Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1139 — page 1: what you’re looking at

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

hs ! | Wigs!" | e} = " er Serie 3 zs rs ge “~~ 2 x: } Copyricat, 1878, py Beapue & ADAMS. No. 1139. Published Every Month. —_——— — - —™” — — The Ocean Bloodhound: The Red Pirates of the Caribbees. ----- BY SAMUEL W. PEARCE, Author of **Fhe Boy Detective. CHAPTER I. THE STRANGE SCHOONER. Lixr a vail of fire, the sun was slowly sinking be- low the western horizon, Homeward bound, after the completion of a most profitable trading cruise, the brig Nancy Jones lay nearly becalmed in the West Indies. Overhead, the heavens were serene and beautiful, with never the smallest sign of danger. And yet the keen, gray eyes of the Yankee skipper, lmptain Zeke Jones, wore an anxdous and uneasy look—a fact not long in attracting the attention of his mate, Job lhogers. Yhat’s in the wind now, Cap?" he asked, with a curt- ous air. “So far as I can see, every- thing is straight enough except this tarnal] ht breeze, and thas's dyin’ away with the sun yonder.” Very marked was the con- trast between the two men as they stood there together. tain Zeke—as he was usuajly called—was a raw-bon- ed Yankee, fully six feet in hight. His skin, roughened by ears of exposure, could be fixened to nothing better than a plece of sole-leather, both in color and texture. Over fifty years of age, he had followed the sea from his boyhood up. Witch hisripe ex- : ie perience, he read the signs of EG Sean iiiyyi(, the heavens as if they were an ! | open book. Generally A banecpiy he was & man of few words; but, let an opportunity arise for action, and—to use his own expression —“the old man was right thar.” Sociable and friendly with his crew, who were all Down- Kasters like himself, he still managed to enforce the most exact obedience. There was not A man among them but s7nuld have implicitly obeyed bis every order. The brig Nancy Jones—so named in honor of the skip- | per’s wife, now awaiting him i} if at homée—was a strong and | well-built vessel, with a rood capacity of cargo and a cor- responding sacridce to speed. She had for past year been trading along the western coast of Africa, taking ipivory, skins and other valuables in exchange for cheap and showy reaw-p7 , Lbdss As} 1 le ,. feud Msi ie see J AAA TAA A hd db bog ’ Ais Vlétdes fy, A, i) bp dts és / i . az f Wily Lat 7 Lhhecd is dd a a l'rom there she had crossed South America and com- eted her cargo with what vould sell at an amazing profit, s:) th se States.”’ Vien at last she sailed from Rio Janciro, homeward bound, it wac with a store of valuables NEW YOR t —_——. >. “7 ; ~ ef - ae a Fd I 2 Eee : es \G age are ee te ee ria - - ¥ ~ be ot ‘ - - —_——=— “— Bs ‘res - os 7 - | a me -$2 . ane — , = d » \ SAA AW \\ MMM Z “ \\ A) ‘ pada a “n, Wa Z un Wy 7 SAN NA , fl / KQAQY SAA AAA A aE NON D my N » We. . EVES & CO... Publishers, (JAMES SULLIVAN, PRoOPnriIKTOR), 379 Pearl Street, New York. such as was seldom gathered in the hold of one ves- sel. Job Rogers, the mate, was also an American; ‘but he hailed from the State of ** York.”’ In hight he was not over five feet. Broad-shoulder- ed, yet not too stout in frame, his every movement dancin the bull-like strength for which he was noted. Yet with all this, he was a remarkably quiet man in general. Never seeking to provoke a quarrel with any one, he was never known to turn his back when one was forced upon him. ‘** *Tain’t so much the weather, Job,” said the skip- per, stopping to take a fresh bite of his favorite ‘pig-tail.” ‘I'd be glad enough if this breeze would on’y freshen up a bit, that’s sartin; but that ain't what I was thinkin’ on.”’ ** What then?’’ The skipper rolled his huge quid under his tongue thoughtfully and looking his mate squarely in the eyes, he replied: ‘* Pirates |” /, ; J / f it 7] i vt ven , \ we Mwy, nyt J, / . = . SANTILLEZ. Ul Sl em cre lV a i Ts ft al nt et Le el et Te et st a | o at : <r Th. 7 5 _ 6 = ‘ Es x x x - <i a Jf Le piece Z A, ee “5 in > SIIIA tS 7d _ a tv. - i AY NAAR AIY ate IANS ——. JULY, 19038. ‘ WAN NA ‘) WA _»: SRA Go Hh 4 | > wie, x ' Wes, Yo. in & manner that showed the speaker to be in earnest. “Shol”’ exclawmed the mate, carelessly; “ guess ye’ve made a ake fer once, cap’n. Thar used ter be a few nests of them scoundrels In these parts, I'll allow, but they war all cleaned out a few years ago.” “T’ve got sartin intelligence,” said vapnatp Zeke, slowly. “Just afore we cleared Rio ta from our consul thar, sayin’ that Pedro titles ng tre choke to death on a hot potato—had takea up his quarters among some of these tilands,” “Pedro Santillez?’ repeated the mate, alo “that’s the name of the scoundrel that dleaned o and destroyed so many vessels. He ran away at last am two or three cruisers that tried to capture m.”’ “That’s the same infernal shark,” assented the captain. ** But, Cap, there's a flaw in your sto “ He newer s da Hving soul "thou 50c. a year. , Bsomewhar. it might be | a woman that he wighed to carry to his den.” The word, spoken in a low tone, was uttered ! “True again, Job: but\this news came from a chap that sprung overboaré with a plank when his ves sel war boarded by Santil- lez. He was picked up twenty- four hours arterward by a Brazilian bark, and carried to Rio. No one knows for sartin where the fellow has his ‘rendevoo,’ but it’s some- whar in this neighborhood that the affair happened. [ ain’t thinkin’ so much of my- self, though the cargo air purty valuable an’ this alr my last cruise. We've plenty of a aboard, an’, with the help @ our gun for’ard, we might him as good as he sent should tackle us. It's thought of Kernel Sand lady and her child, down in the cabin, that bothers “Bad luck in having a coat on board, anyhow. marked the mate, who, like sailors, had unlucky omens ae) ‘5 ** You’re right thar, #*\ . allow; but, you see, t e pe nel was called home to tes States so suddintly that he had to leave ’em behind, He hails from my own place, you know, an’ so when his wife met me in Rio, an’ axed fur a passidge, I couldn’t refuse,”’ ‘You'd been a hog—beggin’’ yer parden fer the word—i rou had,’’ replied Job, prompt- y;. ‘* But—” “Sail ho!’’ came the cry at that instant from the look-out stationed in the foretop-mast cross-trees, “Whar away, you lubber?” cried Captain Zeke, as he snatched his telescope from its brackets. “Two pints off the lee quar- ter, sir. Looks like aschooner,’’ Captain Zeke adjusted his lass and gazed long toward the point indicated. ‘‘ Wall?” asked the mate, in- quiringly. “T can’t see very well for *tie sun,’’ was the reply; “but I don’t like the chap’s looka. You've seen sarviee in these latitudes afore; let’s have your opinion of that chap.” Job Rogers was less time in coming to @ conclusion. ‘Bare poles,” he muttered; “low in the water, an’ built fey "\