Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 483 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

f ‘in A Cabin Boy’s Luck. ‘y-five thousand, in addition to other debts | information you do; but Iam in a desperate fix, there, that are pressing me, and I have nota thousand dolJars to my name.” ‘* This is not my fault, sir.” ‘* It 1s, when you charge such a thieving in- terest, Marks.” ‘You have not yet paid the interest, cap- tain.” ‘* But I will do anything if you will help me ** Anything?” ‘Well, anything within reason.” ‘You have just made a successful capture of smugglers, captain?” ‘* True,” ** And your prize-money therefrom will be, say, now much?” ‘*Perhaps twenty thousand—perhaps less, certainly not more.” ** And the prize and goods?” -** Are ou their way here, under a prize crew.” ** When do you expect them?” ** The smuggler vessels were disabled, so had to repair, and I left a lieutenant, middy, and twenty men to bring them into port as soon as possible, while I took the prisoners to Norfolk in amy schooner. ‘* The two prize craft should be in by the end Of this week.” ‘* How much are they worth?” ‘* A hundred thousand, perhaps, for there are some very valuable goods.” ‘“* And you get one-fifth of this?” ** Yes; my officers another fifth, and crew two- fifths, and Government the balance.” “Captain Casandra, do you think that you have always acted as an officer and a gentle- aman?” came the cool query. *“ Marks! do you dare to insult me?’ and the : oe sailor dropped his hand upon his sword- hilt. ‘* No, but I have a motive for asking.” ‘¢ Your motive then?” ‘*To see what you are willing to do to extri- ate yourself from this scrape, which your pas- ‘sion for gambling has gotten you into, and which looks very black for you, captain, in that you gambled away the money given you to de- posit by planter Cyle Kenyon.” ‘ns of this scrape.” CHAPTER VII. THE TEMPTATION. At the words of the man Maiks, Carl Casan- dra sprung to his feet, his eyes flashing, and his face pallia. ‘‘Who told you that Cyle Kenyon gave mie ‘that money to deposit, for I did not mention his name?” he hissed. ‘** Be calm, sir, and learn that one who leads ‘the life that I do, must keep his eyes open, and mine have been open some time. » ‘‘Tt is no use for you to get into a rage, for it will do you no good, ** T will help you out of your tronble, if you do as I wish, for [ know that you hope to marry Miss Kenyon, who is a very rich heiress, and beautiful girl; but you must have money to back you, for people think you are rich, and ‘you so led her father to believe.” ‘‘In Heaven’s name where did you get all of -your information, Marks?” “Tt matters not, only I know whereof I speak, sand, as I said, I desire to help you. ‘* | know that you have gambled heavily, and Tam aware of certain questionable actions on “your part to raise money, while you have hushed up the fact that you had a sailor whipped to death, on one cruise, and shot to death yourself, another, on your last cruise, for very slight of- fenses. “ You are a bad man at heart, Captain Casan- dra; but I am a bad man myself, and hence a fellow feeling makes me wondrous kind toward you, and I am going to help you out of your scrape, if you will let me,” Carl Casandra gazed at the man before him rfect dismay. ow he had discovered what had occurred on board of his vessel he could not tell, and more, how he should have known of his love for Kate Kenyon, and getting the money trom Cyle Kenyon to deposit. He was, however, in a desperate place, for he vowed large sums in Baltimore, and knew that they must be settled at once, not to speak of the money he had just lost at the gaming-table. Did he hope to marry Kate Kenyon, he must clear up his affairs, and thus stand out clean be- fore the world, no matter what was behind the curtain that he would wish to hide from view. So he turned to the strange man before him sand saad: ‘ ‘¢ Marks, you seem allied to Satan, to get the ¥ + as you can see, and you must help me out.” ‘*T have my own terms, sir.” ** Well?” ** Let us see what you owe.” “‘T can give you a guess at it.” “*T can give ee the exact figures,” was the cool reply, and Marks took up a blank-book and continued: ‘* At the Monument Tavern you owe twelve hundred dollars, and then to four different friends, whose names you know, one thousand each, gambling debts. “You haye overdrawn from the paymaster three thousand, and you did not pay some Government bills with money given you, and there are twenty-seven hundred more. ‘*Then one thousand will square up a host of little accounts, and added to the above, we have the twenty-five thousand you lost to-night, and the twelve thousand five hundred you owe me. * ‘*In all, Captain Carl Cassandra, you need just forty-nine thousand four hundred to save ou supposed honor, and square you financial- y.” ‘** Great God!” ‘Yes, you are in a desperate position, sir; but I see a way out of it.” ‘Well, do not keep me in suspense.” ‘* ‘Where do you think you could find the prize you sent here?” ‘*On the way up the bay.” ‘Tt is worth a hundred thousand dollars?” ‘Tf not more.” ‘* How many in crew?” ‘ Two officers und twenty men on the two ves- sels, ** Schooners?” ‘* One small schooner, the other a sloop.” ‘* They will keep together?” ‘I so ordered, and to keep close in-shore the vessels were not in the best of condition.” ‘* Captain Casandra!” ‘¢ What?” ‘*T will furnish you a crew and a craft’ to go down the bay and capture those two vessels.” ‘* In the devil’s name what do you mean?” ‘*IT mean that you must capture those vessels and then turn them over to a man I will send as next in command to you. ‘*‘ When you show me his receipt that you have done so, I will cancel all of your debts, as you know them, and give you just twenty thou- sand dollars in cash for yourself.” ‘*Do you mean to say that ' am to go and take my own prize?” sé Yes.” ** And turn it over to you?’ 6s Yes. 7 ‘‘And you are to give me, say, equal to seventy thousand dollars?” ‘‘'Yes. Iam to pay your debts and give you twenty thousand, for, if I trust you to pay them, you will not do it, and the result will be that you get into another snarl and fail to marry the fair lady you love.” ‘** Marks, you are a scoundrel.” **'My dear Casandra, did I ever profess to be anything else?” d No; but you are far worse than I believed you as ** And you are just what I knew you to be. ‘*Come, there is no time to lose, so make up your mind quick, as the vessels must be taken ere they reach port, and more, you have got to pay your bills. “ Give out that you have gone to Washington for a few days, and return here just before dawn and your vessel and crew will be ready for you, while [ll have a disguise for you that no one would ever recognize you in. ‘* Come, ruin stares you in the face, and you can escape but one way. ‘* Will you take that one way?” Carl Casandra sprung to his feet and paced to and fro in silence, His brow writhed under his mental suffering, and he bit his lips viciously. ‘¢T have no time to lose, sir, for [ must order my vessel and crew for your work.” ‘‘T do not know what to say.” ‘‘ Ah! you hesitate, so I decide for you. ‘¢Come, I will put my gold away and go out with you, as I have to get all ready, “Here, put this thousand dollars in your pocket, for you may need it, and return ‘here just as soon as you can.” The man*did not seem to take a refusal into ’ consideration, and hastily peng away his money and papers, he took the arm of the young sailor and led the way from the room. He set the lantern down in the hall to licht his tet back, and then the two went out and ‘Marks locked the door after them. At the corner they paused. Carl Casandra had not spoken since they had left the room. Now he said: ‘* Marks, you have tempted me, and I have fallen. ‘‘It is now sink or swim with me, with the tide against me. ‘*T will be back at your house within. the hour, and then have your disguise ready, for 1 must not be known in this matter.” ‘*Certainly not, for it would spoil all our little plans in the future should we need a little money. ‘1 shall expect you,” and Marks walked rap- idly away in the direction of a swinging lamp on which was painted: ** SATLORS’ PARADISE.” CHAPTER VII. THE COMPACT KEPT. SEVERAL days after the strange scene related, between the young captain of revenue dnd ihe mar Marks, Kate Kenyon was standing upcn the cliff, from whence her father and the ne- geroes had viewed ber gallant act in going out to the schooner-of-war, when her attention was at- tracted to two small vessels standing slowly up the coast, for the wind was light. One was a schooner of fifty tons, the other a sloop of thirty, and they sailed near together. They were trim-looking craft, yet sailed as though deeply freighted, for they were not mak- ing as neh out of the six-knot breeze as their appearance indicated they should. ‘rom gazing at these two vessels her eyes turned up the bay, and they lighted upon a small black schooner of thirty tons. She had the appearance of a Chesapeake ilot-boat, and but half a dozen men were visi- le upon her decks, She carried, as did the other two vessels, the United States flag at her peak, and sailed mer- rily along, making far better speed than did the other craft out of the same wind. It was nearly sunset, and the shadow of the cliff already shaded the little harbor and shore, and. Kate noticed that the single vessel seemed desirous of speaking with the other two, as she held on her ed so as to cross their bows, when she could readily have gone far from them and made better time on her way. The sun soon set, twilight deepened into night, and the three vessels were not far apart, Suddenly, out of the darkness a light flashed, and a small gun was fired from the little schoon- er across the. bows of the other two, What could it mean? Attentively watching the three craft, Kate had not thought of return- ing to the house when darkness came on, and now she wished to Watch what could be the meaning of the little schooner’s action. The large schooner and the sloop now seemed to be alarmed, for they spread extra sail and went flying away from their suspicious compan- ion. But quickly the little schooner started in pur- suit, and in a very short while overhauled the sloop, running alongside of her. Then, to the ears of the maiden came the clash of steel and the flashes of firearms were visible. The shot had brought the pianter to the cliff, and Kate hastily told him what she had seen while she added: ) ‘* Father, from the deseription given by Cap- tain Casandra of his two smuggler prizes, I am confident they were his vessels, while on their decks were sailors in uniform; but what was the other craft?” ‘‘Perhaps a smuggler attempting a rescue, my child; but see! the schooner has saiied on past the sloop, which follows in her wake, as though she had been capture:l. ‘““Now to see if .she catches the large schooner.” | ‘‘She will readily doit, sir, for see how sh gains. That little schooner is very fast, father.” ‘‘She is indeed; but there comes the moon and we will see all that occurs.” For half an hour the father and daughter stood watching the chase. The large schooner tried several different courses, in the endeavor to find some peint of sailing faster than her pursuer, but each time she saw that it was useless. Rapidly the pursuer gained on her, and before she had gone a league ran alongside, as she had the sloop. A-ain followed flashes and rattle of firearms, and. then all was still once more. . Soon after the three vessels turned their prows toward port, and went along briskly under an increasing breeze, JN | BS Cc ofele) ¢: