Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 949 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

broached to furiously, throwing the men over the wheel and dashing them senseless against the eg **She will certainly go down!” exclaimed Spence, ** I don’t think so—the worst is past,” returned Decatur. This proved to be the case, the squall soon swept over the spot, leaving the sea rather stilled than agitated by the counteracting influ- ence of the wind, and the Santa Marie, which | had been hove to, was got under way. ‘** Well, he isn’t likely to bother any one for | The Three Lieutenants. WV hen the masts went over the crippled vessel | were against him, and would surrender his cap- tive in any event, ‘* Mutinous dog! | tered Vernier, but he nodded assent, and imme- | diately Mrs. Dare was brought up and placed in the small boat, which was pulled to the Santa | Marie. ' } ; ' | ' ‘*Good-by! Hope you'll have no more trou- ble!” called Decatur, as Laurie welcomed Mrs. Dare, whose beaming countenance showed the joy she felt at her escape. The schooner was got under way, and Decatur and Spence followed Mrs, Dare and Laurie— who fairly worshiped the beautiful wife of his some time,” observed Decatur, as the Maltese | best friend—to the cabin, where Mrs. Dare told spread their canvas, Just then, as if fearing attack, Vernier’s ves- sel swung round with her head pointed for Tripoli, bringing her stern into view, and a | handkerchief was seen waving from one of the | to sail,” said Mrs, Dare, ‘‘and he searched my after-cabin windows. ‘Tt is—it must be Mrs. Dare!” cried Laurie. “Quick, Steve! About ship, and after her!” CHAPTER XVII, RESCUB OF THE CAPTIVE—THE RETURN. Yet again? What doyou here? Shall we give o’erand drown? Have youa mind to sink?” TEMPEST. LAURIE knew and surmised more regarding Dare’s affairs than his comrades, who stared at him in astonishment, but, in accordance with his excited demand, the Santa Marie was put about and started in pursuit. It was nota difficult matter to overhaul the pirate, and, seeing escape was hopeless, Vernier prepared to make a desperate, and almost equal- y hopeless resistance, More than half of bis crew bad been killed, drowned or injured, his vessel was almost un- manageable, and himself wounded and still half-dazed by a blow from a falling spar, but he expected no mercy, and stood on the quarter- deck directing bis men, who were endeavoring to bring their vessel broadside on to the Santa Marie. “He is a madman to attempt to fight his ship in that condition,” said Laurie, as they drew near, ‘* Why, we can stand off and sink him, if we wish before he could bead her around,” Apparently realizing this at the same mo- ment, Vernier ordered his men to the guns, and himself pointed the stern-chaser—the only one he could bring to bear on the Santa Marie, “Hang the fellow!” exclaimed Decatur angrily, ‘*‘ He will compel us to sink him. and thus defeat our object in coming back.” ** Why not tell him what we want?” suggested Laurie, adding quitkly, as he saw the bare- headed, blood-stained figure was ready to fire: “Fire a gun to leeward, and run up a white flag—quick, Hawkins!” he helm was put alee, and the Santa Marie came sweeping up into the wind, disconcerting Vernier’s aim, and causing him to withhold his fire long enough to enable Hawkins to carry out Laurie’s orders, For 4 minute or two there was no response— surprise undoubtedly causing the delay. Then came the answering gun, and a flag similar to their own was raised on the pirate, ** Don’t trust too much ¢’ that,” warned Haw- see hearing Decatur speak of lowering a boat, _ Better bear down till ye can hail him, ’n’ . then say what’s wanted—it’s safer, ’n’ then, ag’in, if he don’t want t’ give her up, the crew may make him.” he suggestion was a good one, and precisely what the gunner predicted happened, Vernier laughed jeeringly, and swore he would sink be- fore he would surrender Mrs. Dare. **Tben you shall!" cried Decatur, and follow- ing the gunner’s idea, added: ‘* We did not re- turn to harm you—we only want Mrs, Dare, but if you will not give her up willingly, we must force you.” This threat caused the pirates to gather . around their captain, and one bolder than the Seen sega » jn has when the shir — came own, their decks would swept 6 guns of the Santa Marie, ie ais ° ‘*Grape and canister are very convincin arguments, captain,” said the second officer, an pointing to the other vessel, continued: ‘* She’s at pistol-shot range, and we're at their mercy—there won’t be a man left ten minutes after she begins firing. Better-give them the woman.” — One searching glance at the crew convinced Vernier that the request for his consent was ‘c merely a matter of form: the crew to a man how Vernier, during the absence of her brother, ; -_ —_— Captain King, bad entered their residence at | dead of night and carried her off, ‘¢Tt was the night before the Enterprise was desk and carried off my writing-paper—for what purpose I cannot imagine.” “JT can,” thought Laurie, remembering the effect the mysterious letter had on Lieutenant Dare. ‘¢' The scoundrel! We should have blown him out of the water!” exclaimed Decatur. ‘* Ob, no—not for the world! He treated me —aside from the confinement to the cabin— with the greatest respect,” said Mrs, Dare, add- ing thoughtfully: ‘It must bave been simply to annoy my husband, I trust he has not succeeded,” ‘* Well, if he did, it will soon be ended, for we will be back within two days,” replied Lau- rie, cutting off any injudicious talk his com- rades might be inclined to give way to. Then, leaving the ladies in possession of the cabin, the two'lieutenants and the midshipman returned to the deck, where Laurie warned his friends against talking too freely about Dare, ** Let him do the talking,” he said, and when, two days later, the scho ner dropped anchor alongside the Algiers, Mrs, })are was in blissful ignorance of the worry Vernier’s letters had caused her husband, The latter had seen and recognizea the Santa Marie, and was glad to see Laurie and Decatur on its deck. ‘* Well, you’ve bin py no prize to serve as an excuse this time,” he said, as the two lieu- tenants, followed by Spence, came on the main deck of the Algiers, ‘* Beg pardon, but we have—the best we could by any possibility bring you,” returned Laurie, and then turning to Spence, said: ‘‘Keep the men in the boat, George! Mr. Dare may wish to see Mrs, Dare aboard the schooner,” | ** What's that?” gasped Dare. ‘‘Ves, sir. Mrs, Dare and two other ladies are aboard the schooner—safe and unharmed, We met Vernier and versuaded him to give her up. Without waiting to hear any more, Dare hur- ried down the ladder into the boat and was quickly on board the Santa Marie, being re- ceived by his wife, who, in accordance with Laurie’s plan, had been watching him from the after-cabin windows, and timed her appearance on deck to meet him, What followed thelr meeting is of little in- terest, and, at all events, has no bearing on this story, but when Dare returned to the AJgiers, his countenance was beaming. ‘You have indeed brought me a prize—one I can never thank you sufficiently for,” he said to Laurie, ed CHAPTER XVIII. AT TRIPOLI ‘* Three cheers for victory! Hushed be each plaint o’er fallen brave; Still every sigh to messmate given; The seaman’s tomb isin the wave,”’ EVENTS crowded rapidly. The ‘ Algiers,” now re-named the ‘‘Scourge,” was ready to, and did, sail to join the fleet on the evening of the day Mrs, Dare arrived. ‘Sond Mrs. Dare with the other ladies to Mr. Mackay, at Gibraltar—the ‘Sauta Marie’ is only waiting for stores to bring the others there,” suggested Laurie, while conversing with the first lieutenant regarding the disposition to be made of the latter’s wife. The master of the schooner bad proven a smart and faithful fellow, and being half-pirate himself—he carried letters of marque—the trip to Gibraltar would be made in safety, so Dare assented to Laurie’s suggestion, which was not entirely disinterested, and the two vessels sailed late that afternoon—each arriving in due course at its destination. | i SS a letters from Dare, Decatur, Laurie and Spence I'll pay you for this!” mut- | were warmly received by Mr. Mackay, while her husband enjoyed an equally warm reception from Commodore Preble. Like the [Irishman whose appearance the Duke of Wellington awaited before beginning the Battle of Waterloo—according to the aforesaid modest Celt—the arrival of Lieutenant Dare was the signal for beginning operations against the Bashaw. That an attack would be a dangerous and desperate affair was a forezone conclusion, but Commodore Preble had the flower of the Ameri- can Navy serving under him—captains serving as lieutenants in order to bave an opportunity to be in the fight. Commodore Preble was on board the flag-ship ** Constitution,” carrying 44 guns; Lieutenant Hull had command of the ‘* Argus,” carrying 16 guns— 24-pounders; Lieutenant Charles Stewart —who died a rear-admiral, and grandfather of the late Charles Stewart Parnell—command- ed the ‘‘Svren,” also carrying 16 24-pounders, Lieutenant Dare was in command of the ‘*Scourge,” 14 18-pound guns: Lieutenant Smith of the ‘*‘ Vixen,” carrying 12 eighteens; Lieutenant Somers of the ‘' Nautilus,” also 12 eighteens; and Lieutenant Stephen Decatur of the ‘‘ Enterprise,” aiso 12 eighteens, Besides this force, Commodore Preble had six gunboats and.two bomb-katches, borrowed from the King of Naples, but opposed to it was a walled city protected by a heavy battery of 115 guns and 19 gunboats—each carrying a long brass eighteen or twenty-four in the bow and two howitzers abaft—a brig of 10 guns, two schooners of 18 guns each and two galleys, each mounting 4 guns—the whole of which were sheitered by along rangeof rocks and shoals extending more than two miles eastward from the town, rendering it impossible for a vessel of the draught of the *‘ Constitution” to co-operate with light-draught vessels against the Bashaw’s land-force of 25,000 men, The squadron ran in with the wind EK. 8. £., anchoring two-and-one-half miles from the town. Then a heavy gale arose lasting three days and preventing further operations, On the fourth day the squadron ran in again, with an easterly breeze, to within two miles of the batteries—now protected by twenty-one large gunboats and several smaller ones, Stephen Decatur, in command of Gunboat No. 4, was successful in boarding the largest of the enemy’s squadrcn. He had just seen his brother James killed, and laying his boat alongside, Decatur boarded the much larger vessel of the enemy with the fero- city of a tiger, and captured her after a hard. fight. Still full of vengeance, Decatur attacked an- other large gunboat, fighting hand-to-hand with its captain—a gigantic Turk, who was armed with a cutlass, Decatur fought with a pike, and, this break- ing, he shot the Turk dead with his small pistol. , ust as the Turk fell, his second officer came at Decatur from behind and, for a moment, bis life hung by a hair, but, as the sword was com- ing down, Reuben James, who had been shot through both arms, rushed in and took the blow on his bared head. As he fell, Decatur drove a cutlass he had picked up through the Turk, and the crew of the pirate—now without a leader—surrendered. While this was going on, Spence, in command of a boat and twenty-eight men, started toatteck another pirate, but a hot shot through his maga- zine put a stop to his operations, The bow gun was being loaded at the time, and with his own hand the midshipman finistie the work by firing it, amid three rousing cheers from his crew as the boat sunk under them. . That was the act of a boy—barely sixteen! The foremast of tlfe vessel Spence was about to engage was brought down by his shot, und the commodore on the Constitution, noting the fact and the act, Gentleman George—unknown to himself—was made a lieutenant on the spot, And now to Laurie’s share in this engage- ment with the only foreign country where the American flag ever has been raised, Laurie was in command of Enterprise, Gun- poat No. 5; and, in his usual cool] style, ran in until within pistol-shot range of the Bashaw’s Castle—Fort English. The very hardihood of this act appeared to protect him, and Commodore Preble, in_the mizzen shrouds of the Constitution, as well as the commanders of the other v watched the daring lad in astonishment as he opened fire on three batteries—the Crown, Mole and Fort English, mounting in all 115 guns.