Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 377 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

ee — . —_—-— _- brig once, sailing out to her in his canoe from liis niding-phace, and running her away from us, and through that pass. ‘None of the rest of us could have done it, so we knew the Injun must have run your craft in, ‘‘T ran down to the cove-landing, and I saw the Injun land with you, and I[ scudded back and reported it to the captain, and then to the boys on the cliff, ‘‘As for tbe Injun, my idea is that he got separated from you, going up to the cliff, and relk into the hands of the captain and the rmack’s crew, and you need not expect to see him any more, for he’ll die sure.” ‘* I shall follow the smack and punish his mur- derers, my man; but you think the smack at once sailed, after capturing the chief?” “I do, sir.” ‘“* And whither has she gone?” “I do not know, sir.” ** You can guess atit,” significantly said Mark Bonodel. The man understood him, and responded: ‘*She might have gone on after the sloop.” ‘* True; but tell me, which way do you think the sloop went?’ ‘‘ The channels hereabout, cap’n, hain’t plenti- ful, and you couldn’t go far wrong in following in her wake.” ‘*That I will do, and, if you wish to maka a few hundreds in gold, in addition to your free- dom, you can pilot the schooner iu chase,” ‘“* li do the best I can, sir; but pilots in these waters is scarce as hens’ teeth, and what pilot- ing I do, must be done by daylight.” ** All right, we will weigh anchor as soon as possible. “Mr. Sutro, get the men together, bury the dead, and take aboard the schooner what booty you can find on the island, while I go up to the cliff and demolish the false beacon and cabins,” These separate orders were carried out, and in a couple of hours more the Flagless Schooner was following in the wake of tke sloop, on board which was the daring Woman in Black. - CHAPTER XIII. A WOMAN’S CUNNING. AFTER her cruel act, of deserting Wambold the Water Wolf, his son and wife, upon the island, the Woman in Biack determined to re- turn to the island, which she had made her home, during her stay if the Bahama region. She was at a loss to reach the island, unless she got back into some channel that was upon her map, or with which she was acquainted. To do this she must make friends with the girl wrecker, who seemed thoroughly acquaint- ed with the cruising-ground hetween the islands, When the Woman in Black—after her flight from New Orleans when she believed she had killed her busband—visited the Bahamas, she selected an island as a good field for operations, _ and there established herself, ~ Finding the Water Wolf and his den by acci- dent, she had made up her mind to have the Death Rock as her haunt, after she had punish- ed Wambold and his wife to her heart's con- tent; and to do this, she was content to remain where she had located for the present. The crew of the schooner that she bad char- tered to carry her to the Bahamas she won over to her by her liberality to them and her caus- ing them to dread her as a witch with super- natural powers, so she knew she had nothing to fear from them. The punishment of the Water Wolves had come sooner than she had anticipated, for when they had passed near her island and been sight- ed by her, she hai given chase to their sloop and the storm had done the rest. Feeling her way about, after leaving the Water Wolves to perish, she had suddenly sighted the Flagless Cruiser, and at once ran into the little cove, where the reader has seen | the Indian Pilot guided the schooner after her, As soon as the Flagless Schooner departed, the woman determined to fly from that local- ity, fearing to be seen by Mark Bonodel by day, for in him she recognized the youth who had been the confidential clerk of the money-lender, her husband. She knew that the youth had been suspected of killing the money-lender, and what he was doing in command of a schooner she could not understand; but she feared him, and she was anxious to get out of his presence, and after- ward to give his vessel a wide berth. __ To do this she wished to go among the islands, for he might follow ber if she remained in open water, and her only stand-by was the girl wrecker, , Bonodel, the Boy Rover. Since the desertion of the Water Wolves and the attack upon her by the girl, the woman had been a little sby of the beautiful wrecker, who was so ready to avenge a wrong done those she deemed her friends. Now she went to the cabin, and calling to the girl, said: ‘* Lita, I fear you do not look upon meas your friend,” ‘* You left my only friends to perish on that island, and I hate you!” was the frank admis- sion, ‘* My child, listen to me, for I wish to put the matter in its right light before you, and prove to you that 1 am acting for your good, ‘These people, the Water olves, whom —_ believe to be your friends, are your worst oes, ‘* They are outlaws, and came to these islands to war against the vessels of all nations, that they might enrich themselves out of the ruin of others,” ‘‘That I now know, for the captain of the armed yacht told me so,” said Lita, ‘* Well, you know that they killed to get gold, and made you, innocent of doing any wrong yourself, the instrument of much harm to others,” ‘* Yes, I feel that,” and the young girl’s lips quiverel while she added: ‘*T have felt so sorry for the poor people wko went to their death in the sea below the Skull Beacon, but they told me they were our ene- mies, that all people who sailed in ships, except the Phantom Pirate, were our bitter foes, and that it was right that we should kill them,” ‘*They grossly deceived you, my sweet girl, and I am now your triend, for I know that they have done you much harm, and meant to do you more, ‘* These people once sought to kill me, in far- away England, and believed that they had done SO, ) ‘* You have seen the skull that the women kept in the cabin?” sé Yes.” ‘‘ My name is painted upon its forehead, and they believed that it was my skull. ‘But I have lived to avenge myself against them, and I will live to right the wrong they have done you. ‘* If I took them to a seaport, or turned them over to a Government vessel, they would be at once strung up for their crimes; but I allow them a more merciful death. ‘“ But now tell me, do you know when you first came to them?” ‘* It was long ago, when I was a little girl,” ** You remember it?” ‘‘T remember being on board a vessel, and a rough man had charge of me; then a storm came and we struck at nigbt. ‘*T do not recall much more, for since then I have been with the people on the island,” ‘¢ You know your name?” ** Lita.” ‘* What is your other name?” s ‘*T do not know.” ‘* Do you remember your parents?” “*T remember those I suppose were my pa- rents, for I have here a locket with pictures in it, which I think are likenesses of my real father and mother, for it seems to me, I saw them other than in these little paintings— Oh! where is my locket?” The young girl turned pale, as her hands ary excitedly about her neck. ‘* Did you have it about your neck?” ** Yes, the locket bung by agold cbain around my neck, and I wore it almost all the time. ‘*The clasp was broken off the chain, and I tied it with a thread, and I must have lost it. “Ob! if it is lest bad luck will come to me, won’t it?” | ‘*No, for we must try and find it, ‘* When did you have it last?” ‘“‘It seems Il had it after we left the island; but then I can hardly remember, for so much has happened, ‘IT had a place on the island I kept it, and it may be there, though I thought I had it around my neck,” ‘‘ And you prize it most highly?” _ ** More than all else I have, and I have lots of jewelry and pretty things that used to belong to dead folks,” said the girl, innocently, The woman saw her chance, and her eyes sparkled, Then she said: “ Well, Lita, as I said [ would be your friend, I will prove it by returning to the Death Rock, to get your locket, ‘‘T am in a hurry to go elsewhere, but I will go there for you, and then I will try and find *. ----->-er a eS na ee iets your parents for you and restore you to their keeping. ‘* Now, suppose you take the helm, as I would: not like any accident to occur, and you know these waters better than I do.” ‘** And head for the Death Rock?” sé Yes.” / ‘“‘I will, for I wish to find my locket,” and caught in the snare of the cunning woman, the girl wrecker went on deck and took the belm,,. taking a course, at the woman’s direction, that. would prevent them from again meeting the Flagless Schooner. Thus it was that the little sloop passed the Wreckers’ Island, not knowing that it was in-~ habited, on ber way back to the den of the Water Wolves of the Death Rock. — CHAPTER XIV. THE WRECKER’S THREAT. I WILL now explain the mysterious disappearance of the Indian Pilot, after the landing of the crew of ors Flagless Schooner, to charge the wreckers on the: cliff. He had, as they moved off up the hill, been struck. by the first voiley, a bullet grazing his temple. The shock had temporarily stunned him, though the wound was a very slight one, and he had fallem t the ground, unnotic:d in the excitement of the charge. Soon recovering consciousness, ”"he arose to his feet and looked about him. He was still slightly dazed, and shaky upon his: feet, and seeing a party of men coming toward him down the hill, thought they were the schooner’s crew, and walked into their midst. Too late he discovered his mistake, for he was knocked down, and having been quickly bound, was Grogged rapidly away toward thé other end of the island, it was here that the wrecker’s smack lay at an- chor, and the Indian was hustled into a boat, along eer bundles of booty, and rowed out to the little craft. The anchor was quickly raised, sail set, and the sm ck stood off with all haste. Thrown into the cabin Pasquagoula was left there until daybreak, and then a man entered and stood gazing upon him. He was the mes Seog of the smack and the leader of the Island Wreckers. His character can best be aes by the fact. that when he saw that the island was attacked, without aiding his men on the cliff, he had fled with his boat’s crew and made his escape. A tall man, with a heavily bearded, wicked face, his eyes gat viciously as he gazed down upon the bound Indian, , “ ey Injun, I know you,” he said with a hoarse augh. Ves, Pasquagoula know bad white man too,’” was the calm reply. ‘* You were my prisoner once,” * Yes, but to lvtey ae “You did indeed, and killed my brother who was. guarding you.”’ ‘* Brother bad man; got his scalp.” . “And I'll have yours for it; but not now,forbh — have work for you to do.” : : ‘*Chief no work; bunt. fish, kill bad pale face, saih wing-canoe, but no work.” 4 ou shall do what 1 wish, or you will lose your scalp.’ wif i: Pa uagoula die like big brave.” ‘Well, we shall see; but I consider that I got a: big prize-in you, Injun, and I intend to make the most of it.” Pasquagoula simply nodded, and the wrecker captain went on: “You know, so the men say, where there is a i omer buried upon one of the a Islands?” +s es ? ‘ Well, if you will guide me to that treasure. I wilk spene your life, and give you all the gold you care Bis Have need gold now.” ‘Well, if you don’t pilot me there, I shall scalp you alive, and then let you die chained down to the round upop some island where the vultures cao eed upon you.” ' The Indian did not flinch at this terrible threat, but said simply: : - ‘*Pale-face bad as red-skin, when he have enemy. ‘T’'ll be worse, red-skin, as you shail know, ** Now you have your choice—to pilot me to that island, where the treasure of some pirate is hidden, and which I amaware that you know of, or to die as IT have said.” a Pasquagoula was as cunning as he was brave. — He nee that the wrecker captain meant just what he said, and furthermore, he did not care te die if he could avoid it. So he said, blandly: f ‘Injun no fool—don’t want die, don't want lose scalp; but. if have to die, willnot be coward dog, . * Injun have plenty gold. so don’t want more; but he tel secret of gold island to bad pale-face for save his life.’ ‘*No, I do not wish you to tell me the secret, but to take me to the island. ‘‘When I have found the gold you shall have your life spared, and wish. ‘*Very well; bad white man have his way. ** Pasquagoula do as he tell him.” 4 “You are a level-headed red-skin, and T’ll make you rich; now IJ! unchain your feet, and let you. é comic as much of the money as you © o%. af 20S