Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 167 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

- eo —- « ——_—_ — —_—— eee ee -— eo me ~ ed ~ —_— re _ "Pe ~~ . - - _ eR a ren ee -_---- — oe + ‘his brain, or to his natural idios - 16 o a sa Scott, the Steamboat Boy. they were a mile or so from Bucksport; but the night was so dark that Sproule could not easily dis- t faces. He soon recognized, however, the tones of a voice which he had good reason toremem- ber,and a close inspection assured him that the owner of the voice was no other than Jacob Bum- stead, the predatory proprietor of the flatboat ‘*‘ Hon- est Trader.”’ ‘* Pears like you ought to know me, my son,” said that worthy representative of the river rat frater- nity. ‘lam good old Deacon Bumstead, who saved you from a watery grave, and who was goin’ to do suthin’ good for you when you run off in that scan- dalous way.” “Do you callit something good,” asked Sproule, “to rob a fellow and threaten to murder him?”’ ‘*Dearme! Is that the way youlook at it? Some folks never seem to know who their friends are. Mebbe you would blame me fur goin’ and takin’ you out of that orful) jail, where you mought have been hung fur hoss-stealin’'? This is the second time good old Deacon Bumstead has saved your life, sonny.”’ “For something worse, I am afraid,’ remarked Sproule. ‘*What do you mean to do with me now?” **To put you where you will be safe, my son; to keep you outof badcompany. Evilkimmunications corrup’ good manners. We don't mean to let you slip away from us so easy ag’in. I only wish I could git hold of that other boy.”’ ‘*You had better be careful,’’ answered Sproule, “or he will get hold of you, and when he does he will snatch you bald-headed. But you haven't told me why you want to shut me up.”’ ‘Have patience, my son, and you will l’arn all about it. e don’t want to hurt you, if your friends will come down with the cash.”’ Jacob Bumstead vouchsaf.d no further informa- tion; but Asa Sproule had heard enough to satisfy him of the quality and intentions of his captors, and he was not surprised when he was placed in a log- cabin on Jason's Island, and the d»or was locked be- hind him. Finding a pile of blankets on the floor, he made a couch of them, and was soon sleeping as soundly as if he were in no sort of danger. In the morning he a stormy interview with Jacob Bumstead, who broucht to him the letter which was afterward sent to Richard Brashear, and insisted upon ponding it to him. This task he per- formed with some difficulty, dwelling with special unction upon the tortures and mutilations which were to be inflicted upon the boy in case Mr. Brashear should fail to ‘‘come down.” He closed this solemn duty by pamnesting Sproule to write a note, to go with the letter, assuring Mr. Brashear that he had really been captured, and uesting that gentleman to procure his liberation in the man- ner proposed by captors. ‘“*Go to Texas!"’ promptly replied Asa. “I will do nothing of tae sort if I should die for it; but I would gladly write him a letter if I could to advise him not give you the money. I would rather be burned priv than waste one cent on such a set of scoun- After the ‘‘Honest Trader" left him Asa heard a sound of picking and hammering on one side of the apartment in which he was confined, and soon a portion of the ‘‘chinking’’ which closed the aper- tures between the logs fell out on his side, and he received that some person in the other apartment Raticed to communicate with him. ‘*Who is that in there?’ was asked in a voice which Asa fancied he could recognize. ‘*My name is Asa Sproule.” ‘Are you the boy who was playing cards on the War Eagle just before the explosion?” “Tam,” ‘*Who bet on two aces?” “Yes, and I am betting on them yet. Who are ou, sir? Your voice is familiar to me, but it can’t “Col. Thomassieu."’ “Ts it possible?”’ exclaimed Asa. “I thought you bes dead, and all your friends believe you to be ‘“*So I am told by that fellow who calls himself Major Brackett; but Iam not sure, since you have come here, that I am quite dead. I may come to life and surprise some of them yet.”’ ‘*I don’t understand you, sir. Please tell me what you mean.”’ ‘* Place your car close to the crevice, and I will tell you all about it. This is inconvenient, I know, but what I have to say is quite important.” Col. Thomassieu told the boy his entire story, in- cluding the information which Major Brackett had t usly and frankly imparted to him concern- the plans of that polite person for getting pos- session of the Thomassieu estate, and Asa told of the escape of himself and Snakeroot after the ex- losion, their adventures on the flatboat Honest er, and the subsequent occurrences at the Thomassieu mansion and elsewhere. It was a notable circumstance that previous to this conversation, Col. Thomassieu, owing to the pecul- iar effect of the Jason’s Island ‘‘ moonshine * upon crasies, had not been able to connect his personality with his own af- fairs. He had actually seemed to regard himself as a dead person, and to consider the plot so freely ex- lained by Major Brackett, asa game in which he no further interest than was derived from the amusement of watching the players. But the ar- rival of Asa Sproule, and the news which the boy gave him, brought him back to life, or at least con- nected him with his family and human inter- ests. He perceived that he had been stupefied b the mixture of raw liquor and champagne, wit which he had been so freely pir tay and deter- mined that he would touch the intoxicating fluids very sparingly thereafter. Then he began to take new views of life, to have clearer notions of bis de- sires and duties, and to seriously consider the possi- bility of effec his escape. ‘*T have been dazed since that explosion,” he said, toSproule. “ head hasn't been right. But Iam getting hold of t ain, and know what I ought to do. Isuppose that Brackett will never let me loose if he can aie as the succe 8 of his plans de- pence upon the belief that I am dead; but you will likely to get away ce tong “I don’t know about that,’ replied Asa. ‘They say that unless my agent in St. Louis pays a big sum as ransom money, they will begin by cutting off my ears, and will finally make an end of me.”’ “They will hardly dare to do that,” said the old gentleman, ‘or your friend in St. Louis will pay the money, or something will happen to save you. Don’t you think so?” “*Tonly know thatIam not a bit frightened. I have friends who will do what they can for me, but I have more confidence in the boy who came ashore from the War Eagle with me than anybody else. I wouldn’t be surprised at anything Asa Scott might try to do to help me.”’ ‘When you get away,”’ persisted Col. Thomassieu —‘thatis, if you ever do get away—you must re- member what I have told you about the fraud in that mortgage, and about the paper which I was forced to sign. I want it distinctly understood that Brackett could never have forced me to sign that document, though I was eae hard pressed, un- less I had believed that it would be of no effect. I want you to keep these facts in your mind, so that when you get away you can make them known and defeat the plans of that rascal.” “It seems to me,”’ replied Sproule, “ that you stand a better chance to get away thanIdo. You can leave this house, [ understand, when you choose to do so, but [am aclose prisoner in my room. ’ “Thatistrue. I can go outside, but they are care- ful that I shall have no chance to leave the island. Yet, there may be a chance, and I mean to keep my eyes open for both of us.” Following the old gentleman’s advice, Asa Sproule carefully restored the piece of *“‘chinking” to its lace between the logs after their conversations, as it was evident that they ought not to allow the fact that they were communicating with each other to be discovered. Thus passed the first day of Asa Sproule’s ca tivity, and he checked it oif at night as one of the seven that remained to him before the threatened operation upon his ears should begin. The next morning he was called to the wall, and when he reached the aperture he perceived that Col. Thomassieu was considerably excited. ‘*T have taken the first step toward an escape,” said the old gentleman. ‘I have got a gun.”’ ‘* How did you get it?’ asked Sproule. ‘*Picked it up where one of the rascals had laid it down, and brought it in here without being noticed. It is a repeating rifle and fully loaded. I have taken up a plank in my room and hid it under the flooring. Perhaps [ may have a chance to use it before t day is done.”’ ** Be careful what you do,’’ warned Sproule. ‘*Of course I must be careful, but I feel it in my bones that something is going to happen.” Something did happen. Asa Sproule had hardly finished his dinner when Col. Thomassieu, more ex- cited than ever, called him to the wall, and hastily informed him that an attack was being made, or was about to be made, upon the island. ‘“*Itis some sort of a boat or raft,’’ he explained, “with which the attack is made. ese rascals are _ moti, ie A fora fight. There! it has already be- n. Don’t you hear the firing? Iam going out to see the sport.”’ Sproule besought him, for the sake of his daugh- ters, to be careful of himself. “Of course I must be careful, but I feel as if I am about to be brought back to life. If Ishould be mis- taken in this oe my boy, be sure to remem- ber all I have told you.”’ Col. Thomassieu went out to watch the expected fight, and took the rifle which he had ‘‘found.”’ He could not have said that he had any definite intention in his mindin sodoing, further than a desire to take artin the battle if he could do so effectively; but ie knew that his head was cool and his nerves were steady, and he was careful to keep out of sight of the defenders of the island. As he drew near the point at which the attack was being made, he saw a a Me float bearing down upon the island from the inain land. No men were visible on that strange contrivance, although it was moved by sweeps, and this fact seemed to annoy and dis- concert the moonshiners and their allies, who saw that they were using their ammunition without harming their enemies. At last one of them climbed a tree, and his rifle was handed to him from below. Ascending yet higher, he soon placed himself in a position that suited him, took a careful aim, and fired. The shot was followed by a cry from the float. “Good for you, J erry !” shouted the leader of the moonshiners. “Give em some more of the same sort!” Before Jerry could take aim again, Col. Thomas- sieu brought his rifle to hisshoulder and fired. The man proper from his perch, and fell heavily to the round. P At this moment Major Brackett came es to where the old gentleman was standing and waiting the effect of his shot. ‘*Ourse you!” he exclaimed. ‘‘Take that for your meddimg!” ‘That’ was a pistol-shot, and the bullet struck Se Thomassieu in the breast, and he staggered and fell, CHAPTER XXII. A NAVAL ATTACK. Earty in the morning Arthur ae met his friend Capt. Roberts at the point on the shore of the lake which the latter had designated. Although it was not yet sunrise when he arrived, he found Roberts rr there, and learned that he had been on the ground for some time, The point selected by the Government official was on an arm of the lake which ran some distance into the land, and was concealed by trees from the ob- servation of those on the island. To this place he had caused to be carted during the night some heavy planks, with a supply of tools, spikes and other implements, and his men were busily at work, getting out logs, cutting them into lengths of twenty feet, and rolling them into the water. 7 “T must give you credit for being a business man,” ’ confessed Westleigh. ‘‘I had not expected to see such a display or energy as this.”’ “I mean business,” replied. Roberts. ‘ You ma be sure of that. I want to do such a piece of wor here as would secure my promotion, if the revenue service were like the army service, and advance- ment could be secured asit ought to be.” “What are you going todo? I am anxious to un- derstand —_— plan.” ‘“‘It is simple enough. I told you that it would be necessary to make a naval attack, and I am building a floating-batte It will be readyin a few hours and then we will move on the enemy’s works. | shall want you and your friends to co‘perate with me from the other side of the lake and to guard the sunken road thatleadstotheisland. But you must keep yourselves concealed until the time for action comes, and I will fire one shot for a signal when we are ready to start. That will be sufficient for you, and the enemy may not notice it. My only fear is that you will be too anxious to join the fight, and I now warn you that you must not attempt to cross to the island until you have reason to believe that we are landing, or at least until the attention of the enemy is entirely drawn to us.”’ These instructions were plain enough, and West- leigh proceeded to obey them at once. He rode rap- idly around the lake, being well acquainted with the route, to the head of the sunken road. Then he kept on, up the bridle-path, until ne met a party coming from the direction of Bucksport. This pred was headed by Judge Dalby and Asa Scott. Snakeroot had satisfactorily performed the duty that had been assigned to him, easily securing the services of Jim Biggs, the Bucksport tavern- keeper, who had enlisted four other men for whom he could vouch as thoroughly reliable. Judge Dalby reached Bucksport in time to com- plete the negotiations, promising to pay the men well for their services, and it was understood that they were to endeavor to effect the release of Asa Sproule, in connection with an unknown force on the other side of the lake. By common consent Judge Dalby was made the commander of this force, as he had served in the Southern army during the civil war, and three of the men engaged for this expedition had served un- der him. Arthur Westleigh repeated to him Capt. Roberts's instructions, and he led the party to the lake, halting at a sufficient distance from the shore to be secure against the observation of those on the island, and sending Westleigh forward as a pickct to watch the lake. Thus the force on that side of the lake was com- posed of eight men, including Snakeroot, who had not the least doubt that he ought to be counted as a man. On the other side Capt. Roberts’s operations pro- ceeded briskly. He was accustomed to put energy and method Into his work; and thus it was always speedily and correctly done. When the logs were te into the water they were securely spiked together, forming a_ strong and serviceable raft, which was partly planked over. At the end which was intended to face the island a stout bulkhead of heavy plank was built, about four feet high, and well braced. It was not loop-holed, as it was intended for defensive purposes alone, and it was thought best to reserve the fire of the force until if could be used effectually at close range. There was, however, a ‘‘peep-hole” for Capt. Roberts, to enable him to direct the course of the fleet. This contrivance was to be propelled by two large oars, or sweeps, with tholepinsset in blocks at the edge of the raft. Each oar was worked by two men, who sat with their backs against the bulk- head, close to which the remainder of the force crouched. To partly counterbalance the weight at this end, a heavy log was laid upon the other end and fastened there, When all the details were completed, the men stepped on the raft and took their places, each arm- ed with a repeating rifle and a revolver. Capt. Roberts fired a shot in the air, as the signal to West- leigh, and the float was poled down the “branch ” and out into the leke. The movement of this clumsy craft was slow, but silent, andit had advanced a considerable distance from the shore before its pre. ence was discovered by those on the island. The discovery caused a great excitement, and soon allthe moonshiners and their allies were col. lected on the shore of the island, watching the un- gainly float, and wondering what it could mean, They hailed it, but got no reply, though it was eyi- dent that there were men upon it, and that invisible hands were working the sweeps. There could be no question that the intentions cf the float were hostile, and the moonshiners soon he- gan to make their bullets rattle around it, but with- out piercing the thick bulkhead, and without elicit- cS ~~ €OomIcboo —_ = ee ~<