The Yankee Champion — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

76 HE YANKEE CHAMPION. “Ts there a traitor on board this brig?’’ slowly and meaningly asked Walter Nixon, still holding up the end of the brace, which had been smoothly cut with a knife till only about half a dozen yarns held it. The men looked at each other and trembled. for they feared a secret traitor as they would have feared a hidden adder; but no one spoke. ‘“My men,’’ continued Nixon, just as another shot came plowing up the water alongside, ‘‘we have an enemy astern, and if we cannot whip him, we can at least escape him. He is not an enemy to be feared, even were he alongside, for with brave Yankee hearts beating in our bosoms we know how and where to meet him; but if we have a traitor in our midst, a cowardly viper who springs upon us with the song of a dove, and stings us to the death with the poison of a serpent, we are no longer safe. Where is the man?” A low murmur ran through the crowd of men, and they gazed anxiously each upon the other, but none of them spoke audibly. Old Maynard started forward, and looked about upon the forecastle, but nowhere could he see Mason, and he was just on the point of descending to the berth-deck by the way of the fore-hatch, when he heard a suppressed, choking cough over his head, and on looking aloft hesawa _ man just climbing the futtock shrouds. By the pale light of the moon he could see that it was Mason. Quick as thought the old man sprang into the rig- ging, and taking two rattlings at a leap, he made his way aloft. The shrouds, having just been set up, were so taut that they shook but a trifle beneath Maynard’s weight, and Mason could not have heard him. As the gunner rounded the edge of the top he saw the villain half way up the top-gallant rigging. Dy — comicbooks.com |