Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 103 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

ea ee es A a ee ee Oo =. a eee oe cael Sate eee . a 10 _ i ——________ ne The strangers perceived the indecision of the Moors and were prompt to act upon ib. ‘Dogs! throw down your arms and yield!” cried the taller of the two in a voice that plainly showed that its owner was a man used to com- mand. And with the word the two advanced upon the oors, A couple of shots Selim and his companion fired, and then, without even waiting to see the effects of their discharge, flung down their long istols and took to their heels with a swiftness hat argued well for their running powers. A single shot only one of the strangers fired, more to frighten the agile gentlemen than with a thought to harm them, but the pair plungin within the wood were soon lost to sight, althoug the noise of their progress throug the bushes could be heard for a few minutes. “This is the strangest chance meeting that I ever knew!” the tall stranger exclaime ‘* It, is indeed wonderful!” ‘The girl will surely believe that it is the finger of fate.” What will you do with her?” ‘She shall decide.” And then the two walked rapidly back to where she stood. ‘‘ Have no fear, lady; you are safe,” the tall stranger said, and casting aside the hood of his cloak the lion-head of the Lion Captain appeared. CHAPTER XIU. AN ATTACK IN FORCE, A ory of amazement broke from the lips of the girl as she recognized her preserver. “The Lion Captain!” she cried, filled with wonder at the unexpected meeting. ‘The same, lady, and your poor servant ever,” the unknown replied, with a gallant bow. ‘“‘ Heaven seems to will that we should meet in strange places,” the maiden observed. ‘‘ Heaven seems to will that 1 should be the humble instrument to rescue you from deadly peril!” the Lion Captain answered. ‘On the sea | warned and would have saved you, but you were deaf to remonstrances and rushed blindly to your fate, but now that chance a second time has placed you in my power, I trust you will listen to my words and allow me to place you in safety, far beyond the reach of your enemies.” “« Among whom you count my father?” ‘‘ Alas! it grieves me to say that he, who should be your protector against all, I am forced to consider the worst enemy this world holds for you,” the Lion-head replied, and it was plain from the way in which he spoke that it pained him aps make the atone judiced , youare so strangely prejudiced against that unfortunate man!” the lady declared, with evident feeling. ‘Would to Heaven that such was the case, but it is not.” “You are not rightly informed in regard to his designs!” ‘You will discover one of these days that I am only too well informed; but, enough of this; why should I persist in warning you when — disregard my words? It is but useless labor. Be it my task in the future to watch over you as diligently as possible and leave to cruel events the disagreeable performance of proving to you how unworthy yoursire is of the trust that you repose in him. But, tell me how comes it that I find you in the power of these Moors, and without the walls of Algiers?” “Indeed I can hardly explain,” the lady re- plied. ‘In dreamy meditation this evening I cast myself, all clothed as you behold me now, u a divan; to the meditation succeeded sleep—a sweet sleep, full of pleasant images, how 1 in this state of repose I lingered know not, but the bright dreams were abruptl ut to flight at last, and then a sensation as f was strangling succeeded; I seemed to be swimming in a sea, as black to the eye as a loomy coffin’s pall; then, within my ead, a uge wheel seemed to revolve at tremendous speed, and at every revolution a shower of bright and glittering sparks were cast off. From this I into a stupor like death, and I knew nothing more until a few minutes ago my senses returned slowly to me and I found myself lying upon a_ hillock within the wood onder gazing up at the starry skies. I believe be life I have led has given me unusual self- yssession, for — my senses returned to me and I fully reali that I was the victim of some terrible plot yet I refrained from cryi out—in fact lay ike one bereft of speech an listened to the conversation of the two men who were apparently the authors of the outrage. The Lion of the Sea. From their words I learned that strangers were near at hand. I chose my time, made a bold dash for liberty, and you know the rest.” The Lion Captain was sorely puzzled at the recital, although well versed in all the intrigues of the infamous court of Algiers. e ep you seen the Dey yet?” he asked. sé O. “That is strange! Iexpected you would be presented, almost immediately.” ‘‘You wrong my father!” the gin again pro- tested; ‘‘ he does not design that I sh fall the prey of this insolent Moslem. He has far high- er and better views for me.” The Lion-head regarded her for a moment evidently surprised. ‘‘ Higher views!” he exclaimed; ‘‘is the throne of Aboo Hassan then tottering on its base—the scepter trembling in his hand, and is some am- bitious soul plotting in secret to overthrow the Dey? El Boro controls the army; possibly he has undermined their loyalty so that he can pledge them as he listsin the event of a strug- gle? If the army is solid at his back possibly he can say who shall be master of the city. But, what say you to this scheme? Are you willing to be used asa lure to attract some ambitious soul to seize the deyship of Algiers?” The girl flushed scarlet at the Bowen -put question; for a moment she seemed con used, but soon she raised her head and looked proudly at the keen and blunt questioner. ‘“‘T will not give myself to any one unless m heart sanctions the choice, and when I love shall not care for the station of the man; he may be as high in rank as any king on earth or as lowly in station as the simplest sailor in the English fleet; it will be all one tome. I am not for sale by anybody or to any one, or at any rice. Here the companion of the Lion-head broke in, speaking for the first time. “Pardon, sir, but the boat is on the beach $c org, cas orders.” The boat’s crew attracted by the fight had put back again to the shore. ‘‘A moment, and they shall have them,” the captain replied, and then in he turned to the lady. ‘‘ Please you to decide as to your future course.” he said. ‘‘ Will you accept the protec- tion of my pretty ship yonder, or will you re- turn to Algiers?’ ‘Return to Algiers?’ she repeated, mechani- cally, as though pondering over the question. ‘Yes, if my surmise is correct, you were brought from the city by means of a certain se- cret passage which, nae aay way under the city walls, has its exit in the wood, yonder. Myself and companion were about to enter the city by way of the secret passage when your cries for help attracted our attention. By the aid of the underground way we can put you right back into the Dey’s palace itself—into the A ng wn pert from whence you came.” ly believing that she hb penetrated the secret of the Lion Captain, and that, if she wished. she could call him by name, his knowl- edge of the mysteries of Algiers did not sur- prise her in the least. “Take me back to my father,” she said, at last; ‘“‘and, sir, I assure you upon my honor, that you have wronged him by your suspicions. He is much better—not half so black as you have painted him.” “For your sake I hope so,” the Lion-head re- sno earnestly, but a certain something in his ne plainly revealed that he had no faith that such would be the case. Then he turned to the t: ‘Bend to your oarsand make for the ship,” he commanded. Obedient to the word the oarsmen headed for the ship. “ And now, lady, if you will accept my arm, we will proceed onward to our destination,” he continued. iB it > The lady at once accepted the invitation, and the three proceeded toward the wood. About one-half the distance that intervened between the spot where they had stood and the shrubbery that marked the confines of the wood, they had traversed, when, suddenly, a troop of Moorish horsemen who, concealed by the grove, had advanced with noiseless caution, burst around the edge of the wood and with loud cries rode rapidly forward, There were thirty Moors at least, and so cun- ningly had hey managed their advance and attack the assailed ones saw at a glance that escape was impossivie. No hope could be expected from the boat’s crew, either, for they had made ramen progress out to sea, and, even if they could have return- ed in time to take an active part in the fight, the odds were so fearfully against them they could not have hoped to beat off the Algerines. ‘‘ Resistance is useless!” cried the Lion-h Nga as he beheld the advancing force, an then, with wonderful dexterity he doffed. the lion head and dropped it in a clump of bushes which happened to be right behind him. He stoo to execute this maneuver, and so con- cealed the action from the sight of the advanc- ing foe. ‘And when he rose again, his head hooded in the cloak-cap, any one would have been puzzled to have told him from his companion. With loud cries'the Algerines rode up, bran- dishing their weapons, growing more and more savage in their bearing as they discovered that the men upon whom they were advancing in such warlike array did not manifest any inten- tion of resisting. At the head of the Moors rode the Greek ren- ogee, Selim, and his companion, the congue afiz, who had fled with such vigor but a sho time before. By a lucky chance the two in their headlong flight had encountered an escort troop returning from up the coast, and had at once made known the landing of the tvo strangers upon the beach, and suggested their surprise and capture. “Glory to Allah!” eried the, leader of the horsemen, flourishing his curved saber in tri- umph; ‘‘you are our prisoners! Yield, i tian dogs, or die!” ‘ The maiden with characteristic modesty had vailed her face with the folds of the light cloak she wore, and so her dazzling beauty did not excite attention. ‘“We surrender,” said one of the men, but whether it was the Lion-head or the other, the girl was = to decide, for, as she had no- ticed before, their voices were strangely alike, and they were also very much alike in appear- ance. The lady fancied that it was not the Lion- head, but his companion, although it was always the other who took the lead, but the Algerines naturally took the speaker to be the prominent man of the two. The Moors disarmed the prisoners, and then one of the horsemen ha ing to pass through the clump of bushes, discove the lion’s head which the Lion Captain had essayed to conceal. Great was the wonder of the horsemen as the fellow held up the strange head-dress. One of the prisoners, then, was the great Greek pirate; but which one? That was the question | CHAPTER XIII. WHICH IS WHICH? “Tap Lion of the Sea!” cried the renegade, and the rest of the horsemen reéchoed the ex- clamation. Not a man was therein the but knew the Greek sea-rover by reputation; hence, great was their glee at the unexpected capture. And Selim and his companion, too, under- stood now the character of the ge ship which had, in the darkness and silence of the night, run in so close to the Algerine coast. proud feather, indeed, it was in the caps of them all to have achieved so great a capture and secured so valuable a prize. ‘“ Weare all made men!” cried the captain in command of the party. ‘The Dey, our great and mighty master, w surely give us a capful of gold apiece, to say nothing of other honors, ae: we present this dog of a Greek pirate to m. “You are quite right!” Selim chimed in. “ At this present moment, P’'ve no doubt that our illustrious master, the oan gladly ve a turban full of onds for the Lion of he Sea, dead or alive. Why, fellow-soldiers, this rascally pirate had the omg ee ve battle on the high seas to the mighty Ali, of the Blue eard!” A hum of wonder resounded on the air at this announcement; the fight with Ali was news to the soldiers. i ““ Ah, indeed, it is the truth,” Selim continued ; ‘nor is that the worst of it. He sunk Ali’s ves- sel after a hard and bloody fight—actually whipped the great pasha, the terror of the sare and sent him home like a drowned rat to the story of the slaughter.” In wonder the soldiers looked upon each other, and then gazed curiously upon the two tall, dark figures, standing as motionless as statues, their faces masked by the hoods of the heavy cloaks which they wore. ‘But, thanks to our good swords, the career of this pirate will be brought to a sudden close!” the captain of the horsemen exclaimed, grand- iloquently, as though it were 4 deed of desperate com — se SEVOOKSAGONnT: