrel !” roared Mr, unk, ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. | : Nobody seemed to like taking upon himself the execution of this order. Old Clem, however, seized a spar, and was about to bring it down with a crash upon the cask. To the utter dismay of all present, up popped a black, grimy imp from the barrel, with a shovel in one hand and a brush in the other, which he clattered cogether, making a most dismal row. _ “The devil! the devil!” yelled the sailors, dis- ersing on all hands. ; ee Devil or not,” shouted old Clem, upheaving the heavy spar, “I'll see if I can’t shiver his ugly figure- head |” : ; : ‘Hold off, old Neptune!” cried the imp, with an expressive gesture, performed by placing the tip of his thumb on the tip of his nose, and the out- spreading of his fingers. ; Old Clem twisted the heavy timber in the air. “What are you, you black-phizzed lubber ?” he shouted, in a tone of dismay and rage. “Never mind vhot I am,” returned the imp, winking his eye. He leaped out of the cask, He squatted on his hams, like a Turk ora tailor. “Never mind vhot I am; necessity has no lors, and though I’m perlite inclined, this 1s no time for ceremony. Be good enough to bring me somethin’ to heat, for I’m as hungry asa vild dog of the vilderness.” ‘© What brought you here, you rascal ?” “Vhot brought me? Vhy, this yere wessel, tobe sure,” chuckled the chummy, for the 1mp was no other than our old friend Simon Smut, “ And what do you want 2” “To see the capt’in.” . “You shall see the bo’swain’s mate, you scamp, and be introduced to him at the grating, where he’ll entertain you with the tricks of his nine-tailed eat,” roared old Clem, in a towering passion. “ Seize the owdacious rascal.” GR Te Poor Simon. would have fared roughly at the r hands of the rugged tars, had not he found a pro- tector in Ben Bouncer, who at this moment came down into the hold. oo. “Help! save me, noble capt’in! I thre myself on your royal hospitality. It’s all through my devotion to yer patriotic honour as I’ve got int this yere black scrape.” . ** Why, who the deyil is this?’ ea “Don’t know, yer honour,” returned Clem, touch- ing his cap; ‘we found him in the pork tub.” ‘“And very nigh pickled,” added Sim, ruefully. ‘‘Qh ! [remember the fellow. Come, sirrah, you are the same idiot that volunteered to Join our crew of pirate-hunters, are you not?” a “Heigho! here’s a vorid! Vhere every pure- minded patriot inspired vith a noble zeal for the good of his feller-creeturs is treated like a higeot.” “ Well, this insane act reminds me of something I once heard told by Uncle Major Bouncer about a |. similar madcap, who, being determined to join the |: army on the march, stowed himself in the mouth of | a cannon, where he fell: so fast asleep that he did | not wake till. the gun was fired, projecting. him against the walls of a fort, and, nearly dashing his brains out: .[ remember another cireumstance——” “Werry good, Mr. Bouncer,”.interrupted, the’ boatswain, impatiently., ‘ But, in the meanwhile, what shall we do with the lubber?. Shall.awe pitch him overboard ?” . anee ‘“‘Come, sirrah, I will leave you in the, hands of the captain,” said Ben Bouncer. ol ‘Only bring me face to face vith that hero,’ | cried Simon, eagerly, ‘‘and I vill plead my own | cause vith such moving eloquence as vould moye: |