Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 909: Midshipman Dare, the Pirate Catcher — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

. \t Se oe) Eng , . , * o — F: 4 Midshipman Dare. miss him—he would be the last to leave the boat —he’s so careful, blast him!” Darrel was the last man to leave the gig that night, next morning, and, as the captain left the ship, dozens of the natives were on and around the vessel, The captain went ashore in the hope of obtain- ing information relative to the corsair, and as the heat during the day is excessive, did not in- tend to return until sunset, Darrel, now a great favorite with the captain, was in charge of the boat, and consequently sat | in the stern-sheets with Captain Stewart. About an hour after the boat left, a villainous- looking negro came aboard with some fruit. He was rather late with his wares, but some- | swain forward to the forecastle head. thing in his countenance seemed to attract | “ Yow ll just mind I’m accusin’ nobody, but if Grace, who purchased quite a quantity, and held | ye’ll take a fool’s advice, don’t stand in the a long conversation with the fellow ina language | shrouds, or lean over the taffrail, while Misther totally unknown—cr rather not understood by | Grace is very near ye—it’s no health y!” those around, namely, Spanish. | The boatswain turned away, but Darrel would Grace was well educated and the best linguist | not let him go. on board, and several of those who noticed him ‘* Hold on, Fraser!” he said, ‘‘ You’ve told remarked that he was ‘‘ showing off” his knowl- | me either too much or too little. Just let me have a little light as to why you give me this advice. What doyou know?” oo CHAPTER VIII. A WARNING—THE PIRATE SCHOONER. WHEN the captain and lieutenant went be- low, Darrel was about to do the same, when Donald touched him on the arm, saying: ‘* Just a word wi’ ye.” Rather surprised, Darrel followed the boat- And at the conclusion of the conversation, when he went below to pay the negro, it was set | But Donald was cautious—he would not speak down to a desire to ‘‘ show off his purse,” for it | —for the present, at any rate, was well known that be carried the heaviest one |* ‘ J speak because I like ye,” he said, ‘* but I'll on board—hbeing liberally supplied by a wealthy | say no more the night,” uncle, whose heir it was expected he would be. As Donald was noted for his firmness, or ‘*Come to-morrow! Ill buy more!” called | obstinacy as some called it, Darrel simply Grace, as the negro rowed away, thanked him for the warning, Darkness comes suddenly in those latitudes. Next morning before dawn alfhands were on The United States was lying two miles off-shore, and when the captain’s gig was seen putting off just after sunset, lights were hung all over the ort side of the schooner, for it would be dark before the boat reached her, While awaiting the arrival of the gig, Grace appeared to be very nervous, and watched her with great interest until sudden darkness shut her from sight, Shark-fishing had been indulged in during the land breeze hours—from eight to ten in the morning and four to six in the afternoon, which are the only hours during which a white man can do more than exist—and two monsters were caught, almost as soon as the salt pork was in the water. : ; found his suspicions were correct, and he had Grace was watching the fishing with great ' little doubt of finding his men below instead of | der way. interest. above Kingston, nor was he mistaken, ‘** Keep her sou’-sou’ west!” ordered Allen who was the sailing-master, The previous day, the captain had obtained information that led him to believe those he was after were to be found in the Caribbean Sea, probably in the vicinity of Greytown, if not nearer, : According to the officials, the pirate schooner and privateers were to be found in the vicinity of Hayti, but there was good reason to suspect that this was given simply to mislead him, By adroit questioning, and the use of a little money among the natives, Captain Stewart At length the gig arrived near the side, but On the morning of the second day out from before reaching it, Donald, the boatswain, | Kingston, there came a hail from aloft hailing called: the deck: ‘* Ahoy the gig! Come to the starboard!” ‘* Sail, ho!” The gig was accordingly put around the bow ** Hello!” cried Allen; ** whereaway ?” of the schooner, and as it rounded, almost ran ‘Straight ahead, sir, and standing toward down a shore-boat containing five men, one of | us!” whom was clinging to the forechains. Tho lieutenant sprung into the rigging, and “Ho there! Lights forward! Hold on to | from the foretop made out a schooner under full that boat, Martin!” cried Captain Stewart, sail bearing down on the United States, and in- The bow oar grasped the gunwale of the other | stantly notified the captain, boat, drawing the gig alongside; Captain ‘Tis our friend without doubt!” exclaimed Stewart and Darrei botn leveled pistols, while | the captain, after a long look through his glass, the boatswain and several of the crew held bat- ‘*Now, Ballard, get all hands below except tle-lanterns over the forecastle head. enough to work her. ‘* Down with a boat and haul these skulkers ‘‘ And, my lads!” he continued, addressing the aboard!” cried the captain, and in less time than crew, ‘‘prepare to meet, and sweep from the it takes to tell it, the five men were aboard the schooner. All five were blacks. and when questioned as ‘to their business, shook their heads—they could not understand English, The negroes of Jamaica and the Black Re- public are most botorious thieves, and Captain Stewart was about to set it down as a thieving expedition when Donald said; ‘*P'r’aps Mr. Grace can find out, captain, He war talkin’ to this chap ” (indicating the villain- ous-looking negr¢) *' all mornin’,” | * The captain turned sharply on Grace, and asked ; ‘“ What d’ye know about this?” ° ‘Nothing, sir, excepb that I bought some fruit, and talked a little Spanish with him.” Grace looked a little pale, but it might have been the light of the | :nterns. ‘“Very good exclaimed the captain, in a ‘tone that meant very bad. ‘‘Now find out what brought them under our bows,” The middy shot a suspicious glance at Donald, but the latter’s countenance was absolutely wooden, and he spoke to the negro In Spanish, ““{ promised to buy a lot of fruit from him to-morrow,” explained Grace, “‘ and fearing we would sail to-night, he came out to know if he could deliver it to-night.” ; ‘*A likely story! But we have no time to bother with them—let them go! Ballard, we sail before daylight. Come down with me!” if Grace was only purchasing fruit, he had a queer Way of talking of it, for as he paced the «deck, he muttered: ‘*Confound that meddling idiot! But for Jhim that halfnamed hound would have been high seas, the worst devil that ever sailed ’em! ‘Bo’sun, see that the men are served with a double allowance of rum!” A hearty cheer followed the captain’s words, and then those left above began to cover the deck guns, while with closed ports the frigate bounded forward to meet the pirate. As mentioned ina previous chapter, the Uni- ted States was built on a peculiar plan. _ A false frame or model was first erected, and then over this was laid a shell or body of inch oak planks, forming the complete figure of the vessel; pitch and oakum were then used, and over them a cross course of inch planks was laid, an’ 8° on until the proper streogth and thickness were obtained, The vessel, so con- structed, was elastic and buoyant in an un- equaled degree, throwing off externa! violence, such as a cannon-ball, a blow on a rock or against another vessel, somewhat as, on a small- er scalo, a basket would resist external force, With these advantages, the United States was a remarkably fast saijer, and as the pirate drew nearer, Captain Stewart said: ** Better get all your light sailsin, Allen. We must let him get near enough, to be sure of boarding us,” Captain Stewart, Lieutenant Allen and Darrel —the only middy allowed on deck—had discard- ed everything in the way of uniform, and there was nothing to excite the suspicion of the swift- ly-approaching pirate. ; Soon the two vessels were only a mile apart, and Captain Stewart said: ‘Darrel! Pass the word below to get ready— we'll be at it in ten miputes!” He had hardly spoken before a shot was fired ’ ‘ . ' w ‘ . = . Sad ws a ta > ; ” r ry i € . See LOSS TN ate ae As usual, native boats swarmed out early food for the sharks by this time! They couldn’t deck, sail was set, and the United States got un- across the bows of the United States, and, with a grim smile, he continued: ‘Heave to! And be ready to serve the guns when they board us. Grape and canister and double-shotted, are they not, Al en?” ‘* Yes, sir. They'll get a warm reception,” Nearer and nearer came the pirate, until but two hundred yards separated them, and again Darrel was sent below with orders to be ready to open fire at any instant, and for all but gun- ners to come on deck as stealthily as possible and lie along the port side—over which the boarders were certain to come, if at all, CHAPTER IX, THE CAPTURE OF ‘THE HAWK,” ‘‘Br careful, now! Here they come!” cau- tioned Captain Stewart, as his men began to come from below, But there was scarcely any necessity for the caution, The pirates, already regarding the United States as a prize, were entirely unsuspi- cious of danger, and the boat they lowered con- tained only eleven men—ten blacks and one white. This was a disappointment to Captains Stewart, who had expected a big boarding- party, and throwing aside all disguise, he or- dered: ‘*Give ’em a broadside, Morris! Fill your mainyard and jib, and bear down for boarding, “aera Ready there with your boarders, Bal- ard!’ Confused and dismayed by the sudden appear- ance of so many men and guns—of teeth where only gums were eee the gunners kad stri ped the guns and delivered a raking broadside before the pirates could realize how they had been Sohanciedt At such close range the effect of the grape and canister on the crowded deck of the pirate was horrifying, and before they recovered from it the United States bore down and grappled with The Hawk—which was the sister-ship of The Dove, ‘* Boarders away!” thundered Captain Stew- art, himself leading the way, A hearty cheer from the men, and a general spring for the deck of the pirate, answered the captain’s order, The first man to strike a blow was Captain Stewart, but right at his heels, and fortunately for bim, was his favorite middy, and alon vide the latter, the brawny boatswain, Dona Fraser. Captain Stewart, tall, powerful and young, with the strength and courage of a lion, strue terror into the hearts of the pirates, as sword in hand he literally mowed his way toward the white captain. The latter, somewhat recovered from his sur- prise, was standing aft rept i Woke men, and perceiving Captain Stewart to be a tower of strength in himself, cried out: ‘¢ Twenty doubloons to the man who kills him! Away now! Down with him!” The pirate captain led the attack, but another meant to win the money—the boatswain of The Hawk, a gigantic negro, ~ Py y ‘** The money is mine!” cried the negro, spring- i, forward, or a few minutes the fight centered around the giant negro and Captain Stewart, when the latter suddenly slipped ard fell. With a yell the negro sprung at the captain to give him the coup de grace, but at the same instant Darrel sprung to meet him, interposing his sword to throw off the descending blow, ‘Well done! Hold bim,mylad! Hold him a moment!” cried Ballard, fighting from for- ward, but his assistance was not required, for the same pool of blood that caused the captain to fall, upset the negro, ‘“Good-by t’ye, my hearty!” cried the boat- swain of the United States, and as the other endeavored to regain his feet, cleft his skull in two. 5; This gave Captain Stewart an opportunity to arise, and an instant later he was upon his feet leading the attack, supported on either side by the young middy and the boatswain. | The fight, however, was practically over a few minutes later, being ended by a fortunate thrust of Bal'ard’s sword, which brought the pirate captain to the deck. With the fall of the pirate captain, followed by a charge which Captain Stewart headed, the fight was ended, pa the black flag bauled down, although the negroes were still in the majority. Dividing the pirates into two parties, Captain Stewart shut a part in the foreliold of each ves- sel, and putting Lieutenant Ballard and a prize crew aboard The Hawk, set tho men at work Iv ite a) sy j