Pluck and Luck #139: Jack Wright and His Deep Sea Monitor — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

Cai ¥ar cei ve te uy fps ¢: oj 3h st cast vbw, é ae CNG —— ee bat down. Ratore they mails ‘do so, Fale aimed and fired one Pie his guns. Away whistled the shot, and striking the ugly flag, it burst and carried the emblem and topsail. away.) A cheer pealed from Jack's friends when they saw the flag ~**< fall. | ) As the frecbooter had done nothing to warrant Jack’s un- SA's ; ) authorized right to blow: the ship to pieces, the boy let, him aa depart, and ran after the brig, which he now saw. carried the American flag, i Finding that help had come, the brig had been hauled to, and as when the monitor ran up alongside of her, and. Jack ques- tioned the captain, our friends learned that no damage but the png toss of the topmast was. done. ) Bo The Black Hawk, as the pirate was called, made haste to 1 get away, and the brig continued her cruise in the opposite fas direction, after the captain had wartuly thanked Jack for the au - assistance he rendered. 4 sent his vessel spinning to the southward again, and re- marked, complatently: : 2 “T have found use for my guns in earnest now.” a f Ba CHAPTER IX. i RIVAL *REASURE HUNTERS. as “Land bo! Land ho!” wm) = Where away, Tim?” - ey ae “Three points off our weather bow, Jack.” a, it was. raining hard on the, following night when Tim’s . ery startled all the crew of the Sea Serpent, for from May _ to October the rainy season of the Bahamas Res in, and every- _ thing was wrapped in dense gloom. " _ The boy inventor hastened into the turret where the ancient 4 Mariner stood alone, and his keen glance caught sight of a _ distant swaying light, evidently upon a moving vessel. a Far beyond it the night glass showed him a dark outline Bi fisine above the sea, which was unmistakably a shore, and at oe one point, toward which the ship he sighted was going, there ae rolled several lights, which seemed to be!) peak signals on - anchored ships. Ft looked to Jack as if they were a number of vessels in a _ safe harbor, and he turned to Tim and said, anxiously: “IT wish we were anchored among those vessels for the night. We are navigating very dangerous water. It is full _ of sunken reefs and keys upon- which a craft could easily _ strike and go to pieces in this gloom.” ; “Ay, now, an’ yonder ship is a-tackin’ in fer it,” said Tim. = ot can’t we?” . “So we can. “care bound for, according: to my calculation of our locality. Head for the harbor, Tim.” The shore could not have been more than a mile away, and with all his wonted caution, Jack suddenly turned on the >, ‘gearchlight, and flashed its powerful beams upon the spot look- |. om like a harbor. _ Ne sooner had he done so when a cry of horror pealed from gasped. “We are "rushite to our destruc- tones, as he grasped the lever and shut off power, bringing the % boat t to a pause, brit wie Ciicn Sis * of Be to ha aia se een me a pis WRIGHT AND Ws DEEP SHA MONITC sa asihie ‘ually luring ships to destruction upon the rugged shores by. 5 Assured that the pirate would not renew ae Jack with a miscellaneous cargo bound for Nassau, N. P. ’ That land is San Salvador Island, ‘iteaa we “Gosh hang it, wot dyer mean?” demanded Tim, in startled Retribution has Giant lets them at last.” l not time ‘of it here. But, I say, let me show you an segs ae specimen I found on “— to-day.” 3 Coa'st wreckers! ” said the boy. si Lord a’mighty!” é “They were luring us into a death trap!” “Ay! An’ yonder ship is doomed!” “Unless we overhaul her, and warn the crew! ‘ “Shall we attemp’ it, lad?” 1ahe oft Ea “Yes! Put on full power, and may ibs. us to ake es . their lives!” Pay: Around ‘Tim pulled the lever, and away dashed the monitor 4: 3 " with the speed of the wind in the wake of the imperiled ship. < The Bahamas were the resort of a notorious pirate named — Blackbeard, and the natives of some of the islands lived © chiefly by coast wrecking, some of the more unscrupulous act~— means of false beacons, so that they might prey upon the | re- oe mains of the wrecks. be fie In a few minutes the Sea Serpent, CR the ship, hibit se os proved to be a. bark of about eight hundred tons burden, laden — 4 “Ship ahoy!” shouted Jack, running out on deck. “Ahoy! Ahoy!” came the reply, as the monitor ran beside the bark. ms, “Haul to, on your livest. “ “What for?” came the gruff reply. “You are running upon wreckers' false beacons.” “Bosh! I don’t believe it!” came the ungracious answer, lle “Then watch the lights; ane you'll see!” said Jack, soa x naturedly, tages He went into the pilot-house and finahed the searchlight _ upon the clifis; be held it quavering there, when the crew ‘of the bark caught as good look at the danger they were plunging Cries of alarm pealed from the whole crew. ' li They brought the bark about, and beat out to sea again | as fast as they could go, not even stopping to thank Jack a é saving theiy lives. }: se The boy laughed at them, and brought the Sad Serpent to a bs pause. ees it: He left the light streaming upon the cliffs, and they saw that there were numbers of men, roughly clad, wae on top of the rock. ; Jack aimed the forward: gun, at the cliff and fired +e" With a shriek the brass cylinder of the horrorite, shot through the air, and striking the rocks, it burst with a fear ful report, and the misleading lanterns were blown to atoms, while a large portion of the cliff was carried away in frag ; ments. Beer | : Turning a lever upon the awiebeekre: Tack caused the: tur ok oe wry = ret to revolve, and as soon as the port gun faced the cliff on he of the wreckers. BY, Still revolving, the gun on the starboard came around oh ae was fired, the third shot adding to the fearful destruction o: the first two, when the turret resumed its natural boston and | remained motionless. ie wreckers at this spot. at least,” said Jack, as he darted’ boat. away. “By their mascplttey, I have no. doubt, shoes have ' “Between the pirates, wreckers, and a possibility of Aa cal | lenda Mixitli, the Carib, returning to contest our effort, ‘he oo lag é er er ‘ «el ‘ ‘ Miah ele ee ‘ x ‘ A us “3 ne Ve ¥ we ake i dt Pe * ~~