Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1128 — page 4: what you’re looking at

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

a4 — —— ey ———o ~ * * ~ = “he has drugged and attempted to rob this lad, and | i | be, and where you are to take up your quarters. but fur iny timely interference would have succeed. ed. Take him to the atation-house and lock him up- . ' When the boy recovers I will appear and make | My name is James—Captain | | again.”’ charges against him, ' James—o?t the clipper Hong Kong, of the American he a oliceman stimulated the returning conscious- ness of his prisoner, by the customary cuffs and slaps in vogue with his class, assisted him to his feet, and ied him out and down-stairs, retaining a fast hold of him. For none knew better than he that this class of ruffians were slippery customers. | ; Captain James continued his efforts in Julian’s be- half, and finally succeeded in getting him on his feet, and walking him up and down the room, until by de- grees the confused state of his intellect were away, and at last his consciousness fully returned. At first he stared about him in a bewildered sort of way, but on the captain’s returning his mother’s Bi- ble, containing the money, that last recollection of those bony fingers plucking at his breast, and of that serpent-like fascination that had been upon him, returned, and he was himself again. With strong appreciation of the danger he had so narrowly 5 Het § he pressed the captain’s hand with a warmth that found additional vent in tears of thankfulness. They left the place together, not a soul being visi- ble in or about the house. The sight of a policeman in this unclean rookery having had the effect of putting its foul birds to in- stantaneous flight. So prone are past misdeeds to in judgment. | ite On on still weak, and Captain James found it necessary to support him. stron rly by the arm as he led the way toward the dock where the Hong Kong was lying; but the open air and the walk, and the consciousness of safety did Julian more good than any medicine could have done. The captain took him on board the Hong Kong and into the cabin, where he gave him a glass of wine, ordering him to lie down and endeavor to rg Placing his knapsack beside him, and telling him to be perfectly at ease, and that he would soon return, he left the boy to himself. Julian fell into a refreshi awoke he found the captaimsitting b him with a tender interest whic heart go out to him. He sat ap, and at the captain’s suggestion arose and walked about, and after a few minutes, declared he had never felt better. Captain James smiled his approval. : ns t being the case,” he said, ‘“‘andif you are entirely willing—not otherwise—I should be glad to hear your history; why you are leaving home, the particulars your parents, and why you pur- pose going to In | Upon this, Julian, not without considerable emo- tion, proceeded to relate the whole of his little histo- ry. 6 recent death of his widowed mother, where and how she had lived, the property she had left, of his only relative, supposed to be in India, and all par- ticulars in reference to his leaving home. Nor did he omit suitable mention of old Uncle Benny, of Maggie Lawson, and even the parrot; stating fully his pur- pose of finding, if he were living, the uncle he ad never seen—in short, all the ho and desires—the aims and aspirations with which he was setting out on his eearoh for his uncle—Captain Kidd. In connection with this narrative, he showed Cap- tain James the letter of the old sailor to his ancient friend and messmate, Ned Trusthim. The captain read it with an amused smile. “What he says about this Captain Kidd not being the bloody pirate is rather wh ag i said Captain James, reiaetively: ‘‘espe@ially,”’ he added, ‘as connected with your search, Strangely enough, I self have often thought that a search for the nal Captain Kidd, of the places he visited, and of the coast where he buried his treasures, might result in something Gage “Then you do not think my search for my uncle foolish or unwise?’ asked Julian. No,” said the captain, after a thoughtful pause, ‘*T do not; I believe there is a Providence that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we may, and I have no doubt but there is some wise purpose in your under- taking, which may hereafter be made oo og ha I think you will surely find him. Meanwhile,” he concluded, ‘‘as you have already discovered, it is not altogether safe for a lad, and a stranger, to carry money about with him, or to make inquiries for pas- sage, or otherwise show that he has a considerable aim; perhaps your experience will suggest some sther course. “ Oh, sir,’’ said Julian, the awe he felt shining in his eyes, “if you could on y let me go with you as eabin-boy, or in some other capacity, I should be lad, and if you will not, I will go as er. ou said bil wonle Sine roe for one gare’ ol- lars, and [ can proba get passage from Hon Kong to India tcl lab money than pat I shall st have left.” “"My lad,” said the captain, ‘‘I do not want your money, but wished to know whether you still held fast to your purpose of going. My purser, in his double ca y of supercargo, needs a clerk, at least, I think he ought to have one; I see, by old Benny's letter, that you write well, for one of your and have no doubt you are good at figures, just e kind of assistant that he ought to have. at do you say to ten dollars per month and found?” he nade with a business air. “¢ ll accept, with many thanks to you, which I ope to show hereafter with acts—more than any words can do.” my well,” said the cap “it is an engage- | ment. twill introduce you to the purser at once, “4 Af 7 ‘ ' Pr ¢ ’ 1 a a é Pei “ha ‘ ima } aye . | F fy an nkee OPA bi Sty Tat He ee Riad es eh ee is as Z jy TO 7 ; 1652 oie Sy ; wii ‘ : ” Aa a) * bd ar a : wT STal, a ae ‘how yee t LF xg af 4 . ime “ iy a te al) e yr ed slumber, and when he his side, watch- made Julian’s 7 “win - pe dot oP hae ly he hc meadie’s hali-Dime Library. and he will show you what your new duties are to * We will then go and make our formal complaint, for the punishment of that land-shark. He will be made to think twice before he tries that sort of thing And with these words, they passed out on deck to- gether. CHAPTER V. STRUCK BY seo THE Hong Kong was to sail the tollowing week. During the four days, that ensued, Julian had time tofamiliarize himself with the duties of his new posi- tion, and to write a letter to old Uncle Benny, giving him the name of the vessel, and the port to which he was bound, and such other particulars as he thought would be of interest to the old sailor, not omitting his adventure with the land-shark—he and the captain having 4 ere attended at the police court, and seen the villain disposed of by a sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, As the time of departure very busy. It was a proud day for Julian when they at last weighed anchor, dropped down the harbor, and stood out to sea, Before them lay the broad expanse of water, be- hind them the great city, and in advance the foreign lands he hoped to visit before he returned. Four days they oie upon their course, blest by favoring gales, when Julian saw the captain come on déck one evening at nightfall, and examine the barometer with an unusually grave face. Up to this time there had been no evidence, to the boy's comparative inexperience, of an approaching storm. But the expression of the captain's face, now led him to more carefully scan sea and sky. To the northward, just above the horizon. was a long irregular line like a penciling of light on a darker background, It had an appearance that Julian had never before seen, and he would have asked Captain James its meaning, for he saw he had observed it, but the captain went forward issuing orders; and directly afterward the whole crew were actively engaged in making everything snug and fast on deck, and stow- ing away and lashing the movables, in evident antici- pation of a coming tempest. But in such a stanch ship, and with an experienc- ed captain and crew, Julian was rather pleased than otherwise at the ite How little did he appreciate what was foreshadow- ed by that strange sky and sea, An hour thereafter it was blowing Myth another—and it had become a gale, and when night closed, it blew a hurricane. All that could be done for the welfare of those on board, and for the safety of the ship was done. It blew all night, and all the next day, and even pag, yr James declared that it exceeded in force and continuance oy storm he had ever known. Toward night of the second day, it seemed to abate somewhat, and the opinion began to prevail that the storm was over, when the wind suddenly shifted, and a terrible fall of rain ensued, accompanied by the most terrible thunder and lightning Julian had ever witnessed. For seemed met together in a vaulted arch of intermittent fire, so closely did the blinding flashes succeed each other—whileé the roar of the incessant thunder was deafening. Nothing that Julian had ever heard could furnish a comparison, He had read of the clash and > ae of opposing armies on fields of battle, of the thunder of artilery, but it seemed to him as if all the cannon in the world discharged at once, would be unheard beneath that elemental war. He felt, however, no terror or alarm. His awe and amazement were too great to give place to any weaker feeling. Suddenly there was a tremendous crash—a blind- ing flash—-with tongues of flames that swept over Julian with scorching heat, and but for the rope with which he had taken the precaution to lash himself to the bulwarks he would have fallen. For a moment his senses were involved in Chaos; the whole world seemed split asunder, and en- veloped in flames. | The ship shook and reeled like a drunken man staggering to a fall; and as Julian’s senses slowly a he saw some of the men prostrate upon the eck, What had happened? Before his mind could suggest an answer to this question, a voice forward cried out: ‘The ship is struck by lightning.” The tones conveyed to Julian’s mind a sense of horrified despair. Julian looked about, him for the captain, and di- rectly he saw him hurrying up from the companion- way, and go forward. tterly worn out by the exhausting labor of the last forty eight hours, for-yhe had not closed his eyes in that time, he had gone below to sleep, leaving the deck in charge of the mate. Julian threw off the rope with which he had lashed himself to the bulwarks and busied himself in restor- ing those who were still suffering from the effects of the shock, Some, however, were already beyond the aid of man. Several who had been sheltered about the mast, or near it, were killed outright, and the mast itself had been split and splintered in the passage of the Nebtaibe to the hold. 0 of the cargo were known to be combusti- ble, and it was not without dread that Julian re- membered this grew near, he was kept time sea and What if the lightning, finding no vent, had follow- a COMICDOOKS. =" - ~~» ed the keel, splintering off here and there, and had set fire to the cargo? lt was soon evident this thought was not alone in the boy’s mind, for Captain James aided his efforts in arousing the stunned and bewildered crew, and proceeded to remove the main hatch with a view of ascertaining what damage had been done by the electric fluid. A volume of smoke came pouring out which the draught, created by the ship’s headway, instantly fanned into a flame. The men recoiled with cries of terror and alarm, but the captain’s tones were firm and clear, as he ordered the hatch replaced, enforcing the command by voice and example; but it was a difficult task, The volume of flame and heat that came rolling out was appalling. The effort was crowned with success, however, and the fire temporarily smothered, or confined below. Holes were then bored in the deck, through which water was poured incessantly, The men worked, fired with the captain’s zeal and energy, with steady determination for hours. Meanwhile the thunder ceased to roar, the light- ning flashed no more, and the wind began to subside a little; but the deck beneath their feet had grown hotter and hotter. Between decks, it was evident the ship was a smoldering furnace; and in a sort of dry well be- neath the cabin floor, as the captain and Julian knew, were several kegs of gunpowder, for the ser- vice of the brass guns. At sea—at night—on a raging ocean, with moun- tainous billows all about them, a raging fire beneath —no land in sight! It was a situation to dismay the stoutest heart, but Julian saw no sign of fear in the captain, With a calm voice he gave his orders, and with a firm hand he aided in their execution, and under his direction they still continued their efforts, though the smoke and heat had now become far more dan- erous than the wind and the sea, But not long did ey remain, Some one remembered the powder on board and reminded his comrades, It produced an instant panic. All ceased their work at once, and under the leadership of the mate, rushed for the boats. In vain the captain reasoned, threatened and en- treated. The impossibility of launching a boat in such a sea would have been apparent to any but madmen; but they heeded not. They struggled into the boats fighting with each other for precedence, lowered and cut adrift. The first two were instantly swamped; the doomed men were swept shrieking away leeward. The third and largest boat fared little better; it was instantly filed with water and vanished away in the darkness, with a few of the crew clinging in and about her. Julian looked around him. Of the whole crew, but three were left, besides the captain; the purser, the steward and himself. e rudder had been lashed, and almost helplessly they were driving along. A burning ship upon a heaving ocean! The captain went forward with his night glass; Julian keeping close by his side. Suddenly the captain uttered an exclamation, and his anxious countenance lighted up. *Land!"’ he declared, ‘‘a coast ! and we are driv- ing straight upon it. Shelter yourself under the bulwark, Julian, with the purser and steward, and keep a stout heart. If the flames do not reach the powder during the next twenty minutes, we have still a bare chance for our lives!” CHAPTER VI. CAST UP BY THE SEA. . JULIAN si epped back as directed and crouched be- neath the Lulwarks. Not another word was uttered. The two men clinging beside him were voiceless, either with terror and apprehension, or more likely a calm resignation. Here and there the seams, in the planking of the deck, began to bubble and smoke, The danger from the raging furnace beneath was evidently growing more and more imminent. With a view of escaping the heat, anid the threat- ened peril undef their feet, the two men got outside the bulwarks, and lashed themselves in the chain- of the shrouds. ey told Julian to do the same, but, in this criti- cal emergency, he preferred to be nearer the cap- tain, und again went forward to where he was post- ed on the look-out. He was just in time. He saw looming before them, dim and misty in the gray night-sky—directly in the track of the ves sel, and so near that he seemed to be almost looking down upon it—a i a ag of shelving sand and ine. ed coast, over which the ocean was lashing i in a yeasty surge, The captain turned and shouted to the mén, but his voice was not audible ten feet away, and he waved his hand for them to approach. But the sig- nt ee unheeded; and n he beckoned. ile yet his hand was the air, and his face turned toward them, there came a grinding, grating, crushing sound beneath the keel. The shock threw Julian violently t the cap- tain, who in turn recoiled against the bulwark, and with. the shock followed another crash of broken masts and f spars, and in an instant a portion of the hatches and p were blown off, and great volumes of flame lea into the air. . The masts had fallen to leeward and the momert Julian had regained his footing, he looked for the twa men in the chains, but they were gone. > s Ye Be 7 2a ha bet j git ’ re 3