Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 654 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

— 2 7° am half drowned.” Deadwood Dick, Jr., Among the Smugglers. The boat was entirely surrounded by water. ‘“Oh! we can’t get ashore,” cried Mrs. Gifford, ‘‘ for the full tide is on.” Dick looked about. There were no small boats near, The water was too deep to wade, and too tur- bulent to safely swim, but it was swim, or drown if they remained, ‘for the vessel was being rapidly overwhelmed. “Can you swim, Mrs, Gifford?” ‘* A little.” ‘* Well, there is only one course for us to pursue. We must make a break for the shore. The longer we remain here the greater is our peril. If we perish it is no more than we shall do by remaining here.” “Then we must take to the water, but let’s give the craft a thorough search before we leave her. There may be other prison. ers here; it seems to have been used by these Villains as a prison.” ‘‘Well, we can make a search, but we shall have to be lively.” The hurried investigation of the old hulk revealed one cabin or co-partment which they could not get into, for it was locked. ‘*Some one is inside, I feel sure,” declared the lady. Dick rapped loudly on the door, ‘‘ Any one in there?” he demanded, in a loud tone. ‘‘ Help! help!” came the faint response. “By George, you are right,” Dick said, turning to Mrs. Gifford. ‘‘ There is a pris- oner in here, and it was a woman’s voice that answered. If we are to rescue her it must be done at once.” This was plain. The tide was rushing in so rapidly that the -old craft was being rapidly submerged. Dick hurled himself, with all his might, against the door—Mrs. Gifford doing the same, and the door flew open so suddenly that it prostrated both Dick and the Cuban- ese to the floor. ‘‘ Where are you?” Dick called out, spring- ing to his feet, and leaving Mrs. Gifford to assist herself. ‘‘Here! here!” was the response from one corner. ‘‘For mercy’s sake release me. I Dick groped forward, and found the vic- tim—a young woman. ‘‘What is your name?” he demanded, sda releasing her of the ropes that bound er. ‘‘My hame is Minnie May,” was the re- sponse. Mrs. Gifford gave a scream. “My child! my child! Found at last, thank God!’ and the moment Minnie was released she was clasped in her mother’s em- brace. ‘Come! there’s no time to be lost. We must make an attempt to get off this boat,” urged Dick. They hastened on deck. The waters, now pouring over the bulwarks, nearly swept them off their feet. | Suddenly there was a terrific gust of wind. The old vessel pitched and lunged, and threatened to go down, but a great wave seemed literally to pick her up, and the old hulk was hurled upon the beach, high if not dry, and the immediate danger was over! ‘* We are saved!” Dick cried. ‘* Let us go ashore at once.” “But where shall we go?” ‘Well, I really don’t know. Ishall have to hunt around for some place where I can get you under temporary shelter, at least; and then seek to discover what | can about my men and the ruffians who run this ac- ‘cursed place.” “T think I know of a place,” announced Minnie. “It’s about a mile inland—a ranch- man’s house, and yery nice people, too. I have been there frequently.” ‘Good! Do you think you could find your and your mother’s way there alone?” ‘‘Oh! yes.” Vee “y a ee nnn il — ee “Then, I won’t have to go along, and I | that nearly every man was ready for action, can proceed at once to my investigations and | in case of an attack by the revenue officers, work.” | for every man about Oaks’s resort was armed. The ladies making no objection, Dick | Dick wandered into the room, looked bade them good-by and started off in search | around a few minutes, and then approached of his own party. | the bar where Jim Oaks was on duty. He found them at last at the rendezvous | ‘‘Say, boss, i've traveled a long way, an’ where Hastings and Caruthers had been | I’m purty near played out. Give'’sa drink, stricken down. | an’ low me ter set down hyer awhile, till They were in very bad temper—in fact, | my duds git dry!” on the point of disbanding. | ™“ Got any way | Where was the cutter? | “Yes, a little 1 picked up down at San No one knew on account of the fog. The | Antonio—'nuff fer a booze. I guess. Just last seen of her, she occupied a position | fix me up a nosegay what willset me warm.” about the same as when she had approached ‘‘No mixed drinks here. Any one as the harbor. can’t take his medicine straight, can’t have Nothing definite was known concerning | any.” the smuggler. She had not come asbore, | $80 the bum took three fingers of raw nor, so far as was known, had she landed | whisky, and toddled over in a corner, and any goods. sat down on aa empty barrel. ‘‘It would be impossible todo that. A A considerable number of the men present boat would swamp. This harbor is ill- | were seamen. named,” Dick said. ‘‘There’s no safety for Dick did not like the looks of this, for it | 9”) anything in its waters, Has any one seen | gave rise to a question—had the Shark land- Billy yet?” : ed or stranded? se No.” ‘‘ Nor Oaks and his gang?” “* No.” “Well, I don’t see that we can do until this detestable fog lifts. better go back to the cabin.” ‘*T reckon we better walk to the nearest shipping port and make our way back to Washington,” said one of the men, **I second the motion!” “*T third it!” Such were the responses. ‘You forget one thing, gents,” said Dick, grimly. ‘What is that?” \ ‘“‘Undertakers are scarce, funerals are ex- pensive, and turkey buzzards plenty. You take a good, healthy buzzard and he can do up 4 dead revenue officer in about two meals, and squawk for some more!” ‘What has that to do with us?” ‘* Well, you try to leave this command, and see. I'll kill the first and every man who attempts mutiny. I told you this once before.” ‘* Me lads, the captain is right, and by me faith I'll sthand up for him! We was sint here to do our duty, and begorra it’s our business to sthay here till it’s done. Shure, it’s a little inconvanient, I'll be afther ac- kKnowledgin’, but where you're sint to work, CHAPTER XIV. - COMING TO CLOSE QUARTERS. I reckon we Ler us return briefly to Billy Bucket. When he found that the smugglin® schooner was abandoned, and was going to sink, he tried to think how to pray. It was something that he did not clearly / understand how to do, having been brought up in the streets of New York, where curses take the place of prayers, ninety-nine times out of a hundred. But he finally got off the following: ‘Oh, Lord! save me from drowning. I ain’t very much good at prayin’, but I’m sum at blackin’ boots. So, if you let me off this time, l’ll go back to my old biz, and let this detective business go to thunder.” Then, after a moment’s consideration he added : ‘‘No, blamed ef I wili. I jest want to get free, and ef I and Dick don’t make et hot for them piruts, ’malhar. Amen!’ The boat was settling lower and lower. With all his might, Billy struggled to free himself, It was the struggle of desperation, and it was not in vain either, for the strained cords yielded enough to set one of his hands free, and then it was but the work of a few minutes for the lad to stand at liberty on the do your work!” deck. It was an Irishman named Ed Egan who But to what use? How was he to reach spoke—the most sensible man of the squad, | shore? The boat bad now sunk so low that she promised to swamp at any minute. ‘‘Tt is sink or swim, now, I guess,” mut- tered Billy, ‘‘and I guess there ain’t much choice between sinkin’, when yer swimmin’, or sinkin’ with ther boat.” An idea suggested itself to Billy, that if he were able to raise the anchor a bit it was barely possible the schooner might be dashed upon the beach. He pressed forward with the intention of putting this expedient into execution; but, too late, for just then the Shark gave a sort of shuddering gasp, and sunk beneath the waters never to rise again. Billy, of course, went down with her, but came up to the surface, and struck oxt bravely shoreward, following the waves. ‘Tl go as fur as | kin,” thought the plucky lad, ‘‘and if I don’t ketch onto any- thing, I reckon I will have to stop and rest awhile till some one draws the water off, se I can wade ashore through the mud.” On! on! he went, buffeted by the waves, until his strength began to give out. “It’s no use!” he muttered. goner!” But, no! Billy Bucket was not thus te erish, for at that moment a dark object oomed up before him. It was the little U. 8. Revenue cutter! ‘‘Help! Help!” he cried. and a level-headed fellow. ‘Bully for you, Egan!” cried Dick. “* You’ve the honor in you of the service and I'll see that you are recognized.” That settled it. The other members felt rather abashed, that a ‘‘common Irisher,” as they deemed him, would volunteer to stay and do his duty. So the worn-out party repaired to the cabin, and set about making themselves as comfortabie as possible. They found that Hiram May—or Hiram Kick, as he really was—had done everything in his power for the wounded men, General Hastings and Caruthers, and that they were really not dan- erously wounded—which was good news for all and made Dick feel a degree of re- spect for May—scamp though he knew him to be. . Leaving Egan in full charge, as bis lieu- tenant, Dick set out on a tour of reconnois- sance, ._ He wanted to find exactly the position now maintained by the Oaks gang ;—also, if possi- ble, to find out about Billy, Dick soon left the cabin, thoroughly dis- guised as a bummer-tramp. He had brought but this one disguise in coming to Snug Harbor, and this he had taken the precaution to bear with him to the cabin, When he reached the tavern, everything was quiet but there was plenty of evidence | ‘6 I’m a ’ *e books.