Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 933 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

LO ship, bearing away to her destination, was al- ready hull down on the horizon, “T don’t know—I cannot understand it,” re plied the middy dreamily. ‘‘If he is my father, why is his name Lorris? Why— And yet the feeling that came over me when I met him |” ‘¢ And why shouldn’t ye feel queer—meetin’ yer father after so many years?” Lieutenant Dare came along just then, and, onthe impulse of the moment, Laurie told him of the French captain, his feeling regarding him, and Hawkins’s assertion that he was Captain Lawrence, ‘*T cannot understand the change in the name,” said Dare, thoughtfully, ‘‘ but I am inclined to think Hawkinsis right. Your own feelings are the surest indication of that.” ** And now he’s gone from me again!” ** Not at all, Laurie, not at all. We will stop at Calais, and can easily trace him and learn his history there. Don’t feel at all put out, my lad, it’s all for the best.” With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Dare left them, and, not feeling inclined to talk, Laurie went below. He kept thinking, thinking, long into the night, and when he did sleep, remained uncon- scious for hours after the others turned out. Lieutenant Dare had told the captain of Laurie’s experience aboard tbe French ship, and when the latter failed to report, he said: ‘*Let the lad rest. He has probably been worrying himself all night.” Accordingly Laurie slept until awakened by the dull boom of a gun on the upper deck. Springing out of his berth, he dressed hastily and ascended to the deck, but, short as the time was, the roar of the guns was now continuous, and he rightly guessed the frigate was in pursuit of a pirate. It was Zora’s ship, The Shark, which had been discovered attacking an American mer- chantman. On the appearance of the frigate, the corvette hauled off, and when the merchant ship was reached she was two miles to the leeward, and increased the distance while the United States was ascertaining the condition of affairs aboard the American. By this time, the pirate was fuliy four miles ahead, There was no time to be lost, and, crowding on every stitch of canvas, the frigate started in pursuit. But, although the wind gradually increased and was thus far in their favor, as they were first benefited by it, yet as the sun went down so did their hopes descend. At nightfall the pirate had increased her dis- tance to seven miles, The frigate pursued, Dare watching her through his night-glass until she could no longer Se distinguished. Still their anxiety was so great that but few went to bed aboard the frigate that night. When the day broke the pirate was not to be discovered in any quarter of the horizon from the mast-head of the United States, This was « bitter disappointment, and light, baffling winds during the whole of the next day made it more so, as they could neither con- tinue the pursuit nor return to the American ship. The irate on boarding the American had seized two ladies—mother and daughter—and their maid, and the husband and father, Mr. Duncan, who had come aboard the frigate, was frantic. ‘ : Nexf day about noon the horizon cleared to the northward, and a slight fog in that quarter was cleared away by a strong breeze which rip- pled along the water. Dare, who was on deck, noticed that the direction of the wind was precisely the reverse of the little breeze for which the sails of the frigate were trimmed, and the yards were im- mediately braced around to meet it, The gust was strong, and the frigate careened over to the sudden force of it, as the top-gallant sheets and halyards were let fly by order of Rogers, who was first officer of the watch, and then the fog, which had continued rather thick to leeward, began to clear ayy. As it did so, Mr. Duncan, who was standing on the quarter-deck, cried out:, **Look! There is the pirate!” One minute’s scrutiny of the hull of the vessel looming through the fog, about a quarter of a mile to the leeward of the United States, con- vinced Dare that Mr, Duncan was right. And it was. The pirate, who was not quick enough in trimming her sails, now laid in trons as sailors term it, heeling over to the blast, while the frigate was running free at the rate of six knots an hour. d Forgetting for the moment that he was first frigate!” he cried, and before Zora could realiZ | what had \been said, the brawny seaman had officer, and not captain, Dare cried: ‘Starboard yonr helm! All hands to board! Ste-a-dy—so! Be smart, my lads, it’s the pirate! Port a little. Hurrah! She’s ours— be quick!” Within three minutes the frigate had run alongside the corvette, and when the collision took place Mr. Duncan stood beside Dare at the head of the men, bursting with impatience and desire for revenge. Then came thecry, ‘‘Boardersaway! Board- ers away!” as the vessels locked yard-arms, and Dare and Duncan led the men over the side, The boarders, led by Dare, poured over the bulwarks about midships and a desperate strug- gle ensued, the attacked party neither expect- ing, asking nor receiving quarter, lt was blow for blow and death to one or both of every two combatants. Every inch of the deck was disputed, and not one inch gained until it reeked with blood. The encouraging cries of Dare and Duncan were answered by Zora and her gigantic Arab first officer, which had due effect upon the now infuriated pirates, who rallied round them after the first surprise had passed away. So obstinate was the resistance, that little ground was gained even in the beginning, and when the pirates had recovered from their sur- prise at being boarded—they who were accus- tomed to board and not to be boarded—the issue became doubtful. The pirates fell, but only to raise their arms for one last blow before death claimed them, or, if the power were denied them, seized with their teeth upon their antagonists, in their dying agonies. Men ni ay Mahi such desperation—especial- ly where they have the ascendancy in numbers, are anything but easy to conquer, and soon the fight came to a standstill as far as advantage was concerned. Then Zora,in her scarlet Turkish trowsers and blue jacket, her long hair streaming down her back, flanked on either side by a gigantic Arab, began to press forward, The boarders were now in danger of being boarded. Dare, Duncan, Rogers end Porter performed | pr Sar! in their enleavors to stem the tide of struggling eg aly now setting toward the frigate, but inch by inc pressed backward. Side by side, Decatur and Laurie fought among the boarding-party—or rather on the edge of it, Fought with courage and judgment excelled by none of their comrades, as Captain Nicholson, standing on his quarter-deck watching the pro- gress of the battle, noted. When the retreat toward the frigate began, Decatur and Laurie with a half-dozen men were driven forward, apart from the others, and brought up around the foremast, where Laurie almost fell over a long, heavy pivot-gun, and in recovering himself his hand touched it, It was cold—stone cold, ** Decatur!” he cried. ‘‘This gun is loaded! Can you keep them off for a minute?’ Decatur grasped the situation instantly. “Why, certainly, Laurie! There’s not more than a dozen here. Maxwell, bear a hand with Laurie!” Maxwell, the brawny captain of the maintop, jumped tothe middy’sside, The gun wasswung round, and brought to bear on the pirates now centered around Zora, ‘Out of the way, Decatur!” cried Laurie, and the frigate’s men jumped aside. Whether the gun was loaded with solid shot or grapeshot, Laurie, of course, did not know, It was more likely to be the former, but proved to be the latter, and at a distance of thirty feet the destruction was simply appalling. ** Now, lads, at them!” cried Laurie and De- catur simultaneously, and with a wild hurrah! the six men and two boys sprung aft among the pirates. h they were CHAPTER XV. CAPTURE AND ESCAPE OF ZORA, Asrpe from the fearful destruction it worked, the discharge of the pivot created a panic among the pirates, and when the little band of eight came cheering and slashing among them, the fight was ‘agp sa atan end, he first man Decatur encountered was the be ra Argb, and for the first time the flery = used’ his pistol—and Zora’s first officer e . Laurie, on his part, crossed swords with Zora, herself, but had scarcely done so when the idea of making her prisoner flashed across him, ‘*Grab her, Maxwell! Take her aboard the The Two Midshipmen. grasped her in his arms, and was carrying her aboard the United States, ** Close up! Close up!” cried Dare, springin to the support of the little band, as the men o the frigate opened, and Maxwell and his prize passed through. But the fight was over. Some escaped below, some fled aloft, and the balance were hacked to pieces, leaving the deck in possession of the Americans. Mr, Duncan rushed below to seek his wife and daugbtor, and bursting open the cabin-door found \ vem and the maid safe and wninjured. The United States lost ten killed, and twenty- seven wounded, in this bitterly-contested fight, but of the pirate crew of nearly two hundrea men only thirty remained uninjured—the point- blank discharge of grapeshot had killed and wounded more than the entire crew of the frigate! Many oddly proud looks were bestowed upon Laurie, Decatur and the rest of the little party as they returned to the frigate, but almost every man aboard ‘seemed to feel that the former in some way reflected credit upon him. From Billy Boner to Captain Nicholson every man-jack had something to say about the two boys—for Decatur was scarcely more than a boy —and the six men. At first, Maxwell received the lion’s share of attention, but it changed when the honest giant, growled: ‘*Stow your gab! 1 never thought o" sich a thing—I only obeyed orders,” : ‘*Whose orders?” asked Captain Nicholson, who, with the other officers, was paying close attention to what was going on among the men. ‘*Mr. Laurie’s, sir! Him ’n’ Mr. Vecatur kept them back, while I run off wud her.” Then, Decatur came to the front for killing the gigantic Arab after firing among the pirates, and then charging them, ** Don’t talk rot!” cried the fiery midship- man, ‘* Laurie discovered the gun! Laurie found it was loaded! Laurie fired it, and Laurie was among them as soon asl was! Now what had I to do with it?” And then Laurie became the hero of the fight, although Decatur could not get away from his share of glory by saying that ‘‘any one able to hold a pistol could kill a giant,” Neither vessel was much injured, and Cap- tain Nicholson d: termined totake the corvette into the neutral port of Carthagena, which would give him time to think, for he was sorely uzzled regarding the disposition to be made of ora, because of her sex. Had he not felt convinced that the captain of the Isle of France was Laurie’s father, he would have offered ber to the Bey of Algiers in ex- change for Captain Lawrence, but it seemed’cer- tain that the latter had in some way been re- leased from slavery, Accordingly, putting a prize crew aboard the corvette, Captain Nicholson set sail for Car- thagena, much pleased over the victory, but not at all pleased with Dare for taking the fight off his hands, A born fighter himself, he would have much preferred being in the thick of the fight, to wit- nessing it. For twenty-four hours Laurie was confined to his berth with a bad cut in the right leg, re- ceived from a knife in the hands of a dying pi- rate. When he limped up on deck, he was praised and petted until Lieutenant Porter, who was oi- ficer of the watch, interfered ‘‘ to prevent them from turning the lad’s head,” and then he was left to himself, He had borrowed Lieutenant Dare’s glass, and shortly after beginning to use it, called to De- catur, who was passing: ‘* There’s something away off to the windward —see if you can make it out.” Springing into the rigging, Decatur climbed aloft, and surveyed the obj ct had indicated. _ “] think it’s a wreck,” he said, on returning to the deck, and reported the discovery to Mr, Porter, who, in turn, reported it to the cap- tain, with the result that the frigate bore down on what proved to be a dismantled wreck. ay: Better blow her up, or burn her,” suggested. are, ‘* Yes—she’s dangerous, drifting about as she is,” assented the captain, adding: ** Sup you go aboard and do it? She looks likes an American, and aoe may learp something of her while on board,” uickly aurie 900