Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 674 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XXII, PICKED UP, HENSHAW, THE SMUGGLER, was on his good behavior for a couple of days; but a man of his intemperate habits could not keep a resolve, and so he got upon a spree one afternoon, He began by singing, for he felt in a good humor, and then he began to swear. Afterward he became quarrelsome, and be- gan to abuse his wife, a pastime which enced in his preparing to beat ber, as it the spirit which she had imbibed from Kate that made the crushed worm turn at last? It seemed so, for as he started toward her, stick in hand, and a larger stick than he had ever used before, she suddenly cried: ‘* Henshaw, do not strike me, or I shall kill you,” He was, for a moment, astounded at the words, but then whipping his knife from his belt cried savagely: Whip you? Killme? By HeavenIshall cut | de ears off for those words and spoil your | eauty for life,” ‘* Back, I say, or I swear to keep my word!” But he did not heed, as with a savage grow] he rushed upon her, Quickly she drew from beneath her apron the pistol she had secured for Kate, and, cocking it, pulled the trigger. It was the first shot she had ever fired, but Fate guided her aim, and the bullet entered the —— of the man, and he fell dead upon the cliff. **My God! it is done!” she cried, and rushing to the door of Kate’s room she opened it and cried; ‘** [have killed him, but God knows he brought it upon himself,” ‘** Yes, [ have heard all, and you are a brave woman, and we are free.” ‘* Free! yes, free from him.” ‘¢ Come, do not get blue, but let us leave here as soon as we can, for the sea is smooth, and some of the smugglers may return at any time. ‘** Let us have the place appear as though a rescue had been made, and the place robbed, for we can throw the goods into the sea. ‘*Come, rouse yourself, Mrs. Henshaw, and we will soon be away.” The woman rallied at once, and the smug- | glers would bave died with rage had they seen their valuable stores go flying into the sea. It was dark before they were ready to go, for the skiff had to be stored with provisions, water, and wraps, for Kate was not going unprepared, and arranged so that if they were a couple of days getting to port they would not suffer. Then they decided to remain all night and start the next morning, and as the two sat on the rocks talking together, Mrs, Henshaw sud- denly started to her feet crying: ‘*See that light! it is the smack, for she al- , ways shows a red light a league away, then a blue one—they are signals, for my husband should be on watch.” ‘* Then we must go at once—come, let us lower ourselves in the boat.” They quickly took their places, and lowered the skiff into the basin, and casting off, Kate seized the oars and shot around the point of rocks when the smack was not half a mile away. The tide was running out, and so they let themselves drift with it, saw the smack run into the basin, and they lay low in the boat not to attract the attention of the men when they reached the cliff. Utterly worn out they both sunk to sleep and when they awoke several hours after they were out of sight of land, the sky was overcast and all was darkness above them. Kate at once decided to set the little sail and ‘ head shoreward. The sail was set, she took the tiller, but with not a star in sight, nothing to steer by, she could only guess at her course. And so she held on, but no land came in sight, and at last the gray dawn appeared, the daylight followed, but the skies were dark with clouds and hid the sunrise and not a vestige of land was visible. But Kate was hopeful, though she felt that she had been steeritg from the land, and so she shaped her course in the other direction. The skiff was a life-boat, decked over for- ward and rigged with a stump-mast and leg- of-mutton sail, so that she had no fear for any ordinary weather and tried to cheer her com- panion, But she had broken down at last, the ten- sion on her nerves for long years had forced them to yield, and she was utterly prostrated, in vain did Kate try to cheer her, for the ee ate — - The Wizard Sailor. woman seemed hardly conscious of ber presence or where they were, and at last the flushed face and burning skin sbowed that she had fever. Thus the day passed, and night came on with no land in sight. The wind was gentle, the sea smooth, but the lowering clouds threatened a storm, and poor Kate was forced to feel that if a storm did come their doom would be sudden and cer- tain. But her brave spirit never quailed, and she still held on in the direction in which she be- lieved the land lay, while at the same time she did all in her power to relieve the sufferings of | her unfortunate companion. Many times did this brave girl think that she saw land ahead, and utter a cry of joy, to have it prove but a false hope, a fancy of the brain. The dawn came, and with it the wind and sea began to rise, and there wa3 no sunshine, for the clouds grew deeper. Mrs. Henshaw was ill, very ill, her face flushed with fever and she talked wildly at times, Suddenly an impulse caused Kate to look astern, and a cry broke from her lips. There, not haif a mile away, comiug right down toward the little boat, was a schooner, and that she was seen from on board she knew, for the bows were crowded with men. Relief was at hand, life was aroused, yet what was the vessel? Nearer it came and soon a loud hail rung out in Knelish: ** Ho that boat!” ‘* Ay, ay, sir,” answered Kate. ‘*Tll lay to and then come alongside.” “Ay, ay, sir.” The schooner swept by and Kate saw that it was an armed vesse), and as it swept up into the wind sbe ran alongside, And none too soon, for the storm was coming now upon them. ‘* They are women, so be tender there, you lub- bers, and bring them aboard and to my cabin,” said a stern voice. Kate was able to help herself, but asked the men to raise Mrs, Henshaw carefully, for she said: : ‘*She is very ill, and I fear is going to die.” Then she walked aft by the side of a manina gorgeous uniform, and following her came five seamen bearing Mrs. Henshaw. ‘* What nation does your vessel belong to, sir, for she carries no flag?” said the young girl, ** The captain wilil tell you, miss,” was the an- swer, and he motioned to her to enter the cabin. She did so, the men following with the poor invalid. A tall man, with a very dark, stern face, but with courtly manners met her. He was dressed in a magnificent uniform, wore his side-arms, and seemed wholly in keeping with the cabin, which was furnished with a jluxury that one would not expect to find upon a vessel-of-war. ‘* Lady, you are welcome on board my vessel, and I am glad to have found you in time to save you from the storm, Your friend is ill, I see.” ** Yes, sir, very ill, I fear; and may I ask if you have a surgeon on board?” ‘Yes, and he shall see ber at once, and you must feel perfectly at home in my cabin; but it strikes me we have met before—somewhere.” ** Your face also seems familiar to me, sir, but I cannot recall where I have met you; perhaps never.” ‘May I ask your name, lady?” ‘* Kate Sweegan, sir.” ‘* Ab! Kate Sweegan—the latter was my name before I changed it. ‘* We have met before, years ago,” and the face of the man fairly startled Kate now, “May I ask, sir, where?” ‘* Yes, my name was Bernard Sweegan, but I changed it to Bazil the Buccaneer, and you are my daughter,” came the startling response of the schooner’s captain. If Kate was startled by the answer of the out- law, he was equally so by her cool response: ‘Yes, [ recall your face now, though I was not six years old when I[ saw it last: but you are not my father, Captain Bazil the Buccaneer.” CHAPTER XXTIL LOST AND WON, THE schooner in which Clifford Sweegan set sail in search of the island where bis mother and himself had hidden the treasure of the pirate schooner which had been wrecked there was a fleet craft of one hundred and forty tons burden, In his search for a crew Clarence bad done the best he could, but it had been impossible, just at A ee — ee — that time, to get men upon whom he could really rely, for all were on the lookout to go in vessels- of-war that would bring them prize-money in the struggle that was to come between England and America, So the Wizard Sailor had decided to go with those he had rather than longer delay. Several times on the run south, Clifford had been forced to be severe with several of the men, and consulting with Harvey and Clarence Lynn, who had proven themselves most efficient officers, he decided to try a little strategy, to see just what they meant to do, for he said: ‘Tt will be better to make them sbow their real colors now, when we have no treasure on board, than after we have it, and rbaps, if they were to master us, they would get the benefit of it.” So one day he gave out that the object of the cruise was to bury upon an island a treasure which was on board, until they could return, arm and man their vessel, and again take it on the schooner where they would be able to pro- tect it from a foe, ‘ Just as the Wizard Sailor had suspected, this made an impression upon the men, and they were seen whispering together. They had been under the impression that the treasure was to be found on an island, but to have it on board was to their great interest, and at once they determined to act. That meant a mutiny, the killing of the dy seizure of the schooner and dividing the ooty. But, they had no idea that they were suspected, and when they moved aft, that night, toattack the Wizard Sailor, who was standing near the man at the wheel, he met the attack by sudden] opening fire with a double-barrel pistol in eac hand, and then seizing his cutlass rushed upon them, while officers Harvey and Clarence Lynn sprung to his aid from the ward-room and a desperate combat followed, The men, taken wholly by surprise, lost five of their number before they could offer resist- ance, Then the man at the wheel, who had remained true and had told of their plot, ard the steward also, came to the aid of the three officers and the mutineers were driven forward and those that were left quickly cried for mercy. This was granted and the four men who sur- rendered were put in irons, yet kept on deck, to be made to aid, two at a time, in the working of the schooner, The next day, believing that he wag in the locality of the treasure island, search was begun for it, but in vain, Islands were sighted and neared, but they did not appear like the one the Wizard Sailor re- membered as, when a boy, he had been there with his mother and sister and buried the treas- ure from the wrecked schooner of Bazil, So at last, in the crippled state of the schooner for want of men, he was compelled to lay his course for home, Several days after there was sighted, just at dawn, five boats off the starboard bow a league away, and the schooner was at once headed for them. As they drew nearer it was seen that they were men-of-war boats, filled with seamen, and the United States flag was in the stern of each. A wild cheer went up from the rescued crews of the five boats, as the schooner lay to and ordered them alongside. The first man who stepped aboard was Captain Chester Chadwick, and the meeting between the two can be better imagined than described, In a few words the gallant captain told how his brig had been in action with a British sloop- of-war, but he-had managed to escape his pow- erful adversary during a storm, which was fol- lowed by night, but his vessel was so badly damaged that he could not keep her afloat, and the day before they had to take to their boats, wounded men and all. Then he added: R ‘This is the second time you have saved me my young friend, Ihave often wanted to meet you again, and recall that night in the lagoon when you led us upon the pirate camp.” The Wizard Sailor then told his story, and just why he was there on the schooner, and in- troduced his young Officers, adding that he had a schooner then building which would soon be afloat as a privateer. ‘‘ Sail bo!” came from aloft, and, after a long look at the stranger, Captain Chadwick said: ‘‘ That is the schooner of Bazil, the Buccaneer, and as we have notasingle gun on board we will have to run for it, as be is a very dangerous ” foe, *‘ Captain Chadwick, as we have no guns on ~~, ~.