The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. 15 and delighted with the bloodthirsty, fiendish work going on around him, It was a terrible feast of blood ! The Skeleton Band hideously grinned and chuckled at the sight of blood around them. Shouts of pain and death groans were like music in their demon ears; the writhings of several victims, as they hung from the beams above, thrilled them with joy, as, with bony hands, they pointed to them twisting and dangling in the air, This horrible carnival had lasted long. The best looking of the females were then carried off by several of the Skeleton Band to some rendez- vous near by, with limbs bound and their mouths gagged ; but those left behind were hung to the rafters quickly, and without mercy. *% * * * & This was an annual gory banquet, which the chief of the Skeleton Crew kept up to celebrate his career as the famous Scourge of the Sea, ! He and most of his crew had come with the firm resolve to massacre every one in Darlington Hall. This. was but the commencement of their horrible sport. Well might the Skeleton Crew and their charmed Phantom Ship have long been the terror and fright of all the coasts and seas around. Many a family had been slaughtered in cold blood on shore, and many a good ship’s company mangled and their vessels plundered and sunk by these aptly termed Demons of the Deep, But they had not come to Darlington Hall solely to satisfy their-thirst for blood. It was the villain and murderer, Redgill, they assisted. He hated Wildfire Ned with bitter animosity be- cause he could not supplant the brave youth in the affections of young Alice, the wealthy daughter of Countess Bluefield, sister to Sir Richard, whose estates were hard by. But hitherto Redgill had been successful in his knayery. Alice had suddenly disappeared, She had been kidnapped from her home. ° And while from home her parents had been slaughtered and the mansion sacked by the Skeleton Crew. ; It was now the aim of these fiends to murder all in Darlington Hall, and for Redgill to forge a will in his own favour, and to claim the estate, But the cleverest villains are caught in traps of their own making, as will be seen in succeeding chapters of this story. Suffice it to say that on this occasion the Skeleton Crew were carrying out their plans to murder all the servants first and the owners afterwards. * * *K ¥ % For an hour or more did these demons revel in this horrid spectacle of cruelty and blood. Those who did not kill each other were ruthlessly murdered by the Skeleton Crew, so that the servants’ hall presented a sickly anc revolting sight, with the dead and dying lying around in all directions. While the barbarous chief and his demon band were rejoicing at this human slaughter they drank deep of wine, and were roused up to a fiery pitch with the bloody work around them, ** Hurrah for the Skeleton Crew! the Scourge of the Seas!” said the chief, tossing off more wine. “Tn another hour old Sir Richard, and his braggart lad, Wildfire Ned, as he is called, will be no more. Tne old hag at the gibbet says the boy has a charmed life, but we shall quickly see. Ha! ha! there is no charm against cold steel, my lads !” While thus he drank and laughed aloud in mock- ing tones he suddenly rose to his feet in alarm. He drew his ponderous sword, and with fiery eyes listened ! A loud noise was now heard without. The heavy doors were forced open with a crash ! With aloud and ringing cheer, there dashed in, upon them fifty bold British tars, pistol and sward in hand, led on by Lieutenant Garnet and Wildare Ned! Death-wing (for such the Skeleton Chief was called), with a sudden bound, leaped from his high seat, sword in hand. “ Treachery !’’.he cried, and dashed upon Wild- fire Ned, with bitter curses on his lips, The conflict on all sides was dreadful. Lieut, Garnet and his men did all that men could do, and performed prodigies of valour, But their weapons did not seem to make any im- pression upon the Skeleton Crew. Guns and pistols were fired at them, but all in vain. The clash of swords and the gleam of daggers was heard and seen on every hand. More than one of the gallant sailors was struck down by their ghostly foes, “Death to them all, and spare not!” shouted Death-wing, the Skeleton Chief, with a loud laugh of triumph, His ponderous sword swept through the air like a lightning flash, On all sides he cut with unerring aim ; but though he assailed Wildfire Ned with the fury of a demon, he could not slay him, In rage and disappointment he growled, ‘‘ This brat must have a charmed life; on to him, men, on to him, cut him limb from limb !” _ With a shout of defiance Wildfire Ned met the onslaught of more of the Skeleton Crew, But he handled his sword with such quickness and precision that he gallantly beat them back. The tide of battle ebbed and flowed. Success for a moment attended the Skeleton Crew, and they drove the sailors to the wall. In an intant, however, and as if by magic, Wild- fire Ned dashed again to the front. ‘They are beaten !” he cried ; ‘‘they give ground ! Down with the demons! scatter their ghastly bones ! Follow me!” It was quite true. The Skeleton Band did give way. They had never met with such a fierce resistance before in all their lives. They retreated in dumb terror before Wildfire Ned. That brave youth rushed here, there and every- where among his bloodthirsty foes, as if he courted death itself, CoOnmmicoookxs. conn