The Skeleton Crew; Or, Wildfire Ned — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

i a THE SKELETON CREW; OR, WILDFIRE NED. 61 ee EEE EEE ——E—EE———————————~—E——e———EEEEE eee warning ; but leaped over the sides of the vessel,. and plunged into the sea in wild despair, On every part of the ship did the Skeleton Crew swarm like bees. _ Up the rigging they climbed like monkeys, mak- ing the most hideous noises, Death-wing, with his black banner on high, and with an immense cutlass in hand, seemed to mow down Sea-hawk’s men; and in less. than fifteen minutes from the time the action commenced, the Phantom Ship was cleared of all its intruders save the dead and dying. The smugglers, entrapped as they had been, fought like bears; but nothing could withstand Death-wing and his grissly band. And ere Sea-hawk and his boats pushed off from the vessel, two cannons, loaded up to the muzzle with grape and canister shot, were fired after them, and the missiles of death swept the waters around the paiabors Ship with a hissing and fatal sound, CHAPTER XXIII. NED'S FIRS! BATTLE—THE SHIP ON FIRE, AFTER the action, the first thing the Skeleton Crew did was to examine the bodies of the dead and dying. Some were cast overboard immediately ; but those whose wounds gave some hope of re- covery, were, for the moment, more mercifully dealt with, For they were reserved for after tortures ! Tim was in an unfortunate position, He was neither dead nor wounded. But from the passing remarks of the Skeleton Crew, he almost wished that he had been dead, for he trembled to think what tortures and unearthly agony they intended to make all such as he was, undergo, “What an unlucky devil Iam,” sighed Tim. “I no sooner get out of one trouble than I fall into another ; it’s out of the frying pan into the fire with me always. I wonder what star I was born under, for there’s no good fortune ever befalls me. Heigho ! just hear those grim monsters talking. Why, the smugglers were gentlemen, compared to such fiendish devils as these.” Tim crouched still more closely in his hiding- place. “How many dead men have the smugglers left behind?” asked Death-wing, when they had all been counted and thrown overboard, “ Over a dozen,” was the reply. “Good,” said Death-wing, with a chuckle. “Just hear him,” groaned Tim, “I do believe, if there had only been three dozen he’d jump for joy. Oh! horrors upon horrors accumulate,” “ How many wounded?” “ We have found six.” * Only half a dozen, that is not a great number,” said Death-wing ; “ there ought to be three or four di zen, at least.” “Yes, so there would have been, Death-wing ; but those who were slightly wounded jumped into the water, or into their boats, at the hazard of drowning or breaking their necks, rather than remain in our hands.” ‘Hal’ said the grim chief, old,” “ Hark! how the villain sighs,” said poor Tim. “Tshouldn’t wonder if he hasn’t got tears in his “They know us of eyes over it because they wouldn’t stay behind to be skinned alive, poor devils,” “T wish we had but one sound man among the six prisoners,” said Death-Wing. ‘ I shouldlike to make an example of him on the spot.” “ QOb-h !” groaned Tim, “ I’m in for it this time ; they’ll cut me limb from limb; but it’s better to die here like a rat in this barrel than to get into their hands,” Tim, upto the present, moment had not dared to poke his long nose out of his hiding-place, yet, out of curiosity, he now did, so as to see what they were about to do with their wounded prisoners. The moment his head appeared, one of the crew with a loud shout of joy jumped towards him and seized him by the scurf of the neck. In a second the poor fellow was dragged out of the hogshead, and pulled along the deck towards where Death-wing stood, ‘‘ What, another of em,” said the grim chief, with a loud laugh of mockery, ‘‘and armed to the teeth, I perceive! This must be one of the head leaders, I think ; disarm him,” In the twinkling of an eye, Tim’s blunderbuss, pistols, dagger, knife and cutlass were taken from him, and he knelt before the chief, trembling and quaking, Around him danced several dozen skeletons in wild joy, snapping their fingers and making the most horrible noises. ““T think I have seen this rascal’s face before,” said Death-wing, with an oath. “So do I,” “ Yes, that’s him.” ‘‘ Are you not one of my worst enemy’s followers, —Wildfire Ned ?” “Me? lor’ bless you, no,’ said Tim, ‘I never heard of his name afore in all my life.” “Liar!” said one, giving him a slap that made his jaws ache again, “Liar!” another one remarked, kicking him vigorously from behind ; “didn’t we get up a tree after you, and you escaped?” “Yet now I come to look at the rogue more closely, the more I am convinced he is one of young Warbeck’s followers,” said Death-wing, “and as such, he must —” “Die!” said all, in a solemn chorus. When the verdict was made known, the whole of the Skeleton Crew commenced dancing around him in a wild unearthly fashion, and as each came near him, they gave the luckless fellow a kick or a blow, until he was black and blue. “Bind him hand and foot,” said the grim chief ; “‘tbis rascal has many secrets to reveal. about Wild- fire Ned, and Sea-hawk’s gang; we must extract them all from him, or cut him joint from joint.” ‘Bind him hand and foot, and tie him to the main-mast !” This was done, All the crew, save one, all the while stood round the victim, while Death-wing began to question him. So silent were the crew upon. extracting from him every item about Wildfire Ned, that they took but little notice of the intense fog which now enveloped the ship, or where it was drifting to. “ The first question I shall ask you,” Death-wing began, “is, do you know where Wildfire Ned is ? if you do not confess, your arms shall be —” At that instant, a loud booming noise was heard, and not far off either. Every one rose to his feet. In a second after an eighteen-pound cannon shot came crushing through the bulwarks ! ‘* Treachery |!” Death-wing cried, —~—_$ ———— 1DOOKS nn) C@