Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 658 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

- 2 boat, an’ we’re only two. See them breakers come in!” The speaker pointed as he spoke, and the fire which burned just before him revealed a wild and thrilling scene. First of all it showed a rocky coast, half-ledge and half-cliff, with ragged and erratic rocks everywhere. Against this bulwark of stone the water was breaking with great violence, for a furious storm was raging; and the wind drove the ocean waves in toward the land in swirling mountains of foam, And, revealed by the frequent flashes of light- ning, a helpless ship was seen drifting steadily toward the pitiless breakers. It was a man and a boy who had discussed the chances of rescue.. They stood alone on the rocks, and were liable to continue alone until the vessel struck. After that they might have live men for company, but were more likely to be visited by dead men, if at all, At that point the coast put out a miniature cape, At low tide it was like a boot in shape, the toe joining it to the main-land; but at high tide the water flooded the toe, and the remainder became an island. Further along the coast, on the main-land, was a town, but angry waves rolled between it and the point of rocks, at that juncture, On the cape—the Giant’s Boot, it was called— lived three persons who followed the calling of fishermen, They were, respectively, a man of fifty years, who was known as Foretop Ben; a young man called Tony Bristles; and a boy named Robert Wiley, but more commonly known as Sky-Rocket Rob. Tony Bristles had gone to the town for help, but no one bad yet appeared. Foretop Ben looked in that direction anxiously. ‘No sign o’ them yet,” he observed. ‘* You might fire off a few more rockets, Rob.” The boy hastened away, while the weather- beaten fisherman slapped his arms around his burly form, looked out over the frothing water and shook his grizzled head. ‘*Can’t see bow anything kin save them from goin’ ter pieces on the rocks. A boat won't live out thar, even ef it kin be launched, an’ I reckon the Giant’s Boot will be their grave!” An unusually long, lingering period of ligbt- ning, like a succession of flashes, followed, and he could see the vessel plainly. She was strug- gling in a hopeless, helpless way in the grasp of the water. Much of her rigging had been torn away, and it was to be doubted if she could have made sail even in calm weather, Already she was but little better than a wreck, and when she went upon the rocks of the Giant’s Boot the desolation would be completed. The fisherman turned his face toward the west just in time to see a rocket ascend from the fur- ther side of his water-locked kingdom, It was the work of Rob Wiley, and was a signal to the people of the town which bad been established upon the boy’s own suggestion. From that fact he had received his sobriquet —Sky-Rocket Rob. “Ef they come,” Ben muttered, * they'll find it hard ter cross from themainland, The waters run riot over the Neck.” Realizing his inability to render the vessel any service, he walked to the west side of the Giant’s Boot. He bad barely arrived when he saw that the ghey had not been idle; a boat was tossing on, the troubled water, and heading for the point, Even then the oarsmen had to struggle vigorously, and as the little craft pitched and dipred it was not hard to see how helpless she would be off the coast proper, where the wind had full sweep and the waves ran far higher. But Foretop Ben saw more than this. ‘* A woman, by thunder!” He uttered the words in wonder as he caught sight of Rutieriog Ciseer7 in the boat, Who the wearer could be he was not able to surmise. There were brave women along the coast, but who was there that could see a call to face the storm and exposure of this occasion? Rob Wiley, too, had seen the craft, and he joined the fisherman, They speculated in vain as to the woman’s identity until the boat was almost at hand, and then Rob exclaimed: ‘It’s Mrs, Vincent-Brown!” ‘*Who’s she?” ‘6 A New York lady, the hotel in our town.’ ‘‘ Zounds! she’s got pluck. Is she so anxious ter do good that she’s come through this storm?” “T don’t know,” Rob returned, doubtfully. ‘‘ From what I’ve seen of her [supposed she was too selfish to bave a thought for any one but who is now stopping at Sky-Rocket Rob, the Life-Saver. 0 nn. Ee calls herself Mrs, Vincent-Brown. She’s aristo- cratic!” ‘* Hum!” It was little more than a grunt from the old fisherman, but it expressed a good deal. He wasted no good will on such persons as the New York lady seemed to represent. The new-comers reached land, but, in the effort to touch it in the usual way they scored a failure, and the boat and all its occupants made a disastrous landing. The boat was overturned, ne! the human beings spilled out unceremoni- ously. The lady did not prove agile, and it was not until Roger Walden, a well-known young man of the town, gave his aid, that she regained her feet, She came up smiling, however. ** Ain’t this jolly!” she exclaimed. Nobody spoke to confirm her view of the case, but she was not abashed, “So far, good!” she added. ‘ Now, send alon your wreck, and we will bind up the wounds o the castaways and take an inventory of stray jewels,” ** Would you rob the dead, woman?” It was a sharp question from Foretop Ben, but she showed neither anger nor shame, ‘‘T expect to find the rocks lined with jewels, after the crash,” she serenely explained. ‘¢ When the lives of our feller-bein’s are on the precipice o’ eternity, it ain’t no time ter think of plunder—unless that’s what you’ re here fur.” The old fisherman was angry. Long years of life on the ocean had made bis every sympathy ready to out to ‘* Jack,” and, having been wrecked himself, he knew how awful was such a crisis in the affairs of man. His eyes revealed the fierce resentment which Mrs, Vincent-Brown had aroused, but she remained unmoved out- rant Her answer had its sting, however, though it was not of a kind to be felt by Ben. ‘‘T don’t have to get my living from the ocean, she retorted, “This is no time for idle talk,” interrupted bs, be Walden, curtly. ‘‘ Let us see what can be done.” ** [ll go out in the boat if you will!” cried Sky- Rocket Rob, eagerly. ‘How can a boat live outside the point?” asked one of the party, ‘* You’ve seen how we were capsized just in crossing. the Neck, and a a flea-bite to the mountains that roll out- side, ‘Tf IT were a man I’d go out!” affirmed Mrs. Vincent-Brown, gayly. ‘It would be just jolly!” Glances were bent upon her that were far from friendly, With many she was no favorite. She was of a nature aptly described by the term ‘‘rattle-pated;” she was a woman with fixed opinions, usually wrong and always radical, which she never hesitated to avow; but, above all, the men were all sailors in a degree, and her levity when a vessel, freighted with human be- ings, was driving upon the rocks,;was obnoxious to em, Almost in silence they walked to the extreme side of the Giant’s Boot. As before, the doomed vessel was to be seen, but Ben was startled to see how fast she was moving to her doom, The exact time of reprieve could not be sur- mised, but the end was certain. Where the craft would receive her death-blow was not s0 sure. Between her and the Giant’s Boot were many irregularly-situated jagged rocks. She might become impaled upon one of these, or might escape them only to drift on and meet her fate on the point itself, The watchers stood in a group, with Roger Walden, Foretop Ben and Rob Wiley in front and discussed the situation, The fierce win which swept in from the ocean almost took Mrs. Vincent-Brown’s breath away, and as nearly caused her to repent that her hare-brained desire had made her one of the party. For the time being she was silent, Not so the men. Deeply did they regret their own impotence, and even the fact that widows and orphans had before then been made in their town by just such attempts, they talked of the chances open to a boatin the boiling flood. Luckily for them, the verdict was that it would be madness to put out; no boat could live there, and they knew it. Arriving at this conclusion, nothing re- mained except to watch the vessel go to pieces. The end approached, The craft drew nearer, ae a in the grasp of the water, leaping ike a frightened steed as it approached its doom, and as helpless as a feather in the gale. The impulse was strong in the minds of the watchers to turn aside that they might not see the tragedy, but some sort of fascination held ” them to their places. ” Watch they must and did while the doom was fulfilled. All knew when the fatal shock came. They saw the vessel rise on the crest of a foaming wave, while, in the gulf before her, a rock, shaped like the born of an anvil, became strange- ly and ominously distinct. One moment the vessel hovered over the pars of destruction, as though recoiling from her doom, and then the mighty force which was making a plaything of her, hurled ber forward upon the rock, There was a crash which was heard even on shore, and then old Foretop Ben shivered like one beset with cold. | ‘‘ She never’ll get off that spike until ske’s torn ter bits!” he uttered, gloomily. ‘‘Our work begins now,” shouted Walden, ‘‘ No one can live on her deck, and we sball soon see human beings coming—alive or dead,” “Scatter along the rocks,” added Ben; “‘ we must be ready to pull in any unfortinit who may come ter our grasp. Providence grant that they may come alive!” It was an earnest wish, but he knew very well how strong the chances were against. Still, they were men eager to do their best, and the book their positions and eagerly watcked eac sea 80 rolled landward from the doomed vesse CHAPTER IL, THE DIAMOND NECKLACE, Sxy-RocKkeT Ros was as eager to help as any one there. Although only sixteen years ol and small of frame, he had a brave nature, anc all his life had been passed in fishing and boat- ing along the New Jersey Coast. nown unto him were secrets of the deep which many men never acquire, and familiar acquaintances were the waves that broke on the coast in calm and storm. He took his station near the water, and waited with the others, Ten minutes of inactivity passed, and then he uttered a cry. ‘‘ A man!—a man!” he shouted, pointing to the boiling breakers. ‘+ Where?” shouted old Ben, in return. ‘‘ Above you, There he is again!” All saw the unfortunate then, as the waves flang him up where the fire on the land casta light that tipped a frothing roller with red, and there was a contraction of the line with the pur- pose of saving the unknown, Rob saw that he could be of no use, and he kept his place and continued to watch. Sud- denly he saw a sight which electrified him, How he had missed seeing it before he did not know, Only afew yards away the garments of a wo- man became visible, a black area on a back- ground of foam, and he realized that she would be the first of all to touch land. Whether she still lived he did not know, nor did he have time to call for help; the crisis would come before any of his allies could reach him. He braced himself for a great effort. Buffeting its prey about, the ocean gathered her helpless form fora last effort and fiung her toward the rocks, The young Life-Saver set his teeth and advanced dangerously far, An older head would have seen great probability that he would be carried back with the wave; he thought only of the woman. Then she was flung toward him like a projec- tile] from the watery battery; he closed his arms around her, and both were dashed to the ground, He fell with great force, so close to the rocks that bis shoulder touched them, and then the water closed over bim. He realized his danger and grasped for sup- rt. Ais hand providentially closed upcn a point of rock, Another moment and the water was receding, sucking at him with a force which bade fair to render his grasp futile, but he clung with unna- tural strength and conquered the foe, Once more left free, he arose, holding to his burden, and staggered back out of danger’s way. Not far did he go, He bore a burden heavy for his young arms, and the recent struggle had told upon his strength, He was obliged to let the rescued woman fall, but he did so by drop- ping upon his own knees, thus lowering her gently to the ent The light of the fire fell full upon him and the woman he had saved. 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