Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 377 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

7 eee ee —_-— ———— ‘Which the Water Wolves have just left?” “A onard may have been lcf there by the Boy ‘ Rover. ‘*T think not; but if so, we can go elsewhere.” ‘“Where?” . . , : ‘That we will determie,nupon if we find the island % eccupied.”’ u A + And if not, will it not be visited again?”’ ‘‘Itis very hard to find any one bold enough to | pilot a craft in there. ° “The girl wrecker will nct do it again, and with Bonodel, the Boy Rover. ee ae eee Se gene ee board the schooner, which at once stood on her way azain, The elderly man, the one who had met Mark Bonodel at ihe shore when he landed, having had some food and been given a sailor's suit of clothing, came on deck Jooking greatly refreshed, and Mark Bonodel said to him: “Tam glad to see yu better, Mr. Hart, and trust your wife and son are improving?” * We all are, sir, thanks to you.” ‘*May i ask if you saw a small sloop pass your island the past weck?”’ Hs this boat we can live ready to depart ata moment’s | rotice, for | shall find some, hidin:-place in tae wall | of the cliff outside, where we can keep tue life- “i boat, and reach it by a ladder.” ‘*You know well how to plot, mother; but I fear to stay there.”’ rs ‘There is another course open to you, boy. ** What is that?” 7 “Tf you have the pluck you cau turn pirate.” ** Well, I'll think of it.” ‘Remain on the island with me, until there is less excitement than now, and then I will give you gems you can turn into gold, and get a vessel with. ‘ You can go to Havana for a craft, or to Vera Cruz, and try piracy, and my word for it, after you have been at it for awhile, goa will be glad enough * to return to the Death Rock and pass the rest of you days with the old Wrecker Witch.” “ A do you expect to thus pass your days, mother?”’ *-No, for when I get gold enough, I shall seek a home elsewhere and live a life of luxury. ‘* But I must be forgotten first, boy.”’ Thus they talked, while the life-skiff sped on. Night found them making six knots an hour, upon their way, and in good time the Death Rock. | _ No sign of life was visible on the barren-looking island; but the woman was too wary to go there by the little basin. Landing, they found the place deserted, and at once settled themselves down in comparative safety for the night. With the dawn their first efforts were to arrange a place for the life-skiff upon the south side, to which they could fly, should a vessel enter the basin, and then they were content to remain there, carrying on the evil life of wreckers, and heaping ap their booty as time went by from the destruction of vessels that trusted in their false beacon. , ment that must some time come to them—for sooner £ or later crime meets its just punishme*t—while we return to the cruise of Bonodel, the Boy Rover, in search of bis dearly-loved sister. : CHAPTER XXI, ~ ba . ore THE WATER WOLF’S CONFESSI | himself to Mark Bonodel, to Schooner in chase of the cripple ilot the Flagless sloop, the pursuit ON. Unver the guidance of the wrecker, who had sold. — | they came in sight of | ruin and death that he might marry day, so awaited until nightfall, when she ran into | | | my mother. ' ' ' Thus we must leave them, awaiting the punish- | | | was kept up, though slowly. , The man, as he had said, was not able to run by r night, through the intricate channels, and thus the | . f See if it sailed during the darkness, was drawing 4. a f But the schooner’s speed by day would, they hoped, make up for the gain o and thus, in the long run, overhaul her. As the Flagless Schooner was gliding ‘. ‘afternoon, in sight of a large island, a four-knot #3, > breeze blowing at the time, Mark Bonodel and his 3 lieutenant were attentively watching the shores with their glasses. . , They did not know but that the sloop might be hidden somewhere in-shore, and consequently kept up a careful search. ‘‘Sutro, turn your glass upon the shore, under that white cliff, and see if you do not observe some- one or something moving there in the bushes.’ Sutro at once obeyed, and almost immediately called out: ** Yes, sir, “ Ay. and they ‘*Ho, lads, we close as we dare go, helmsman." called out the helmsman, and the “Ay. ay, SIr Rae fe ‘the schooner were at once headed shore- ward. As they drew nearer ed upon the island, iy “Phere are two men and a woman,” said Sutro. ‘Yes, and they move about as though they were auttering: order my boat ready, Mr. Sutro, as soon as we come to ancnor, Half an hour after Mark Bonodel sprun and was met by a heavily-bearded man, who cried earvestly: I see three persons there.” are waving to us. will run toward yonder island, as so put her head that way, three persons were discover- Ts not that a vessel-of-ar, sir?” “Not exactly, my man; but who are you, and what are you doing here?” asked the Boy Captain. * My name is Hart, sir, and with my wife and son we were wrecked on a vessel, by a false beacon. “We have managed to save ourselves in a boat, sir, but drifted here, were cast ashore, and are near- > starved.”’ ue Well, my poor fellow, you shall soon have food and care, and then you will come out all right, I hope. j ‘Now call your wife and son and return on board miy schooner erith me, for you do indeed look half- ~ starved.” 2) «| avine appeouched: thought slow, for they looked e having a ough slowly, for the | dhaggard and as though they suffered, the three soon found themselves in comfortable quarters on the sloop by night, ashore | along one | See | ' ones that were on the island of which I speak, for | | | {I did, sir.”’ and the man’s face darkened. * The one IL refer to had bees dismasted, and was sailing under a jury-mast.” **It was the same, sir.” ** How long siuce?”’ ‘* Six days, sir.’’ ** Are we on her track?” ‘Yes, sir, you head as she pointed after leaving the island; but are you in chase of her?” " Lee ** Do you know what she is?” **T have an idea that she is an outlaw craft.” ¥ And as a Government cruiser you seek her cap- Mr. Hart, this is not a Government cruiser, sir; for, as you see, J sail without a flag.” **I so notice, sir,”’ “Twill tell ycu frankly just who and what I am, sir. * Years ago Thad a happy home, loving parents, and a beautifui baby sister. ** We were rich and happy: but a snake came i:to our may one who pretended to be my fathers riend, ‘He loved my mother, and he sone my father’s er. ‘**Ruin my father he did, and then killed him, and we were turned out into the world because my mo- ther refused to become the wife of that man, ‘‘T was a mere child then, and did not understand all as I do now. ‘But that man caused my little sister to be kid- napped from our humble abode, and the shock killed 34 — co **T went to sea for to find little Lita—"’ The man started, and asked quickly: ‘What was the name of your little sister?” sé Lite,’ “Ah, yes; a pretty name.” * At last I aan back to New Orleans, ane ained employment in the office of the very man who had done me and mine this base ofeg ‘**T hoped to find out what he bad done with my sister, but could not. ‘‘ He did not know me, grown as I was to almost manhood, and he made me his confidential clerk, so thatin the end I hud my revenge, but how it mat- ters not. “Then I got this schooner, seizing her from her pirate captain, and am sailing about the world in search of my sister. ‘*Some nights ago I came upon the dismasted sloop I nowam in chase of, and from a girl on beard one of my men stole this locket and chain. — ‘*Tt was about her neck when she was kidnapped, and was the only trinket my mother had not sold to buy bread, for it contained the likeness of herself and my father. ‘* The sloop was gone when I discovered the theft of the locket, but I am in chase or her, and Heaven yrant I find her, and inthe young girl, my sister ita,’ ‘The gentleman is strangely like you, sir, and the lady I almost feel as though I had seen, for I know one who is her very picture,” said the man, looking at the likeness. 4 * You do? and where is she?”’ eagerly asked Mark Bonodel. The man was silent a moment, and then he said: “Would you be willing to give a round sum for the finding of your sister, sir?”’ ‘* Yes, gladly.’’ ** How much?” * Ten thousand dollars."’ ‘** Are you able to make it more?” “Yes, I will double it.” ‘** And will promise to land myself, wife and son in San Augustine?” ** Glndly.”” ‘ ‘*Giving no clew to the Government that we are other than I have represented ?”’ ** Well, sir, Ihave told you a lie, for my name is not Hart, nor were we wrecked. “On the contrary. we have been wreckers our- selves, and were landed upon that island by a woman who was our foe, **She sought revenge upon us, and found us on our sloop, which had been dismasted in a storm. ‘*She left us on that island to starve to death, while she sailed back to an island, to take posses- sion of it, and there become rich by leading vessels to wreck upon it through a false beacon. ‘‘But my wife, self and son were not the enly years, and in every port tried : there was one other. ‘That other was a person whom I found on board a wreck which drove ashore one night. ‘She was being taken somewhere as the adores, child of one who was coming for her at the time, but who lost his life. ‘*She was then about eight years old,and wore that locket and chain.”’ ‘Great God! my sister!’ cried Mark Bonodel. ‘** Assuredly, sir, for she is the image of your mo ther here in thas locket.” ** And where is she new?" eee en ee a “The woman kept her on board the stoop, when she put us ashore, ‘*But, under your promise of twenty thousand. sir, and onr release, I will pilot you to the Death Rock, where you will find your sister.” Gladly did Mark Bonvodel listen to the confession of the Water Wolf, and agree to his terms, and the Wagless Scnooner was at once put under his ones and headed for the Death Rock, where Wambolé felt certain that the Woman in Black had gone, to carry on the cru:l work of wrecking the winged skimmers of the sea. CHAPTER XXII. CONCLUSION. THaT Wambold the Wa'er Wolf kept his word, and guided Mark Bonodel to the Death Rock. the reader had already surmised, when he remembers that Perdido saw the Flagless Schoner run into the harbor of San Augustine and drop anchor, and four persons besides her Boy Captain, row ashore, and whose names seemed to frighten the Woman in Black into sec king a haven of refuge where no one could find her. The Flagless Schooner had runin by night into the secret basin with the Watcr Wolf at the helm, and upon rising in the ited esse the beautiful girl wrecker had been confronted by her own brother, who had landed and approached the cabin whither Wambold had directed him, But of the meeting of the two, the brother's story to the sister, so long lost to him, and then of the dawning remembrance in her mind which brought him back to her as he had been in childhood, I will not speak, but hasten on to tell how, after a few days’ st-y.at the Death Rock Island, the Flagless Schooner had sailed, with Lita on board, along with the Water Wolf and his family, and headed for San Augustine. Arriving there the Water Wolf had bcen paid his price and set free, together with his wife and son, and they hastened to depart for o* her scenes, while Mark Bonodel, seeking the officer of the American Cruiser Sea Owl, then in port, took him to the inn where Lita was, and told himthe story of his search, a turned over to him the Flagless Schooner as a prize, Then the two, the brother cnd sister, mysteriously disappeared, the young captain of the Sca Ovl believing that Mark Bonodel was anxious to remain unknown, fearing punishment for himself for his killing, as he supposed, Rudolpho, the money- lender, and for his lovely sister as the girl wrecker of the Bahamas. 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