Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 674 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

nough then she was only under working canvas, It was night, and she was working in through an inlet which led into a sheet of water on the coast of Carolina, and as tke homes of rich planters were known to line the coast, it ap- peared to be evident that her mysterious visit by night was a lawless one. Returning to the side of the officer whom he had called Costa, the captain continued: “ Costa, let me tell you why I have come here.” ‘“‘If you deem it right, sir, to bestow your confidence upon mie, I will be glad to have it,” responded the officer, whose dark face and gen- eral appearance indicated the Cuban, though he spoke English with but little accent, ‘* Yes, I prefer to, for, but for you, I would not now be upon this deck, ready again to flaunt the black flag, “The night I saved you in Havana, from an assassin’s knife, I saw there was much in you to admire, and when I knew that you were upon your last dollar, and desperate, I told you how, as forgeries would soon be known, to go still deeper, and pet enough money to purchase this craft, which sea free lance, “You yielded to the temptation, and we are afloat upon a splendid craft, ‘‘My promise to you to give you funds, if J cOuld find a certain person, is why I came here to-night, and if I secure the money 1 will givo you enough to return to Cuba and clear your aame of all dishonor before those papers become ue, “Tf not, why then, Costa, you are in for be- coming a real pirate.” ‘**] understand the situation perfectly, Cap- tain Bazil, and abide it.” ‘* Tt is best; but to my story: *T am an American, and getting into a finan- cial scrape such as you have, I fled to Columbia and offered my sword to the Government. ***T was made a captain and given a fine cruiser; but | preferred to hoist the black flag, and to turn pirate. ** Off this coast I saved from capture one day a gentleman and his daughter, and I soon loved the latter devotedly. ‘** But that I was a pirate soon leaked out, and so I urged her to fly with me and become my bride, “She did so, and a priest I had captured some time before married us, ‘*No children were born to us, but one day, when I visited my wife, who when not cruising with me dwelt on the coast of Cuba, she told me of a vessel wrecked on the coast, and she had saved a boy and baby girl, along with papers stating who they were. ‘* T at once saw that there was gold to be made ¢hrough the children, and so urged my wife to adopt them, and from that day they became as our OWn. **They went to sea with me, and the lad, a splendid little fellow, I made a junior ofticer, and he at orice became known as the Buccaneer Midshipman, ‘*As my wife refused to countenance certain plans I had formed for the children, I decided to get rid of her, for mine is a fickle nature, Costa; but, ere I could do so, we sighted a brig, which I deemed a valuable prize, and gave chase. ** Before overhauling ber we were caught in a storm, and in an interview I had with my wife, I told her that our marriage was a bogus one, that one of my crow had played the part of priest.” ‘* A cruel thing to tell a woman, captain.” “Yes; it caused her to swoon away, [ left her on the cabin floor and never have seen her since, for I boarded the brig, found her to be a ‘cruiser, and, as a storm tore our vessels apart, I was captured, with all but two dozen men I had left on the schooner, ‘“‘T made my escape, and always believed that the schooner had gone down with all on board, _ “But, another of my men also escaped, and is now on this schooner, for 1 met bim in Havana, and he tells me that he saw my wife and the two children, coming along the coast, northward, stopping at different ports. He meant to join them, but they left port and he could not find them. ** Now, on my schooner was a large treasure, which I believe my wife has, Yonder white- walled Mansion is her home, so she has returned here, I am certain. ‘That is why I have come here to-night. If I regain the treasure you shall have all that I promised you. The boy I shall take with me, and the girlcan remain with my wifé, and one knew of, and turn her into a rrr ee ee eee ne ———eEeEeEeEeEueEeEGueeeeee The Wizard Sailor. day there will be another fortune in my, pocket, for my wife has the papers to prove just who they are. ‘*T will anchor here and go ashore, You must be ready with a boat’s crew to come to my aid, if you hear my signal,” ‘Ay ay, captain, and Heaven grant you get the treasure. I can then return to Cuba, say I was captured by pirates, take up that forged paper and all will be well with me,” ‘*T hope so, Costa; but now to seeif all be well with me,’ Bazil, the Buccaneer, entered his Big, and, taking the oars, rowed himself ashore, He cautiously approached the mansion, by the weed-grown gravel walk, and ascended the creaking stairs, when his eyes fell upon the brass tablet on the oaken door. The moonlight revealed the words engraven there distinctly, and he read them with a mut- tered curse, ‘The planter is dead, and has left this tablet to tell how be cut his daughter off, The place is a ruin, and she would not dare ccme here—no, not with that tablet staring her in the face. ‘‘] must look elsewhere for her, and those children, for I will find them, ‘Yes, I will yet bave my treasure, which I know she has, What else could have become of 2 ‘* Curse this old place! It seems to haunt me with my evil deeds, avd I will away.” With this he turned and walked back toward the shore, little dreaming that the one he go anxiously sought stood within the window, only a few feet from him, and knew him as he stood there in the bright moonlight, yet scarcely dared breathe, Away sailed the pirate craft from the Sound, and soon after the bueccaneer’s wife and cbildren fled the scene, for the woman dared not remain there, for fear he would come again. CHAPTER IV. A TRIO OF SEA GYPSIES. **MoTHER, I do not like our barborage for the night, but then we had to run in to escape tho storm, I will take the skiff and row up the lagoon, for I feel sure, from all signs, that there is a buccaneer’s haunt above us.” ‘What makes you think so, my son?” ** Well, I noticed in several places as we poled in, that branches were broken off the trees in narrow parts of the lagoon, and here and there were rope ends, which had been cut. So, it will be best to take a look about me.” The speaker stepped into a little skiff and rowed silently away from a small craft of sloop rig, which lay at anchor in a lagoon, and at a spot where she was completely hidden from oar one passing near io the open waters, he craft was an odd one, fitted up as a sea home for its three occupants, the handsome lad of fourteen who had rowed away, the one whom he had addressed as mother, and whose beaut was weird-like and her costume picturesque, al- most wild, The third was a lovely little girl, several years the junior of the lad, and who was also at- tired in a picturesque costume which but added to her beauty, fcr she was very beautiful. *‘ Does brother Clifford fear danger, mother?” she asked, as she came Out of the cabin and join- ed the woman upon the deck, ‘‘' Yes, and he bas gone to see if there is any- thing to fear, my child,” was the answer, and the two set to work to prepare supper by the time the lad returned. An hour passed, and then bis skiff was seen coming rapidly into the little hiding-place of the strange craft, ‘* Mother, we are in a hornets’ nest; and, that is not all,” said the lad, as he stepped on deck, ** What have you discovered, Clifford?” eager- ly asked the woman, ‘* Just this: that there is a pirate camp, a mile above here, and several vessels are anchored along the lagoon banks, ‘*] fortunately heard voices, and hid inshore, and, soon after, a boat came up the lagoon with two men in it, and at the same time a boat came down from the camps with a dozen men in her. ‘‘ The officer in the stern called out angrily to the two men in the pirogue, that he was going to see what bad become of them, and one replied that they could not return sooner. “*Well, what have you discovered?” asked the officer. ‘*¢ The vessel is an American brig-of-war, sir, and she seems short of crew, for from the tree [I climbed to the top of I could only count fifty- five men,’ answered the man. ‘And wecan raise bane a hundred, and can gain by a surprise, «|S a S 3 ‘**T was in hopes that the craft reported wasa merchantman; but we need a good vessel so she will be a prize for us. ‘** She has doubtless come in to escape the storm, and little dreams that we have our haunt ere, ‘** But, did you see anything of the little sloop that was sighted coming up the coast? ‘** No, sir, and sbe doubtless went on up the coast to seek shelter in another harborage.’ ‘** We must find her to-morrow, for she doubt- less belongs to some plantation,’ ” ‘That means our craft, Clifford?” ‘Yes, mother; but [I heard the officer then plan to go down in boats and attack the cruiser to-night just before dawn, and so I will go, when it is dark, and warn the American cap- tain,” ‘“‘T agree with you, Clifford, and then we can get out of this.” ‘* Not to-night, mother, for it is blowing hard outside, and with the cruiser’s men on the watch we have nothing to fear,” was the answer, and the youth sat down to the very tempting supper which his mother had prepared for him, By the time that the meal was finished dark- ness had come on, and after muffling his oars well, andarming himself with a musket, a brace of double-barrel pistols and a cutlass, the young sailor started upon his mission to warn the cruiser’s captain of danger. So silently had he approached the vessel that he slipped over the side and stood by the side of the officer of the deck before a soul on board was aware of bis presence, “Sh! Sir,I have come on board to warn you of danger,” he said to the startled officer, ‘Who are you?” was the low, stern reply. “A Sea Gypsy, sir; but I wish to see tho captain.” ‘How did you get on board?” ‘* My oars are muffled, sir, and I did not wish to hail, for the vessel may now be watched.” ‘‘ Come with me into the cabin.” The lad followed and there found a fine look- ing man in the uniform of a captain in the United States Navy, seated at a round table ex- amining some charts, He heard what the lieutenant had to say, and then, fixing his keen eyes upon the handsome face of the lad, looked both interested and curious, The boy was dressed in a blue sailor suit, with a white broad collar to the shirt, in each corner of which was a gold anchor, The cuffs were also white and had gold anchors upon them, while about his waist was a white sash loosely knotted and holding his cut- lass and pistols. Upon his head jauntily sat a scarlet tarpaulin, and in his black silk scarf a ruby star shone brightly, and added to his striking appearance. The face was bold, frank, handsome and in- telligent beyond his years, while dark curls fell upon his sailor collar, ‘* Well, sir, what have you got to say for yourself, boarding an American vessel-of-war in this fashion, my lad?” asked the captain, ‘‘T boarded her to say, sir, that, two miles above, on the banks of the lagoon, is a pirate re- treat, with over a hundred men in it, ‘‘TIn the lagoon are anchored several vessels, one a schooner of sixty tons and armed, while there are two small sloops, with a couple of guns each,” ‘Tt is the retreat of the Reef Rovers, which I have searched for in vain for a year. ‘Who are you, my lad?” ‘+A Sea Gypsy, sir.” ‘¢ Ah! and what may that mean?” ‘Well, sir, my mother, my little sister and myself, cruise at our will in a little sloop, and we put in here to escape the storm. I saw signs that caused me to suspect vessels had been earried up the lagoon, so I went to find out and discovered the pirate camp, and hiding, over- heard a plot to attack you to-night in boats, just before dawn, and take your vessel, ‘The spy they sent said that he had counted fifty five men only on your decks, and the chief declared that he could carry you easily, as be could come down under muffled oars and bring over double your force, while the surprise v ould help him greatly.” ‘By Neptune, but you tell a straage story, my lad. You say you overheard this *¢ Yes, sir.” ‘¢ Where were you?” “In wy boat hiding alongshore. The spy's boat and the chief’s met within thirty feet of me. “ And you are a Sea Gypsy, you say?” ‘¢ Yes, sir.” * And came to warn me?” - d . ‘ ‘ ' ~ oe P id me = y =. - ( \e4 “| NG pales \ |. 7 & au ai rs = -~ 7 ms a