Roving Jack, The Pirate Hunter — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

114 for the events of the last two days had confounded him. «© Come, «“ night is drawing on, and I must get aboard soon ; so make up your mind. You are no longer safe in Spain ; matters are now too bad to be worse, there- fore, cheer up, and make the best of a bad bargain. T am master of as fine a little vessel as ever doubled the coast of Spain. shall be mine. We'll join partnership. your gold, and you keep the money that shall be paid for your bank bills. That’s fair and even on both sides. Come on board with me, and you shall live a free and a merry live; and, if you don’t like our ways, why you can return on shore to be hanged if you prefer it.” Gonzalvo raised his clenched hand, and emphatt- cally vowed eternal enmity to his fellow-men., “There’s my hand upon it,” exclaimed he, as he crasped Ovieda’s outstretched hand, “I am yours : do with me as you will.” “'That’s well spoken,” said Ovieda, ‘‘ Now give me a helping hand with these bags, Our boat lies just beyond yon rock, and not half a mile hence : we'll soon be on board our little vessel, You can just see the tops of her masts peeping over that promontory, as much as to say, ‘Come along; I’m waiting for you.’ The moon will be up in two hours, and, as darkness is more convenient for my business, 1 shall take the liberty of leaving terra firma a couple of- leagues astern of us before the moon is up.” They lifted up the bags of gold and jewels, entered the boat, and were soon on board the vessel. They weighed anchor instantly, and, when they had sailed about two leagues from the shore Gon- zalvo beheld several additions to the crew, which appeared to consist of all nations, and when Ovieda came on deck, after a short absence, his dress was materially altered. He wore a large fur cap, with a death’s head on its front, a huge cutlass, and four pistols. All merchandise was lowered into the hold, and in their place appeared small carronades, The men also were busy in arming themselves. Mulattos—blacks—all seemed to form a common- wealth. Gonzalvo seemed at a loss to guess the cause of this metamorphosis, when Ovieda, observing his surprise, thus accosted him :—: ‘‘ Friend Gonzalvo—for so I must now term you —your surprise is but natural. You thought us a merchant or trading vessel. No such thing: we are a set of free fellows, and we don’t mind making free with any valuable cargo that falls in our way, We are pretty well known, for we have kicked up some brisk freaks among the merchant traders, and our name has got into vogue. You have, doubtless, heard of the daring pirate Rebino! Well! Lam he! Now you know the whole of the matter. If you don’t like to remain on board, we'll put you ashore the first time we touch land. If you con. sént to remain, you shall rank equal with me,” Gonzalvo resolved to remain On board, and, ab- juring all thoughts of ever rejoining society, made up his mind to live and die a pirate. CHAPTER XLVIII, THE PIRATE SHIP DISABLED BY THE “ AVENGER” —GONZALVO BLOWS UP THE SHIP TO AVOID CAPTURE, Tue British ship “Avenger ” left St, Iago, and was soon on the broad Atlantic, friend Gonzalvo,” continued Ovieda, Come with me ; your fortunes — Give me —— Le ROVING JACK, THE PIRATE HUNTER. One day, about 2 P.m., the *manon the look-out gave notice of a vessel ahead, under a press of can- © vas, and from the description, Roving Jack sup- posed her to be the pirate with Gonzalvo on board, She came boldly on, with Spanish colours flying at her mast-head. “Tf she is a pirate,” exclaimed Roving Jack, “she has the impudence of ‘the devil. Keep your ports closed ; I think she mistakes us for a merchant- man,” The strange sail approached, lowered her Spanish colours, and hoisted a red flag, with a sword and death’s head, She was a capital sailer, and sailed completely round the British cruiser, ‘“‘P——n her impudence !” said our hero, hotly. “ Dp with your ports, and give her pepper.” But the pepper came too late, She flew before the wind as swift as an arrow, and the British ship lost her for that day. “‘ There,” said Peter, “did you ever see such an evasive little devil as that in your life?” ““ Why, as to that matter, Master Peter,” replied Junk, “I don’t exactly know the true bearing of that ’ere word ’vasive, as you calls it.” “‘ Och, bother !” exclaimed Pat O’Kasey ; “sure, and everybody knows what evasive means.” “Hush, hush!” interrupted Peter, “don’t let’s have any more blunders. How can an Irishman explain a word as is only to be found im the most larned dictionaries ?”’ | “ And sure, Mister Peter, will you be after telling © me I don’t know the meaning of evasive?” cried Pat, “Now, messmates, only listen awhile, and I'll tell you how nately I handled that word evasive. , ‘We had just got all our new rigging complete, and our sails were all unbent, and we lay at anchor in the roads, and the captain determined to sail next morning, Our beautiful new canvas looked so neat and clean from the shore, that boats full of fine gentlemen and Jadies were coming on board every hour to see the ship. Och, and didn’t I take care to hand the sweet creatures aboard genteelly? Och sure, I was as*busy as the devil in a high wind, Five o’clock came, and the captain said he must have no more visitors aboard, else we should not be ready to sail in the morning, as it hindered the men from their work. And sure, as I looked towards the shore, I saw another boat full of ladies coming off. So the captain says to me, ‘ Paddy O’Kasey,’ says he, ‘if those ladies come alongside, and want to see the ship, you must give them an evasive answer, and get rid of them as well as you can; and I’ll go down below and wait till they’re gone.’ And sure enough he went below, and then the boat full of ladies came alongside, and they asked for the captain, and I gave them an evasive answer, and they went away with it a devilish deal quicker than they came ; and the captain popped up his head, and said, ‘ Pat, are they gone?’ are, your honour,’ says I. ‘What did they say?’ says he. ‘They ax’d for your honour,’ says 1; ‘ but I gave them an evasive answer.’ ‘What did you tell them?’ said the captain. ‘I said your honour had gone.’ ‘Gone where?’ says he. ‘Gone to blazus,’ says I, ‘and you may go after him, if you plaise.’ Now, wasn’t that an evasive answer, Mister Peter 2” “Well,” said Peter, “after that, I think, you may shut you mouth, for you'll never beat that as long as you live,” “Sail a-head,” called a voice above, Roving Jack took his glass, ‘“Tt’s the same vessel again,” said he. “ We'll (EO MMIC NOOLKS ‘Yes, they | ——_—