The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

24 THE COURT OF LONDON the Big Beggarman hastily secured under his coat 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 standing, and, in a 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 directly.” “The deuce! what’s the matter with him?” demanded the chief mate. ‘‘ He was seized with a shivering all over and fell down in a sort of fit,’ was the Big Beggarman’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, instantly summoned Mr. Watkins, a subordinate officer, whom he ordered to take charge of the ship for a few minutes; and he then hastened down the companion-ladder, the Big Beggarman following close behind him. Opening the door, he entered the cabin; but scarcely had he crossed the thresh- old 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 rushed in, shut the door behind him, and, drawing a cutlass, made a desperate sweep with the trenchant blade at the unfortunate officer as he was starting 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 thousand tones in which the voice of the tempest speaks upon the ocean. But even before that appalling sound had ceased to vibrate on the ears of the murderers in the cabin, their terrible work was accomplished, the deed was done, and the mate became the second victim of the tremendous tragedy of.this night of horrors. From one of the stern-windows the gory corpse was thrust into the ocean, and once more did the assassins exchange looks of ferocious satisfaction and diabolical triumph. But now came the most hazardous portion of their enter- prise, —a crisis which must decide the attitude that the crew would take toward them. Still the miscreants quailed not in the presence of the danger which they were incurring; but enhancing their natural courage by means of the artificial stimulant supplied by the burning alcohol which they poured COnniclo@oo® S im