The Golden Harpoon — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

THE BARRICADE. 11 it, “such a mistake as I never made before in my life, and as prudence is the better part of valour, I think I am perfectly justified in get- ting out of the run!” He lifted his feet clear of the aperture just in time to escape the hand of the mutineer as the latter, who had by this time risen from his uncomfortable posture, made a furious attempt to clutch his pants. “ You wretched imp of Satan!” roared Lark, in a voice of thunder, as the other eluded his grasp, “you shall suffer for this. trick !” And he thrust a hand into the side-pocket of his guernsey, to procure his pistol. Stump saw the movement, and quickly seiz- ing the crowbar lying at his feet, he dealt the mutineer such a heavy blow upon his head— which projected at least eighteen inches above the combings of the hatch—that he dropped senseless into the run. “It was all done in self-defence!” cried the ship-keeper, as he leaped back into the hold. “Ay, ay—that it was, sure enough. But, bad as the man is—and he’s a parfect shark—it cost me something to give him that blow, seeing as I’m not in the habit of indulging myself in that way. I hope I haven’t committed murder —I hope he isn’t dead!” “He’s only stunned, I guess,” replied Mar- line. “ He’ll soon come to his senses.” “You think he will?” cried Stump, twitch- ing his pigtail a little nervously. “ You think he'll broach to again? My eyes! seeing as that’s the case, then I think it would be as well ‘to take time by the forelock—to provide myself with his pistol, and to make him fast, so that he can’t do any more harm. He’ll never for- give me—no, never—when he gets: over his faint. It’s astonishing how the human family holds grudges!” Drawing his sheath-knife, he proceeded, with all possible despatch, to cut from one of the numerous coils of ratlin stuff lying about him a sufficient number of the twisted strands to secure the arms and legs of the giant. This task was soon accomplished, after which the mutineer was properly secured, and his pistol transferred from his own to the pocket of his eentueior: ‘Now, then,” said the latter, breathing a sigh of relief, “I think he’ll be surprised when he wakes.” Se CHAPTER V, THE BARRICADE. HE ship-keeper had hardly concluded | when he heard footsteps descending the “— companion-way, and peering through the hatch he saw the steward just as that worthy—astill pale and bleeding from the effects of the wounds he had received—gained the bottom of the short sicircase. With a low ery of exultation, Stump pulled himself quickly out of the run, and rushing upon the startled Portuguese, caught him by the throat, at the same time presenting his pistol at his head. “No noise, you miserable sneak, or down you go, a dead porpoise, sure enough. Just hand over the key that unlocks Miss Howard’s room, together with the one that belongs to Marline’s handcufts.”’ ““T—I—-de—de You no kill me!” stam- mered the steward, nearly frightened out of his wits. “The keys—the keys!” muttered Stump, shaking him violently; “it’s the keys I want —d'’ye hear?” ze i=] give you ’em quick,” gasped Joseph, while his eyes fairly rolled in his head with terror. “‘ Here—here,” he added, pulling the required instruments from his pocket; “ here dey be and now you no kill me.” in order to receive the keys, the ship-keeper let go the steward’s throat, and his joy was so great when the articles were in his hands that for a moment, while contemplating them, he almost forgot the presence of the mutineer. The latter was not slow to take advantage of this circumstance. He bounded up the com- panion-way and disappeared before Stump could lift his pistol. : “Ay, ay, the rascal’s gone, sure enough!” cried the ship-keeper, in a tone of mortification, ‘and it’s Parned me a lesson, which is, that them that doesn’t keep their eyes squinted both ways, or that allows their pleasure to turn ’em aside from their duties, is bound to suffer for it in the end.” “Never mind,” said Marline, who had risen, and was now looking through the open hatch- way; “but come quick and unlock these hand- cuffs. That fellow I can even hear now giving the alarm on deck, and the sooner my arms are at liberty, the better will it be for us both.”’ ‘“There’s plenty of truth in that!” replied the ship-keeper, as he now set himself to work to unfasten the irons from his friend’s wrists, “plenty of truth in that, and——” “How? Why? What does this mean?” in- terrupted the voice of Tom Lark, at this june- ture. “Ho! hallo there—on deck!” “That rascal has come to, at last!” cried Stump, “and although it consoles me to think that I didn’t kill a fellow-creatur’, there isn’t music enough in that voice—which is some- thing atween the roar of a bull and the grunting of a sea-hog—to give any pleasure.” Marline’s handeuffs dropped clanking to the deck as his chum spoke, and the young man sprang lightly from the run. The ship-keeper secured the trap above the hatch, while the other, rushing up the companion-way, fastened the door feadiee to it, by hooking it on the inside. This task was not accomplished a moment too soon, for a number of kicks and blows were now dealt against the door, and together with the roaring voice of Tom Lark—who evidently chafed in his confinement like a mad bull—- created a din such as is seldom heard in a whale- ship. Well, my eyes,” soliloquised Stump, “ them noises are sartainly not very inviting, nor those that make ’em very chival-rie-ous, seeing that a young lady lodges in this hotel!” “They will pound the door to pieces before > GComichbookssco