Beadle's Dime Library No. 103 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

‘ven Merle, The Mutineer. 25 boy’s mother, also a Persian, had immediate charge of him. ** When my trouble occurred with Freelance the boy was over four years old, and of course I looked upon him as the object of my revenge upon his father, who was crazily attached the little Merle, for such was his name.” **Father’s do love their sons, then?’ sneered Vistal Guarena, ‘*That depends, my dear boy, upon the son; but do not interrupt me with your facetious re- marks, if you wish to hear my pleasant story.” F ‘Tl try not to offend again; { am all atten- ion.” ‘“* To gain my end, I visited as soon as I gain- ed power in the land, the home of the Mexican woman, and unrecognized by the Persian maid, for my disguise was complete—” ‘* How did you disguise the villainy in your face? That feature of Red Manuel must still have lingered on the virtuous physiognomy of Don Felipe Cosala.”’ ‘** There yea are again; but never mind, I will not quarrel with you. ‘** My disguise was complete, and I made love to the maid, or rather nurse, for she was a beauty, and I cultivated the boy, who grew very fond of me.” “ Ah ?? ** Yes, it is a fact, for 1 did all I could to win the little fellow over, and I was successful. ‘* All my plans wopning I was called by busi- ness to Tampico, and su denly came upon the boon friend of Freelance, and intuition told me he had come to take the boy from Vera Cruz— perhaps carry him to his father. ‘I saw this man land from a pilot-boat, and as soon as he had walked away loosened the tongues of the crew and learned that they had been brought-to, a few leagues out, by a schoo- ner, and paid liberally to bring him to Tampico. “*Close questioning proved to me that my sur- mise was correct, for the men remembered hav- ing heard some one on board the schooner call out: ‘** If the weather is bad, I will be at the ren- dezvous the first pleasant day; let nothing pre- vent you from ing the boy.’ ‘*T tracked the mau to a tavern and found that he had made inquiries as to when the first vessel sailed for Vera Cruz. ‘“*This decided me; I chartered a small craft and left within the hour. ‘* Arriving in the city, I went to find the boy at once; but he was out with his nurse, and I awaited their arrival, to find that some fool I had won money from had believed I intended marrying the Persian girl, and had, to thwart me, told her I was a gambler and a murderer, for be was pleased to call some little affairs of honor I had indulged in by the harsh name of murders.” ‘Strange; he should have known better than to make such an accusation against you.” Tid So I told him five minutes before 1 killed m. ‘You killed him, then?” “Of course; what else could I do, for he kept the child from going willingly with me, and compelled me to take him by force.” ‘* And the authorities?” “Why, Vistal, you surprise me. I went by night and alone, and one of the xuerds in the street went blind, that is, he could not see be- yond a certain handful of pesos he had, and the other guard, not very far away, was afflicted with deafness from the same cause—gold.” ‘* You were lavish with your money.” “I love gold much, my boy; but I love re- € more, ‘Well, I went by night to the little house, and to my surprise the two women evidently suspected that my intentions were wicked, for they would not open the door to me.” ‘* Why did you not try gold?” ct tried something more effective in that case ae Ah!” The manner in which Vistal Guarena uttered this exclamation every now and then, was in- ae? ¢ in the extreme, but the Monte Prince would always answer it with a bow, serene, po- lite and smiling. ‘** Yes, I shot the lock off the door and enter- ed, to find that the damage was not alone to the door—! had shot the Mexican woman through the body.” ‘‘ Killing her, of course?’ ‘* No; wounding her then, but killing her with my knife, as she was inconsiderate enough to scream for ns aX “She should have had more consideration, that is a fact.” “So I thought, and I was offended at her action, and stopped the racket with my knife.” ‘¢ And the Persian nurse, and child?’ ‘‘The boy was in another room, but the nurse was present, for she came at me with a long knife in her hand.” ‘* You felt hurt at this conduct, on her part, as a matter of course?” ‘«{ did, for I don’t like a knife in a woman’s hand; would rather fight two men armed with long blades, than one woman with a dirk; you don’t know where they are going to strike.” ‘‘True, they are like the hghtning in that re- oe Well, where did this pleasant Persian strike?” “She struck the floor, driving the knife in the plank, for I shot her before she got to me.” ‘‘Gold for the patrols—lead for the women; proceed, my father.” ‘*‘T then went after the boy, who had seen all that had occurred and had retreated to the furthest corner of the next room, for the door was open; but, would you believe it? the child showed fight, and was armed with a toy hatchet with which he attacked me, and I was forced to strike him a violent blow to prevent his doing me gt “The blow stunned him, and I bore him away to a place of safety, where I left him. ‘4 sen returning to my hotel I came full up- on the messenger sent by Freelance, and I at once followed cn determined to take advan- tage of circumstances.” ‘Poor circumstances,” ‘Good that, very, my witty son; you have your mother’s wit; = inherited her tongue, n my word; but I am not fond of tongue, that is—too much of it.” ‘* Well, I followed him to the house and saw him enter. All was darkness within, for I had dashed out the light, and he called aloud to arouse the inmates. ‘‘T answered outside, and as he came toward me I knocked him down and sprung upon him. “Then I called loudly for help, but it was a long time before it came, for that deaf patrol sold not hear, nor the blind one see what was going on. “ But, help did come at last and I marched my prisoner off, accused him of murdering two women, and having a confederate who ran off with a child. ‘‘Of course he denied it; but he was in the hands of the military authorities, who knew me, and while I was complimented, he was marched off to the castle as a life-long prisoner.” ‘Is he in the De Uloa, now?” “sé Yes. ”? ‘* His name?’ ‘* He has none—only his number.” **His number, then?” ‘** Five hundred.” “Yes; he is incarcerated for murder—was never tried—sentenced for life—a man of sixty, now—large, blue eyes, long hair and beard— hight, five feet eleven inches. ‘He is in the second tier of cells, and is in pexpersal darkness there; the jailer reports that e will not live long.” ‘* My dear boy, you know him by heart; are you thus well posted on all the prisoners in the castle? *‘By no means; I inspect once a year, and this man’s face struck me when I first saw it, three rere ago, when appointed to the castle, and I felt that he had done no stg ‘The colonel commandant then thought dif- ferently.” ‘‘Upon your say so?” “< Yes.” ‘* Let me see—Colonel Ruidrez succeeded Gen- eral Corrientes, I understand—you held some 22a over Corrientes and he did as you ask- ‘*T held the same power over him that I do over others high in authority.” “That of debtor | bl at of de ; most at men gam you know, Vistal?” . 7 ‘* Very true; but Colonel Ruidrez does not; he is rich and can do an act of justice.” ‘Such as—?” ** Release No. 500.” ** No, for he believes him guilty.” ** But I will—” **'You dare say one word in favor of that man, and—” -. Enough: I am in your power; you made me what I am—a forger, and a decoy of men for ou to rob; 1 am in your power, Don Felipe , the Monte Prince.” ‘*I know it, for I hold your forgery on the Bank; you know I took it up the better to keep you in the traces.” ‘That was hardly needed; rather than be known as your son, I would commit almost any crime,” bitterly said the young man. ‘* Now you are talking with reason, and No. 500 must rot in bis dungeon; he deserves it for one thing.” ‘‘ What is that?” ‘‘He knows of a treasure greater than any monarch possesses.” ‘* A treasure?” ‘How dull you are; take a glass of liquor to pero your understanding—here,” and the onte Prince poures out a goblet of fiery ts and handed it to the young man, who hed it off at a draught, for his nerves were unsteady after what he Don Felipe quietly refilled the silver goblet and drank down the contents. ** Now we can run on smoothly; I say No. 500 knows where the treasure of ce is con- cealed. ‘‘He was wrecked with the Buccaneer, but the immense treasure was saved; this I got from the Persian girl. ‘* But where the immense booty is hidden No. tS nr oI _ 500 will not tell, although I have offered him his pardon if he would do so.” ** And he refuses?” ‘Yes; he swears he will die with the secret unknown to others. “Three years ago I saw him last and told him of the death of Freelance, for I hehe to him I knew who he was, though he failed to recognize me; but the stubborn idiot refused to say a word about it, and this is his revenge on me.” ‘‘Then the secret will not be found out, and all this treasure will be lost?” cried Vistal Gua- rena, with avaricious disappointment. ' No, there is one more chance of finding out.” “* How?” ‘Through the son of the buccaneer, for I am confident that Merlino the ranchero, knows where lies the treasure.” ‘* But he will keep the secret to himself—and the treasure, too.” ‘“* That we shall see.” CHAPTER XXXIL DON FELIPE'’S PLOT. ‘“‘THE man who punished you last night, I fear will never be forced to tell what you wish him to,” said Major Guarena, in answer to the last remark of his father. ** We shall see if he will.” **And you are certain that he is the son of Freelance, for, though you kidnapped him when a boy, I judge you have lost sight of him for some years?” inquiringly said the officer, whose greed for gain now conquered the good in his composition, for he was not bad at heart, when compared with the older villain, his father. Ze dh, I am certain enough about his being the son of the buccaneer; he is not only the image of his father, but is strangely like his mo- ther; to do him justice, i he is a wonderfully handsome fellow, in both face and form. ** Yes, I did lose sight of him; but see, the sun is rising, and we have made a pleasant night of t. * As I was saying, when that sg, Sas sunlight interrupted me, I lost sight of the boy. ‘*‘T left him at an old Mexican’s on the coast below here a few leagues, and ly received word of the boy for several months, and then hearing nothing from my man I ran down to see what was the matter. ‘The Mexican hut was in ruins, and I was told by some people living back in the country — ne en had et | es ae pillaged the people, killing a few of them, an carried off the boy. “Now, though I am not certain, I have always thought that it was Freelance, who, in some way, ange knowledge of the boy’s whereabouts; but, what is most mysterious, I 7g saw the little fellow in this very har- 3 “T was, in company with a number of notabili- ties, coming up the harbor in a yacht, having been on a cruise of a day, and running close in toward a merchant vessel, I suddenly descried that runaway quietly looking at us from the ship’s quarter-deck. ‘*T turned away lest he should see me, and upon arriving at town took dinner, and return- down the harbor to board the vessel; I was too late, for it had sailed an hour before. ‘* That gave me the idea that the boy was not with his father, but knocking about ship to ship, homeless, friendless and a waif. ‘““The other day 1 saw him, as a man, and I thought I ized him, and kept my eye upon him, and now I see by the papers that Merle, a former lieutenant of Freelance, the buccaneer became an officer in the United States navy and led a mutiny; but you read the account.” ‘‘Yes, and in Don Leon Merlino, ranchero, from Corpus Christi, you recognize Merle, the Mutineer?” sé I do. ” ‘‘ There is a price on his head.” ‘‘A few thousand pesos,” said the Monte Prince, contemptuously. ‘Boy, 1 tell you he knows where the hidden treasure is, and we will drag the secret from him.’ ‘‘How? I am interested to learn, I assure ou.” “You sent a challenge to him to meet you in the duello, for calling you a coward?” ss di . “Well, Real Juarez was to have the meeting dela ed for two weeks for you to go to the ital. ‘In the Virgin’s name! what shall I go there for?’ . ‘For promotion.” ‘““T am groping in the dark.” ‘‘T will lead you to light; you must be placed in command of the e San Juan de oa.” ‘* Why not?” ‘¢ Colonel Ruidrez is—” ry Curse Colonel Ruidrez; he must be promo- too *T still prope. **T still lead; you must go to the capital with letters from me to Mexico’s ruler, and to others who hold the reins of Government, and there will be two promotions, for Ruidrez will be placed in command elsewhere, with higher rank, EGomichbooks (E() — eee ee