Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 375 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 375: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "In High Cabal" (page 355). The text describes a French privateer ship called L'Indienne carrying contraband—sugar hogsheads containing gunpowder and molasses barrels containing lead—sailing unmolested up a river during wartime. The crew discovers Richmond burned, a Frenchman commanding American troops, and learns that the Marquis de la Fayette is leading forces nearby. De la Jonquière visits Lafayette to share the secret of the privateer's cargo, though Tom withholds knowledge that he carries diplomatic papers from Count de Grasse to the General-in-Chief. The passage appears set during the American Revolution.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In Hich CaBa enn Barbados, B.W.I.; Unaka Nung-noh-hut-tar-hee, Barba- dos, B.W.I. Tom had kept one secret from Rory. Being a faithful British subject, Rory knew nothing about the skeleton in the closet — the hold — of L’Indienne. Every hogshead of sugar had at its core a keg of powder. Every barrel of molasses was at bottom a bar of lead. This fact was known only to Tom, De la Jonquiére, and Unaka. They expected to be overhauled by some officer from a British frigate. But the presence of the French squadron made smooth sailing for the French privateer. The West- Indian entered the river unmolested. And now the bunch from the Caribbean Sea made some startling discoveries. Richmond was in ashes; as Corn- wallis had left it. A Frenchman was in command of the American troops in Virginia. And a stone’s throw from the British flagship lay a little brig, the Nancy Ireson. Unaka pointed to her with tiger eyes. .““If powder were not so precious, I’d like to blow her up where she lies,” said om. When they learned the name of “the little boy” com- _ manding the French and American troops before Rich- mond — or its ash-heap — there was a furor. De la Jonquiere was stirred. His old chum Henri de Rochefort, Marquis de la Fayette, leading an army? It was ripping. “Let’s be off to the American camp, Cara- bas. Never heard of anything so jolly. De la Fayette here! Giving the British fits! Why, the brat is not as old as | am. Come along!” They went. What a memorable interview was that! Major-Gen- eral La Fayette recetved De la Jonquiére with the affec- tion of a brother. To the French officer Tom made known the secret of the privateer’s cargo. La Fayette’s blue eyes kindled. He gave both hands to the man from Bar- bados, and said fervid things. But not even to the Mar- quis EF ayette — as Mr. Jefferson stubbornly called him — did ‘Tom make known that he carried papers from Count de Grasse, whose fleet lay off Guadeloupe, to His Excel- lency the General-in-Chief of the Army. De la Jonquieére CORNICLOO® eS (CO) im