The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 384: what you’re looking at

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

THE MYSTERIES. with you,” returned the skipper, taking the seat which the Magsman offictously vacated for his ac» commodation: then, pulling off his hat and unbut toning his heavy pea-javket, he sat, “ This fs the eleventh voyage I’ve made in this here bost across the Atlantic wkhout any mishap—wnd go I'l! drink suceess to the present wentar’.” “ And we'll jine in,” observed the Big Beryarman, catching the rapid giknoe of tetribie significancy which the Magsman at the same moment darted upon hhn. “Well, here’s sacceas, then,” said the captain, raising to his fips the tumbler which Joe Warren had filled with grog for his beloof. “¥ shall drink that toast i a bumper,” claimed the Beggarmas, helping himself to a copious supply of the rum. “And so will I,” said the Magsuran, receiving the bottle from hts friend’s hand. But, quick as thought,—and as if suddenly obey ing a galvanic impuise,—Joe Warren bottle by the neck and raised it above his peat ne if it were a short cinb. The captain perceived the movement fn an instant — saw the intended treachery—and sprang to his feet,—thus encounter- ing as it were half-way the tremendous blow whick the ruffian dealt him with the bottle. Crash it de. scended upofi the seuman’s head—and into a thou- sand pleces it flew. A ory barst from the victim’s lips, as he staggered back, the blood pouring down his face and blinding him with its sanguine flood: and, althongh half stunned, he mechatically thrust one hand into the inner pocket of his pea- jacket to clutch a pistol. But, like a tiger springing upon its prey from the thicket of an Indian jungle—or as the boa-constrictor flings itself from a bough on the traveller passing beneath—did the Magsman rush upon the doomed mariner. Down they fell together, a savage growl escaping from Joe Warren’s breast; and at the same moment the Big Beggarman, falling on his knees, fixed his iron grasp upon the captain's throat Like two demons did the murderers appear as they did their awful work,—one keeping the victim down, despite of his desperate struggies and agonised writhings—the othér throttling him in his savage gripe,—the former gnashing his teeth and foaming at the mouth with the ferocious excitement of the deed—the latter with cornpressed lips andl cortugxted brows indicating all the tremendous power of the muscular energy which his entire frame furnished to accomplish the task of strangulation. And in the meantime the roar of the tempest had recommenced; and the terrors of the storm were added to the horrors of that foul iniquity. "Twas done: and the captain lay liffless on the cabin-floor—his countenance livid and blue—his eyes starting from their bloody sockets. Springing to thetr ‘feet when they were assured that the death-strnggle was ended, the two mur- dérers took possession of their victim’s pistole. Then they opened one of this stern-windows; and, raismg ‘the corpse between themn, they thre? it forth into the ocean which was now lashing itself up into foaming.fury. The waters sucked in the dead body —and at the samme instant a tremendoms wave beat apainst the stern of the vessel. To draw down the wooden lids protecting the ports in which tie win- dows were set, was ow the work of a few moments with the Magaman and the Big Beggarman; and having done this, their eyes met with looks of sxvage rump, as they caw in the assassination of tre dtiptain the secvompliehrrent of the first and most ittiportant step in thefr grated wefkrions stheme. “Now, Stephen,” suid: the Mugésinatry, a he ex- amined the priming of the pistols antl asttred hint self that it was quite dty—the gteat roagh coat of the captuin haying effeetaally defended the weepum from the spray which had bestetr ovet their owner when he was alive and performing his duty upon the deck,—“now, Stephen, you must go up above amd play your part as already agreed on.” “ I understand, old felier,” responded the Big Beg- gaurtmian, patting on his hat as firmly as possible so as to encounter the fhry of the gale: then, having tossed off a dram of raw spirit, he quitted the cabin, closing ttre door behind him. On ascending to the deck, the atmosphere wus at first so dark that the Big Beggarman could dis- tinguish nothing: all seemed black as if the air were a solid mass of pitch. But in a few moments his eyes began to grow accustetned to that dense ob- scurity; and the masts, spars, antl cordage gradually stood out it: lites of jet against the inky sky. The forms of the seamen appeared like black objects of uncouth shape; and the bualwarks of the vessel stretched forward on either side until they seemed lost in the darkness at the farther extremity. The wind was howling, sweeping, and roaring in all the variations of its voice of terror: the spray beat over the deck—and the motion of the ship was so great thatthe Big Beggarma would have speedily lost his balance had he not in the first instance clung to a rope, and then made a rush as it were to the main-mast. Unobserved by the sailors, who were bustling about performing the orders issued from the lips of the first mate, the Big Beggarman hastily secured under his cost all the cutlasses which were kept in a rack upon the after-deck. He then availed himself of a temporary lull in the hurricane to make his way up to the spot where the chief mate was stand- ing; andima tone of apparent frankness and haste, he said, “The captain has been taken suddenly ill down in the cabin, sir, and wants to speak to you direetly.” “The deave! what’s the matter with him?” de- manded the chief mate. * t¥e was seiszed with a stilvering all over and fell down in a sort of fit,” was the Big Begrarman’s ready response. “ But he’s rallied a little by having rum poured down his throat—and now he wants to speak to you.” The mate, totally unsuspicious of treachery, in- etantly sammored Mr. Watkins, a subordinate offi- cer, whom he ordered to take charz2of the ship fora few minutes; and he then hastened down ,the com- panion-ladder, the Big Beggarman following close behind him. Opening the door, he entered the cabin: but scarcely had he crossed the threshold, when he was knocked down by a huge bludgeon which the Magsman had obtained by breaking off the leg of a stool. The Big Beggarman rusted io —shut the door behind him—and, drawing a cutlass, made a desperate sweep with the trenchant blade at the unfortunate officer as he was statting up from the floor. <A yell of agony rang from the victim’s lips,—a yell which reached not the ears of those on deck, or, if it did, was mistaken for one of the thou- sand tones in which the voice of the tempest speaks o - i =. ° ° COMM — Tr, LOOO SS co