Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 933 — page 5: what you’re looking at

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

5 will be a difficult matter to ascertain here your father is,” he said, ‘‘ but I will do about the tribute money, I would gv direct to Tripoli, but we cannot risk that now. ‘* However, I am acquainted with several English officers, and they will make inquiries, When we ascertain where he is, we will devise some means to secure his liberty.” **And if necessary, Laurie, I will ransom |. tion. him,” added Dare, ‘*{ will try to deserve your kindness—your | the captain. goodness!” said Laurie, as be returned to the deck, Tears of gratitude stood in his eyes, but he knew both men too weil to attempt to express | gerian pirates feared, and for safety American his feelings in words. ‘*He said ‘deeds, not words,’” thought the boy, ‘‘and I must show that 1 am worthy of their kindness,” From that hour Laurie became a different boy. Not that he was less good-natured or merry, but he began at once to study every de- tail connected with the management of the fri- gate. This new-born interest was quickly noticed, and from the beginning the senior officers and men gave Laurie every assistance—Dare and Morris and Hawkirs, in their particular de- partments, devoting especial care to his instruc- tion, took him in hand, and tbe result was that Lau- | this time.” rie soon knew more than any of the midship- men Looe the handling ofa ship, a gun or a sword. Of the midshipmen, ‘‘ Little” Winters joked Laurie about bis zeal, Decatur and Hull took the frigate, the corvette hove to, matter in earnest and encouraged him, while Harper sneered. ‘* The cabin-boy is getting too big for Lis posi- | Dare. ‘‘ It will force his hand.” tion,” he said. ‘' Wants to become a midship- man, lll wager.” “And why shouldn't he?’ demanded fiery Decatur. you!” Harper made no response, tested the strength and skill of the future cap- tain of the Essex and hero of Tripoli, and did | Rogers. not care to do so again. Along down from London, past France and | among the officers to give any information the Lisbon the United States slowly made her way, | captain might desire, always on the lookout for pirates of any de- scription, and Algerian pirates in particular, Then in through the Straits of Gibraltar, past Morocco and into the Mediterranean she The frigate was extra well manned, armed and provisioned, and every one on board actual- ly spoiling for a fight. CHAPTER VI, THE SHARK AGAIN, ‘‘A FINE lad, that Laurie!” said Captain Nicholson to Dare, the first morning after pass- ing tbrough the Straits. ‘He is, indeed. I wish 1 had tried to have him appointed midshipman,” returned Dare, pa at Laurie, who was standing at the w gun listening to Morris and Hawkins, ‘*He won’t wait lorg!” declared the captain significant); adding: ‘Hello! What’s that?” ** Hail from aloft, sir, Sail, ho!” re Sr tem ?” cried the captain. ** Weather , sir, and bearing down fast!” ** A corvette—twenty-two guns, besides her bridle ports!” cried Dare, who had sprung in:o the rigging with his glass and was now survey- ing the stranger. **Can you make out her hull?” ‘*No, sir; but her spars and canvas are foreign, and she shows no colors,” replie Dare, In accordance with a suggestion of Dare, the frigate, before entering the Mediterranean, was fixed to look as little as possible like an armed cruiser, but it was plain that the stranger, if aes would have no hesitation about attack- ng her. ccordingly, everything was put in readiness for the expected attack, although the ports were kept closed and almost all the crew were sent below. Captain Nicholson wished to make the other begin, and therefore invited attack by appear- ht be helpless. he corvette was fast coming up, and soon was within a mile of the frigate. **She’s French all over!” averred Porter, as the stranger reduced sail, and rounded to on the same tack as the frigate. Yes, look at the rake of her stern,” added Rogers, ‘See, there goes the tri-color!” my best for you. Were it not for this trouble | , | | i ' | | ‘ } Following their example, the master-at-arms | Shark is a fast one, but she’s just about matched | deck. ‘*He’d easily make a better one than , several minutes the two vessels, scarcely a half- He had already | Mediterranean. | The Two Midshipmen. ———- - grapeshot struck him in the She was a | breast, and the brave little fellow, dancing French corvette, but Red Hand took her a year | about a minute before, shouting and talking to ‘*Beggin’ your pardon, sir, but that’s Zora’s | to be hurt. A ship—the one we met in the squall. the men, staggered and fell to the deck. Laurie leaped to his side; but, even to his in- | experienced eyes, the torrent of blood pouring | from the middy’s breast toli the tale. ** Little ” Winters had seen his first and last sea fight! Decatur joined Laurie, a moment later, and between them they carried the dying middy be- low. ‘* Laurie,” he said, when they laid him down, ** Laurie, they'll make you midshipman in my Decatur, promise to ask the captain to ‘*T will!” said Decatur, with tears in his eyes; ‘‘ but let me go for Parkes. You'll be all ght—” **No, no!” interrupted Winters; ‘‘ I’m dying —let him attend to those that—that—have a chance, ‘*And, Laurie, you must take my things; they’ll fi—fit you. Tell mother—you, Laurie, that—that I died in—bat— Augh!” His head fell on his breast, and the blood ago an’ gave ber to his wife.” Every one turned in surprise to behold Hawkins on the quarter-deck, hat in hand. ‘* Zora’s ship!” All were surprised at the gunner’s statement, | aud none doubted the correctness of his informa- ‘* Why does she show French collors?”’ asked ‘* Probably a bit suspicious of our colors, sir. W ants t’ make us fly the ginuine article sir!” England was then the only nation the Al- vessels in those seas generally sailed under the English flag. o carry out his pretensions of being a mer- chantman, Captain Nicholson had hoisted the Union Jack when the corvette was first an- nounced, The pirate, however, was still suspicious, and edged down cautiously until only a half-mile se ted the vessels. mmediately after rounding to, the corvette further reduced her canvas until she was carry- | poured out of his mouth. ing about the same sail as the frigate. Merry, mischievous, unselfish and brave ‘‘ Lit- “Trying her rate of sailing against ours,” re- | tle” Winters was dead! Drawing a blanket over the body, Laurie and Decatur, both sad at heart, returned to the main marked Dare, ‘* You're right, sir,” added Hawkins. ‘‘ The Again and again Dare had forced the pirate to exchange broadsides, which, owing to the heavier metal of the frigate, proved very much to the disadvantage of the corvette corsair. But the destruction on both sides was terrible, the lower decks of the Algerine causing her to suffer most in men, spars and rigging, while the United States suffered most in her hull and lower spars, Just as Laurie and Decatur came up, the cor- vette bauled her tattered courses on board, and, after delivering a parting volley from her small- arms, stood off ahead of the frigate. ‘* She's off!” cried Rogers. ‘* Not so!” replied Dare; ‘‘ she’s tired of this and is preparing to board! She'll be roun again and down on us in five minutes!” ‘‘ Ready there! All hands to repel boarders!” cried Captain Nicholson, who had explicit faith in his first officer’s judgment, ‘*We’rein bad shape for boarding,” he said, looking ruefully at his tattered canvas, broken yards and splintered foremast—which seemed liable to fall at any moment, ‘*'Yes, she’s almost unmanageable,” replied Dare, adding: ‘* And although we have already shot away a full Sbip’s company, they outnumber us greatly yet. At that’: moment the report of a gun burst from the deck of the frigate, and the captain turned augrily to see who had failed to fire in the last exchange of broadsides, Smoke was curling from the long swivel-gun Ten minutes’ sailing proved Hawkins correct as the relative positions of the vessels remained about the same, Tnen, to the astonishment of those aboard the ‘* W hat’s up now?” exclaimed the captain. ‘*Hadn’t we better follow her move?” asked ‘* Yes, perhaps it will,” replied the captain. ‘Square the main yards!” The order was quickly executed, and then for mile apart, Jay rocking on the bosom of ‘the ‘*T.ooks as if she was afraid of us!” thought ‘* Afraid!” exclaimed Hawkins, who remained ‘“* Afraid! Beggin’ your pres sir, Zora wouldn’t be afraid if we wasa ine-o’-battle instead of afrigate! She’s theShe- terror, she is! beggin’ your pardon, sir!” ‘*By Jove! Hawkins is right!” exclaimed the captain, ‘* Here she comes, and there’s the in- teresting !ady herself on the quarter-deck—a good-looking terror, I should say!” ‘* Mr, Dare, you will look after the sailing of the ship,” “* Ay, ay, sir,” and giving orders to fill the main yards, Dare turned to watch the maneu- vers of the pirate curvette. Standing on the quarter-deck of the rapidly- approaching vessel, he saw through his glass a well-formed woman attired in scarlet-colored | in tho bows. Behind it stood the two boys, Lau- Turkish trowsers, a fez of the same color, and a | rie and Decatur, and beside it lay the old gun- short blue jacket. ner, Hawkins, Through the wide sash around her waist ‘*By Jove! There goes her foremast!” ex- were thrust a Turkish saber and a pair of | claimed Dare, pistols. And the captain turned again in time to see Dare, watching her closely, could see that | the foremast of the corsair fall over the side Zora was directing every movement aboard the | carrying with it the maintopmast and most of corvette, and quickly perceived that her object | the crew who had been standing in the rigging. was to cross the stern of the frigate, probably | ‘‘ That ends the boarding!” cried Dare, glee- to rake her. fully. ‘* That trick is too stale, Madame Zora!” he| ‘* Hurrah for the gunner—whoever he was!” muttered, as he took a position near the man Coming on deck, Laurie saw Hawkins bang- at the wheel. ing over his gun. He had been badly wounded ‘* When I raise my hand, put your helm down | just before the order to fire was given, but in —hard!” he said to the helmsman., the excitement no one had noticed it. ‘* Ready there, now!” he continued, as, when ‘* Are you much hurt, Hawkins?” asked Lau- within two cables’ length of the frigate, The | rie, Shark put her helm up, and paid off to pass un- At first the old gunner could not speak, He kept pointing to his gun, and it was not until the corvette was bearing down on them that he un- der the stern of the United States, The art of handling and fighting the old broadside frigate had been carried to a point | derstood him. in the little American Navy which meant al- At the same moment Hawkins managed to most unvarying success, and was confessedly | whisper: far superior to that then practiced by any ‘*The gun—Fire /” other nation. And Laurie, with the aid of Decatur, swung It was, therefore, a rather derisive smile with | the gun around, sighted, and fired—and thus which Dare greeted the movement of the cor- | probably saved the noble frigate for her work sair, of adding glory to the Stars and Stripes! ‘Out with your jib - sheet — check head- braces!” he cried, with his hand in the air, and CHAPTER VII, A WOLF AFTER THE LAMB, as the helm was put bard down, the United States was thrown up in the wind, SHORTLY after the departure of the frigate This forced the Algerine to exchange broad- | United States, on her corsair cruise, Ca: tain sides, which at such close range created terrible | King received orders to report for duty, and it havoc among spars and rigying, as well as | then became Mrs. King’s turn to shed tears and utter protests, among officers and men. ** Little”? Winters was the first of the former Although Emily did not openly remind her | | -