Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 377 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

f eG Leo, and the young man spoke in a voice that showed dread of the vessel he referred to. The next moment the strange vessel shot out into full view, around the point of the island, and the woman buried her face in her hands as she groaned: * It isthe Sea Ghost !” ‘* Ay, ay, it is, and she is in chase of us!” cried the Water Wolf, iu a voice full of mental agony. CHAPTER VI. CHASED BY THE SEA GHOST. For a moment or two after discovering the strange craft, which the superstitious Water W olves termed the Sea Ghost, the trio on board the little sloop seemed too unnerved for action, and the man at the helm almost allowed the craft to come to. But recovering himself quickly, he cried: ‘*Be ghost or devil at the helm of yonder craft, he has to catch me before I fall bis victim, ‘* Ho, boy, stir yourself, and get up the top- sail, and you, wife, quit moaning and lend a hand,” ‘It is no use, for I feel we are doomed,” moaned the woman. ‘Bah! don’t give up yet, but help us, for I believe we can give yooder craft the slip, and if it be a spirit vessel, you know they hold no power in daylight.” ‘¢ Ah! that is so,” cried the woman, reassured by this argument against ghosts, and she quickly aided the young man to set the topsail aod shake out the single reef from the mainsail and jib. Under her increased canvas the sloop fairly flew along through the rough waters, and it ‘now became evident that if the pursuer was gaining it was very slowly. The stranger was certainly an odd-looking craft, for her bull and spars were as white as her snowy canvas. Very little larger than the sloop, she was yet a schooner, and lay deep in the water, or could never bave carried the canvas she spread. Upon her decks were visible but balf a dozen people, and five of these were clad in snow- white. The sixth was at the helm and clothed in deep black. “By Heavens! it a woman!” suddenly cried Leo, who was looking at the stranger with a glass. What is a woman?” asked the man and woman in the same breath. ‘* The one at the helm of yonder craft.” ‘‘ A woman, my son?” gasped the woman. “sé Yes,” ‘‘ Are you sure, boy?” hoarsely asked the man. cs i am !? ‘Tae one in black?” ‘¢ Yes, she is clad in black, and wears a vail which floats back on the wind, but does not cover her face.” ‘*Can you see her face?” ‘“‘T hardly know; here, father, give me the helm, and see what you make of her face?” and the band of the young man trembled as he held out the glass. Grasping it, the Water Wolf placed it to his eye, and after a moment lowered it quickly while through his shut teeth came the words: ‘Great God!” — The woman tried to speak and question him, but her words found no utterance; but Leo said huskily: ‘*'You saw what I was afraid to say.” ‘A skull?” ‘* Yes, father.” ‘* Even so; the one at the helm tis a woman, and her face is fleshless, her head but a skull.” The woman seized tbe glass nervously, and raised it to her eye with an effort. Then she too uttered an exclamation of in- tense alarm, and the spy-glass fell with a crash the deck that shattered it, while she sunk down in the companionway and buried her face in her hands. “Don’t give up, father, as mother has done, but run for it tothe last, and then, if we can- not escape, face what cemes as best we can,” said the young man, and his example gave bis father new courage, and once more the sloop was held on her way firmly, in her race witha craft that was supposed to be a spirit vessel of the deep. On eheoogh the waters, dangerous unto death, should the helmsman make a single mistake, the little vessel sped, and hot in chase came the white stranger. The wind steadily increased, and the waters - ' * . : Fie | . " A hr eal ny =a eo . Bonodel, the Boy Rover. me ee _-eoO oe grew more turbulent; still the pursued and pursuer held on. The decks were now no longer dry, for wave after wave was taken on board, anu the sloop plunged, lurched and quivered under ber large spread of canvas; but, not a reef would those on board take in the sails, and she was held mercilessly on. “Once | can reach the basin, I will get my rifl: and see if a bullet will not take effect upon yonder woman,” muttered the man, as he glanced back over his shoulder at the sable-clad form that stil] stood at the helm of the little schooner. Fiercer and fiercer grew the wind, and bigher and higher rose the sea, until the prospect over their course was fearful to behold; but the sloop was not spared, and was kept hard at it, for the schooner was slowly, very slowly, but surely, very surely, gaining. ** Death Rock ho!” The cry broke from the Jips of the young man, who had been anxiously peering ahead for some minutes, ‘*Thank God!” fervently said the women. ‘* At last!” the man responded, ‘“* Yes, the Rock looms up rapidly, and in two hours more we will run into the basin.” **Andin to hours more, at the rate she is gaining, the Sea Ghost will be but a mile astern of us.” ‘* Yes, father, but that will give us time to land, get our rifles, gain the cliff and pick every one off of her decks as she runs in after us. ‘‘ Bah, boy! don’t you know a bullet can do no harm to the dead?” ‘Yes, mother; so it is said; but we can try it, and by daylight lead may barm even a ghost, though I doubt if it would by night,” answered Leo, filled with the superstitious dread that ruled the age, and which even now- adays, has a firm bold vpon many minds, no matter what their education and surround- ings. ‘‘'We can but try, boy,” said the man, and he held on his way, showing a rock here dan- gerously close, running parallel with a reef there, and rounding an island, with scarcely an oar’s length between the sloop and its ragged shores. ‘You are taking big chances, father,” said the youth. ‘‘Tam taking sdvantage of every chance to gain, Leo, and, if you notice, the schooner does not crowd reefs, rocks or islands as close as I do, and hence we gain on her at times.” ‘*So I see; but there are ugly rocks here- ‘*T know them all, boy, for I have run this channel in many a dark night; but I wish to get time enough to go about the straight shoot for the basin,” ‘Yes, for it would be very dangerous to at- tempt to jibe in this wind.” “Yes, and I would not jibe unless I was forced to; but see, we are going at a slapping pace, and the Death Rock rises rapidly.” ‘Yes, and I hope the girlis on the lookout, to bring a boat out to us and get the rifles ready,” said tbe woman. ed Lita will not be asleep, that is certain, mo- er. ** But she does not expect us back so soon.” “That may be; but the cliff is ber favorite place to sit, and I know she will be there,” and procuring another spyglass from the cabin the young man turned it upon the distant rock, which loomed up like a second Gibraltar from the sea. Here, there, everywhere were rock islands, with a few covered with undergrowth, dwarfed by the fierce winds and salt sea-breezes, and reefs were visible in threatening numbers; but the Death Rock, as the Water Wolves called their island home, loomed up grandly above all, rising with precipitous sides high in air. Reefs surrounded it, and it had the appear- ance of an unbroken wall, the base of which was guarded most strongly by breakers, which would render an approach by boat impossible. That aught else than a sea-bird had found a resting-place upon its summit, no one would be- lieve, to gaze upon it. And yet, for a long time rumors had gone abroad that a weird beacon had been seen upon its face, luring mariners that bebeld it, to run their brave vessels to destruction and death | against its merciless sides, Rumor bad it that a beacon, its shape like a human skull of vast size, with lights streaming from the eye-sockets and between the huge teeth, was the Death Lantern that beckoned unfortunate ships to ruin; but no one had ever - ts « s - .- . oat She Sy ee ah te ee ee "Og pa “se 4 £ é . , been able to solve the mystery of the Death» Rock Beacon, and each year another quota of’ brave vessels were added to its list of victims Wreckers there were among the Bahamas: with their false beacons, and many of them. were often surprised, captured and hanged by war vessels; but the Skull Beacon was situated: off the beaten track of cruising craft, and in such dangerous waters tbat no vessel went there, unless off its course, and no one dared extend the search into the dangerous vicinity, so tbat superstitious mariners shunned the neighborhood as they would the gates to Pur- gatory. And yet, for this Death Rock the little sloop was heading, and swiftly in her wake was rush- ing the craft that pursued her so relentlessly. Rumor also bad it among mariners, that a schooner, known as the Phantom Pirate haunted these waters, or if seen cruising elsewhere, and chased by vessels-of-war, fled to that weird lo- cality. Yet, of this Phantom Pirate, the Water Wolves bad conversed, as the reader knows, without dread, evidently allied with the secret of its pretended supernatural powers; but the Sea Ghost, a craft which they knew not of, but had seen in their waters, and wbicb bad boldly run into their hidden haven and left them a strange and ominous warning, they stood in holy borror of. It was after this warning, when tbe Ghost Craft ran in one night, and cast overboard, to drift upon their beach, two coffins, with the names of Wambold and his wife engraved on them, that the Water Wolves had decided to get rid of their booty, so ill-gotten, and fly from their haunt, Thus it was that they had joaded the sloop with their most precious treasure, and sailed for Havana to dispose of it, but through the dream of Leo, bad been alarmed into putting about and returning to the island. | - “Well, Leo, we will have to jibe her, for I dare not take the time to go about, as the Sea Ghost is gaining more rapidly now,” said the Water Wolf. . ‘It is dangerous, father.” “Tt is more dangerous to lose time, so stand by,-you and your motber to trim in the sheet, and [ will ease her round as best I can.” The course lay around a large rock, and thence to run in to the island, with tbe wind: where it was, it was necessary to turn at a sharp angle and jibe the sails over from star-- board to port. é This, in the half gale that was blowing, and especially with so much canvas spread, was a. most hazardous undertaking. But, to have to run up to a spot of open water, go about and thus get ber sails to port, would take tp a vast dex] of precious time, and, if the Ghost Craft jibed would bring her almost alorgside for the run into the basin, and hence the Water Wolf made up his mind to his course of action, ‘‘Stand ready all!” he cried as the rock was. at band which the sloop was to round. ‘¢ All ready,” answered Leo. ‘*Haulinbard!” . Both mother and son hauled hard on_ the: sheet rope, and bringing his belm up, the Water Wolf brought the bows round, until, with a. furious gust the sail was whirled to port, a lurch and a loud report followed, and the Mast. was snapped in twain, leaving the hull a wreck. upon the waters, CHAPTER VII. THE WOMAN IN BLACK, THE crash of the falling mast seemed like the knell of death to the Water Wolves, and they crouched upon the deck beneath the ruins of sails, rigging. and spars, almost wholly de- moralized. . But the nerve of the old wrecker was quickly recovered, and, seizing an ax he began to elear the wreckage from the craft, while fie called out to his sgn to let fall the anchors to prevent the hull driving upon the reefs, Leo quickly obeyed, and the sloop was brought up with a sudden jerk, which swept the wreckage from the deck, Then the two men looked about them, for the | woman seemed prostrated, and sat moaning in the companionway. ‘* There comes the schooner !” The cry came from Leo, : ‘‘ Yes, and she has stripped herself of her top- sails, fying jib and foresail,” gruffly responded the Water Wolf. : _“T did not see her men at work,” AY “N a a — = md — —_ — wa .