Pluck and Luck #139: Jack Wright and His Deep Sea Monitor — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

upon seeing which the schooner started off in hot pursuit of _ Jack increased the speed of the monitor, and overhauled the arp ‘pirates’ vessel, which was a fast sailer, and rapidly was gain- _ ing on the bark. The camcra § showed a second gunshot from the Terror, and qo the ball was seen to strike the bark in the hull astern above the water line, shattering her rudder to pieces. Up into the wind’s eye rode the bark at once, and the over- 5: joyed. pirates swiftly swooped toward their victim, the blood- ; thirsty crew eager for the fray which seemed to promise them a rich reward. In five minutes the pirate would. reach its prey. But seareely half the distance was covered, when up from the sea rose the Sea Serpent between the Terror and the bark. A yell of consternation pealed from the pirates, and away they sent their craft careering upon the leeward tack, firing a | heavy broadside as she skipped along. vA Half a dozen screaming shots went fiying toward the moni- : tor. and struck her hull in different places, knocking her over upon her beam ends. 7 as de CHAPTER XXII. & O#F FOR THN PIRATES’ STRONGHOLD. Bs 4 , ~ ‘ ; i ; oo The broadside of half a dozen shots from the schooner that struck the Sea Serpent and knocked her over upon her beam - ends were incapable of penetrating the heavily clad aluminum * - hull. In a few moments the monitor recovered an even keel, after the first shock, and Jack sent the professor on a tour of ex- st amination to see if any damage was done, | Tim and Fritz went to help him. - ; _ ‘The bark which had come ont of Exuma Bay, near Rum 2 Island, lay helplessly upon the waves with her rudder shat- tered by the pirate’s shot, which had penetrated just above _ the water line. re , ae é = . In the east the early morning sun was just arising on a is beautiful day, and nothing was to be seen of Kellenda Mixitli’s aS ‘ship and crew, which had been’at San Salvador when Black- beard so treacherously deserted the Carib. bs The Terror had gone off on the leeward tack to fire that u broadside, and never stopping to observe the result, although | the schooner was well armed and her decks bristled with a - Pace crew, she fled from the dreaded monitor. ae as Ny electric boat, with the golden idol on. her deck, => Yrs a £3} which he coveted so much, putting him to flight. ; There was a small crew on the American bark, and Jack now saw that her name was the Texan Queen. Her men were all cast into a wild panic by the pirates’ pur- _ suit and attack, and were astonished to see the submarine Nees *4 e ? 7 St “te ©, r ie ue “monitor rise up from the sea between themselves and their “a8 . enemies. / path OOK gauged one of his guns to bear upon the flying schooner, ' With one shot he could blow her to pieces. ee “It’s lucky I followed her under water from San Salvador.” Be < the boy muttered, erly. “Tf I hadn’t, that bark would have oe fallen the pirates’ victim.’ : —— nN yt ¢ He was just about to fire the gun, wien the Rehooner shot . Pa, : ““Shase ‘yoursellut. after him vonct!” exclaimed | Fritz, ex- “te “Don’t you vhas see dot ve couldn't Pompard him now alretty?” | ih ated Bes PETE ES. spnty ai Sg ip 9, 45 aie ers fi’ Ni 3 aby? fe’ ‘ = a at b % ’ ’ . > r . . ’ t G : oe a a cat ee é i! pe! 4 the Terror, she swung away before the wind and ran away, | It must have been chagrining to the pirate to watch the} Aaah! sleruit appa: that se hin ; 1 fl as we ‘a ester ick ower eae that: ‘ere bark. She look she wuz founderin’.” “Yim is right. The shot she got must have ices dige igh i the: bottom of her hull,” said Jack. “She is filling and sin — ing. “4 x “ane Meee tae % Jack let Blackbeard go. = Steering the monitor over to the bark, he ran alongside her. ‘ : es “Ahoy, there!” he cried through the window. ee “Take us off—we are sinking!” came the reply. © \“T can do better than that—Ill tow your craft ashore, a you can beach and mend her well enough to reach your } x of destination. How will that do?” “Much better, if you will aid us.” y “Tim, go down on deck and make their hawsers fast.” oo ‘Ay, ay, sir!” replied the old sailor, stumping away. ; “Ming over a towing line!” cried Jack. oo “Stand by to catch it, then.” 7h eee Tim went out on deck just then, and, catching the rope, ‘ made it fast to a stanchion, and Jack sent the Sea ‘Serper ee rae - Yet ae in toward the island. - og . aoe The bark was dragged along into shoal water, sana with a grating noise came to a pause, bigh and dry.» ; Sie She was in a favorable position to be repaired, and ‘there Jack left her to her erew’s resources. 6 oe Paying no heed to the profuse gratitude of her cia steered the monitor away, and started off in search of the f tive schooncr, : a a A detour was made of the island, but nothing was Se¢ the schooner, although the young inventor and his * not only sharply serutinized the shore with their po glasses, but they also swept the sea with them in all direc The Terror had no more than half an hour the sta them, but in that comparatively short space of time she vanished as completely as if dissolved into air. “I am of the opinion that the pirates knew of som harbor along the shore somewhere,” said Jack, whe monitor got back in the vicinity of the Texan Queen, that they are lying concealed there till we go away.” AS would consume a long time to search the whole coast line, had better give it up, and await our chance to meet the r again.” LS es Bex: “You say he intends to cross the Gulf to the vical tan, and join the pirates of that stronghold?” asked th fessor, “Then i Ge not go ahead and a in wait for. him? ; ‘f Dot vhas a fish I rhs catch me for Dim’ 's preaiktest ve vhas under der vater, I guess SO, und : vhas tooken | it ¢ a grin. / Tim fastened his solitary eye on the fish, which nee a good-sized polly-wog anda look of disgust crosse “Avast, thar!” he aaelni rind: “D’yer mean ter wuz a-goin’ ter sarve this ere pencake-headed, thing on me?” y “Cerdainly, of course, ‘yes, iz promptly replied Fritz. Rie, -° + a de “Waal, now, ’ll be blowed if yer will,” said Tim, made a grab for it, and knocked the jar OMS of Fr ] fell out on th e floor, ict it. began ‘to. Snatching it up with a triumphant chuck! about to fling the fish. out of the window, 1