Beadle's Dime Novels No. 87: On the Deep — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

99 ON THE DEEP. can, for, if our enemies are Malay’s, we can expect no quarter.” | “ Not a bit of it,’ returned Block. “Them fellows have a most superfluous taste for blood. Shall I rouse up the men, sir ?” “ Ay, ay, and get up the arms, and distribute ’em, as secon as possible.” These orders were promptly executed; after which good lookouts were stationed about, the ship. Not knowing the exact whereabouts of the suspected craft, Capstan then hauled up his mainsail and lay to. This was scareely done, when the lookout forward reported a light directly ahead,.and appar- ently about the distance of a league. The skipper looked at it through his night-glass, but the instrument being damaged, afforded hira-no assistance. “Tt’s probably the vessel,” said Block ; “ p’r’aps we'd better ware ship and show our heels—that is to say, what little we have left,” he added, glancing disconsolately toward the stumps of the three masts.” “No,” Capstan answered, decidedly, “ we will not wear, for, in my opinion, that light is shown from some boat in order to deceive us. Otherwise why should it be shown at all ?”. “Light, ho!’ cried at this moment one of the lookouts sta- tioned in the after part of the vessel. “ ‘Where away ?” shouted Capstan. “ Off the weather-quarter.” “ Another one!’ cried Block. “Blast me but there’s - something incredulously suspicious. about that !” As he spoke, both lights were suddenly extinguished. “How, now, Block? ‘What do you think that means?” “It’s sartainly an anatomical pantomime,” responded the mate; .“ but I think I can resolve it. One of them lights was that of the Malay, adrift in his boat, and the other, that of the vessel. They were signalizing to—” “ Light, ho !” shouted another lookout ; “right astern, about a league distant.” “A third light?’ cried Block and Capstan, in the same breath. . ) 7 “The rascals are up.to some infarnal trick)’ continued the skipper, “ and I’d give considerable to know what it is.” fi comlichooks.com