Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 890 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 an’ fight for yer, if it comes ter that, tergether, or git nabbed in pairs,” Old Nat spoke with the hearty kindness to be expected from him, but Ace remained pru- We go ent. ** We shall run less risk by going one at a time, Of course you can go openly, but I must come the soft-and-easy act. But I shall not ob- _ ject to having you sail in and give me a lift if [ get into trouble.” ‘* You bet, l’li do it.” **Tt’ll be no fool of a job ter run the gantilet,” observed sailor Jack Smith. ‘* It’s got ter be done,” ‘* Let me reconvoiter,” Sal partial idea of how he was brought there a pris- oner, though he did not pause to refer to the es circumstances which bad led up to it. Be They were still talking when two men ap- eared. They expected to see Jack Smith, but ld Nat was not a little startled when he per- ceived that one was Tribbs, the captain of the vessel. The latter looked at Ace in angry sur- prise. ‘* Who has dared to release this boy?” be de- manded, ‘**1’m the chap that did it,” Hicks boldly re- turned, ekg, you know he was my runaway cabin- ‘I knowed he was not,” ‘What?’ “*T know this boy myself—knowed him afore ever you set eyes on him, Hang it all!’ what do you mean, sir, by kidnappin’ a child like y him? It’s a low an’ dastardly piece o’ business, Pa,’ by Cain!” , Captain Tribbs had thought to overawe Old Nat by assuming a bullying manner, but was so far from doing it that the w man was faciny him belligerently, and giving back word for word. ‘Who are you who meddles on my vessel?” the sea-villain blustered. ‘** Your equal, mister!” | es ‘“* My equal?” : oe ‘' Every inch, both as ter weight, statoo, mus- BN) kle an’ grit, whileas fur manhood—wal, a rattler would put you ter blush for decency, ef you was Bes 'y: knowin’ ter the plot ter abduck this Jad. Hf ee constables, by Cain! As’tis, I leave yer ter jes- | tice above man’s, Asa, we'll go!” Tribbs had been eying the fearless speaker oh curiously. He now stepped back and called for a help, and three sailors came in immediately. yi ‘* Seiza that man!” he commanded, pointing to ab. ; ** W bat?” cried the woodsman, Vx ** At hin !”’ Pe Evidently the sailors were accustomed to obey ey all kinds of orders. They took the present one Bs, - asa matter of course, and at once mceved upon Old Nat. They were warmly received, Hicks bad not been through rough life for a score of years for nothing. Re knocked down the first man, and followed up the stroke by piling the second on top of bis leader, The sailors, nowever, were old hands at such affrays, and the four went at Nat as soon as the fallen ones c ‘uld regain their feet. ie When two moremen came at Tribbs’s call, both Hicks and Ace High were soon overcome and bound. | ‘* Tumble them down there!” directed the cap- tain, pointing. “‘When we have leisure we'll Ji Rm _ stow them away where they will be out of the race; just now I want all of you ondeck, Leave them tuere!” And the captors went away in a body. ** Ace!” spoke Old Nat, soberly. ** Yes!” j | “I’ve been in all sorts o’ measly fixes, but _ never one that took the starch out o’ me like this. Biameit! [ didu’ts’ thar was real pi- rates in the City o’ York,’ mae 8 ‘“*If there is a species of rascal we haven't got, ay = _ I don’t know wacre or what he is,” an ** It’s melancholy!” / “Mr, Hicks, where is Jack Smith?” _ “Dunno, Gilad he ain’t tied up.” ** Will | e desert us?” “!'Who? Jack?” “€Of course.” # You 'bet he won’t! Jack ain’t ~ me “Not much! ~ , | that sortjof a biped critter, No, sir; he will stan’ by us through the war, but I ain’t sure he ~~ will bave any great chance, The cap’n has be called all han’s, an’ it might go hard with Jack _ ifhe made a bulge jestnow.” . | _ * But if he waits until we get under way—and _ they seem to be doing that now—there will be 20 chance for us to get clear,” var p ~ ’ . . 4 f 7 (fh « ‘ wel. , \ ‘4 / ‘ e* e . : 49 e “+ s « ae “ FI . . . : el ow Mi rr re ty Md : ! - 2. *e1ey " é + ~ j a RPE Se geo ree € . ~~ 4) ! i } E ‘ - i ce Mel ¥ +h , i i. a MM ,. he a te et ee oe |S ie | = vats: } $ . } OAs . - i ow 1 A J >; ye, 7 PRA Toh 2 Ft Aye’ oer yt ‘ , ad oy ‘ \ ¥ ; a I 7 ; iF e: J Cet Meee “sk x . . . * 4 é . Smith went away, while Ace gave Hicks a | you’s ter stay in port I'd peernens on ye ter the |. ¥ ¢ 7 Aah rte a | > ae Wy \ — or 2 Sra ee Messenger 999. ‘Don’t know. Kin youswim?” sé Yes ” ‘*So kin I, like a fish. Let’em drop us not over fifty mile from shore an’ we kin git back.” Asa’s faith in Old Nat’s veracity was some- what shaken by this wonderful claim, but he did not argue the point. Both were silent as they listened to the sounds above which indicated that the vessel would goon be under way, Whether they were to go with her became a most important question. They watched for Jack Smith, but he did not appear. ** Here we go!” Hicks observed, suddenly. Sure enough, they were working away from the pier, and the messenger’s face grew longer. | Although there was a popular belief that the day of sea-tyrants and sea-outrages was past, the High Card knew that many an abuse was still committed on vessels, and they would cer- tainly be at the mercy of a man who had shown himself a ruffian. They began to move down the East River, and were off on a voyage the end of which nei- ther could foresee. Their imagination painted nothing pleasant, CHAPTER XIV. ADVENTURES AFLOAT. THE vessel was fairly under way, and moving toward the open salt water, though still on the East River. ‘‘It’s a long time since I’ve been on a ship afore,’”’ observed Old Nat, thoughtfully, ‘' Not sence I first crossed the big pond an’ landed on Yankee soil.” ‘You were probably happier then than now,” replied Ace High. ‘Happier? Wal, no; can’t say I was. I had trouble on my mind,” : ** But you were not kidnapped?” ‘*No. Iwas lookin’ fur my sister,” **Pid you find her?” se No ” ** Never?” “é Never!” There was deep melancholy in the pine-woods- man’s voice which forcibly recalled the touch of that mood when he was at the boarding- house. He gave himself up to thought for a moment, and then added; — ‘*T an’ that sister was brought up together in Old England, Except another brother, we was the only children. ‘The brother was a good ’eal younger—he an’ his fam’ly lives in Liverpool, now—an’ so he had a different place in our bearts from what we had fur one another, We was poor, an’ my sister took a place as maid to a rich lady who, bein’in poor health, set out on a voyage ter America, : ‘*Of course my sister went along. ‘* They got hyar, an’ then begun ter travel in a slow way, betittin’ an invalid. They went ter Saratoga, Niagara an’ them places, but never stayed lopg in one piace, s0 we never knowed where ter expect the next letter from, ‘This kep’up fur some time, an’ all seemed oin’ wal, but we finally got a letter that rightened us, The rich lady had took sick an’ died o’ fever, an’ my sister had nursed ber all through it. '*“* What skeered us was this: When my sister wrote, she “lowed she was bad worn out, an’ ad- mitted she was a bit afeerd she was goin’ ter be sick, too. | _* After that we got no news, We wrote, an’ waited, an’ watched, but allin vain. No more news ever come, We finally decided that she bai died, an’ I pulled up stakes an’ started fur here ter find out. ‘*T went ter Injeanny, whar the mistress had died. I found the folks she had been with, but no sister. They tol’ me she bad left an’ gone back ter New York. \ ‘* Back here I come, too, but, ter make a long story short, I never found her nor got any news. From the minute she left the Injeanny town she vanished like dew in the mornin’ Birbaci do you think became of her?” Ace. “Dead! Thar ain't no doubt on’t. She left the Western town three-quarters sick; beyond doubt, she give out somewhar by the way, an’ jest laid down in a stranger’s house an’ died,” Hicks repeated the big sigh which was so characteristic of his nature and his deep chest, and, after a brief pause, added: ‘“‘ This thing has preyed on me many a year. Of course we give her up right away, but it was melancholy ter fee! that I didn’t know whar she laid buried,” — P SS **m sorry for you, sir,”returned Asa. “I know ye be, lad, fur you’ve got a heart , 4 Pee ; i. ' i . "y' Peer. a - t 7 s —- ‘ i ~ 4 + $ , - f 7 ; iy Ags i - s >. » me a : , Vo ‘ - ve Ri Loe hea uf rae Bs By ‘ “Fe i” 1d Sh ~~ i a, 7 Are , <i “oa ae “tie iy babar. ew r a? ‘ - < = : ; - ~ . : ’ ~ on A. . «4 P ‘ * & : “ . A w a a \ i % ~~ ¢ fa . Mui a < . + 7) - ‘ iy ‘ < * . jes et Ay, . :. ; “> aaa - / 2” aye oe fe * 4 < ante :. Jam aya nt tae ; a ~e* Ps g like an ox, an’ { take to ain’t ter the p’int. toward old ocean.” ‘*T’m afraid we are booked for the voyage.” Old Nat shook his head. - ** We'll never live ter finish it, Cap’n Tribbs knows a thing or two, an’ he ain’t took this pi- ratikel slep only ter let us go free bime-by. He will— Pe mightily. But this Lad, we’re goin’ fast out The woodsman Pes ee short, suddenly re- membering that he ought not to add to his com- panion’s foars, Ace knew by divers signs that they bad left the East River behind. After that it would not bea long voyage to the open ocean, and when the shore of: Staten Island faded away, they would be wholly at the modern pirate’s mercy. What he would do with them was not certain, but the messenger’s views were not more hope- ful than Nat’s, While both were indulging in these gloomy forebodings, another form appeared in the fore- castle, and their spirits took an upwerd turn as they recognized Jack Smith. e came to them quickly. ‘*The time has come to make a break!” he de- clared. ‘* We are getting close to the Narrows, and it’s now or never. Can you swim ashore?” ss Yes. ” Both Nat and Ace answered promptly. ** Do you want life-preservers?” sé No. ’ Smith had bee:) busy with his knife while he talked, and be now made the final stroke. Both were free from their bonds, ‘‘- You must steal up to the deck quietly and : drop overboard,” he continued, ‘‘I think it is dark enough so you can make the riffle.” ‘* What’ll become of you?” Nat asked, ** [li go, too.” “ec Desert?” ‘*Yes, Tribbs hasn’t had time to investigate and see whom you came on board to visit. W hen be does it would put suspicion on me, any- how, and, after setti mi you frew, it would be madness for me to stay here and dare his anger. Now, are you ready to go?” Both Ace and Hicks answered io the affirm- ative. ‘*Tben here we go.” It was an undertaking full of doubt and dan- ger, and only rendered possible by the fact that Tribbs would not expect anattempt at escape, and would be giving all his attention to his ves- sel, ; After a few more words of caution and ad- vice they made the start. Once on deck they separated, so as to make as little nutice as pos- sible, and then it was each for himself. Avesauntered over toward thestarbcard side, assuming a careless air and taking care to keep away from all other persons, The friendly shore of Staten Island had never looked so pleas- ant, covered though it was with darkness, No one challenged or opposed him, and he crossed the doubtful space insafety. After that he felt sure of victory. If the worst came he could jump for liberty, though he preferred to red out the policy of caution outlined by Smith. . Shortly after this the captain heard a slight splash in the water on the starboard side, but gave the matter no thought at that time. It was, however, his last knowledge of the- persons he supposed helpless prisoners below. At that moment all three were swimming for shore, and to those as much at bome in the wa- ter as they, this was an easy matter, oa In a short time they were standing on the isl- and, watching the vessel recede. Old Nat laughed heartily. ‘*That’s what I call doin’’em up slick!” he de- clared. ‘s 7 | ‘«They’re out of it,” Ace added, ‘An’ whar be we?” | | : “Safeasa fly. All we’vegot to dois tomake our way to et George, take tre ferry-boat and go back to New York, Simple as you please.” ‘‘fj9ad the way. ‘Thisis your native heath, I s’pose, but it ain’s mine.” : They proceeded on their way, feeling that — they had been in great good luck to get out of their predicament so safely and surely. As their thoughts turned away from the receding: vessels, Hicks naturally became curious as to how Ace had fallen intoso much trouble, He asked the question, and it brought the High Card’s own thoughts back to the robbery at the boarding-house. He believed that he could tell Hicks just about who had taken his money, but it wasa statement he shrunk from making. Jt would bea terrible blow to Palmer Tildrake to have his son arrested on such a charge. og (SN ; ’ ' ; '