Beadle's Dime Library No. 103 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

26 _—_——-——™ - -— mee eS ae ee - — and you, my gallant boy, will be made com- mandant of the Castle San Juan de Uloa.” ‘* But, can you do this?” “Is it worth a trip to Mexico city to find out?” sé Yes.” ‘Well, you start ‘to-day, and return within the two weeks. Ruidrez will be relieved of his command and you will shoulder his epaulettes and remain at the castle.” ‘** And the Senorita Victorine?” ~ ‘*“Must become the Senora Guarena before her father leaves, and remain the belle of the castle.” “i Sapte What then?’ ‘* You must designate the place for the duel with this mutineer, and a file of soldiers will be quietly on hand to arrest him. ‘* Once in the castle he goes to a dungeon, if he does not make known where the treasure is, and he stays there for life. ‘Tf he does tell, under promise of half-shares, I will kill bim and give you his share.” ‘‘ It shall be as you say, if you have the power to do what ? hoe profess in the way of pro- motions,” said the delighted young oflicer. ‘* A trip to the capital will prove that; now let us freshen our appetites and sit down to breakfast, for Pedro announced it by bell, several minutes since.” The two men took a drink of liquor to their success and stepped into the breakfast-room, where both ate heartily, the Monte Prince occasionally cursing his wounded hand. As they arose from the table Lieutenant Real Juarez entered. ‘Well, senor, you saw the Don Merlino?” asked the Monte Prince, with some eagerness for him. “Yes, and arranged for two weeks hence; it suited him, he said, as he was to leave to-day.” ‘“Leave! he leave Vera Cruz? Where is he goingt cried the Monte Prince. ‘* He has gone.” ‘*Gone!” almost shrieked both men. ‘Yes, senores; he sailed in the packet for New Orleans at noon.” “This must not be. Juarez, go at once to Capitan Caballos, of the armed cutter in the harbor, and tell him Don Felipe will board him within two hours to go in pursuit of the New Orleans packet, that carries off a state prisoner of the greatest importance to the Government; do you understand?” ** Si, senor |” ‘Then obey as soon as possible.” The lieutenant departed in haste, and the Monte Prince turned to Major Guarena: ‘*] will overhaul the yo and capture him, and Caballos must hold him until tes get the castle; now I will write the letters I promised, while you go and pre are for your journey; be back here within the hour.” ‘* But what if you do not overhaul the packet?” “Then I shall seize him in the United States and bring him back—I will not lose that trea- sure. Two hours after Major Vistal Guarena was on his way, post-haste, to the city of Mexico, and the Monte Prince was on board the Mexican cutter, which, under clouds of canvas, was in pursuit of the New Orleans packet-ship. CHAPTER XXXII. FOILED. THe New Orleans and Vera Cruz packet- ship, Mexico, was a rapid sailer, a stanch ves- sel, and possessed a good captain and able crew, requisites most necessary indeed where life is so thoroughly at stake in tempting the dangers of the mighty deep. ‘* Captain Ralston, that isan armed craft in your wake.” The speaker was a man above the we in hight, and had the look of one who had, in earlier years, been ek ere od active and pow- erful; but now he was slightly stooped in the shoulders and walked with a cane upon which he pressed heavily. till in spite of the three-score and ten years which his white hair and gray beard proved must have passed over his head, his eyes were bright and piercing, and with the aid of a good sea-glass that he carried in his hand he had de- tected that a vessel three leagues in the wake of the Mexico was a cruiser. ‘‘I believe you are right, commodore; he looks saucy even at this distance, and is coming on with a big bone in his teeth; I hope he won’t prove to be one of those light-heeled free rovers hat sometimes give us a chase.” ‘* hope not, for your half-dozen little sixes and one brass twelve would not be of much service against such an armament as those fellows car- ry; still, captain, if he is a buccaneer, and tries boarding, we are fortunate in having an exceed- ingly large passenger list, and you must num- ber thirty in crew?’ “Thirty-three all told, with myself, com- modore, and forty male passengers in the cabin and twelve in the steerage—eighty-five in alJ.” ‘‘ Then we must let him board us, keeping our forces concealed and then not only drive him from the decks but seize his schooner.” ‘* By St. George! commodore, your years have not taken from you a desire for a sea-fight, Ll ————— Merle, The Mutineer. —— TT Neen ninemsn ee a —— — -_— ee ——— ee discover. If it comes to blows, sir, remember you are the commander.” ‘* Ali, no, Captain Ralston; I will aid you all in my power, but you must fight the ship,” and the old sailor turned his glass again upon the pursuing craft, for now it was evident the ves- sel astern was in chase of the packet-ship. As he leveled his glass again there was visible upon the wooden case in large gilt letters, a name: ‘“ ALFRED BRAINARD, “Commodore U.S. Navy. ‘* CONSTITUTION, 44 GUNS.” ‘Captain Ralston!” ‘* Ay, ay, sir.” ‘* That vessel is a schooner, low in the water, raking masts and carries half a hundred men, and fully six twelves to a broadside.” "s It is either one of those Caribbean corsairs, or—’ ‘Or what, commodore?” asked the captain, as the other paused. , ‘*Or that Mexican cutter we left in the har- bor of Vera Cruz.” ‘You are right, sir; I recognize her now; I thought she had a familiar look.” “It is the El Saltador, the Senor Caballos commander.” ‘‘ What can he be in pursuit of you for, cap- tain?” ‘*Some important prisoner has doubtless escaped, and he wishes to see if he is on board me; I don’t think we have any suspicious char- acter On board, do you, commodore?” “Tt is hard to tell, captain; most men are masked nowadays.” ‘‘T may be wrong in my surmise; but what else could bring the Mexican cruiser after me, and he is certainly in chase, and | have known of several packets having been overhauled to search for prisoners that have escaped. ‘* By Heaven! if I had a r devil on board I would almost fight for him rather than give him up to be returned to that gloomy old castle.” ‘Your goodness of heart does you credit, Captain Ralston; yes, that is the El Saltador, for I noticed the peculiar rig of the cruiser as we passed out of the harbor.” ‘* And he comes on in a style that does not belie his name—The Leaper; by the way, com- modore, what do you think of that remarkable escape at Havana, of Merle, the Mutineer and his crew?” ‘*Tt was marvelous, sir.” ‘Marvelous indeed was it, commodore; and they deserve to secepe for their daring. **T see that the Spaniards dub the mutineer now, E! Saltador.” ‘*The Leaper is a name he certainly deserves, Captain ton; your Mexico is fast, but El Saltador is faster, and is driven on in dead earn- est; will you wait until he overhauls you, or come to?” “T'll stand on until brought-to by a shot; if I thought there was any doubt about yonder craft being El Saltador I would arm the crew and passengers and call them to quarters.” ‘There is no doubt of it, captain; I have seen the Mexican cutter several times and know it to be that craft; there comes a shot now.” As Commodore Brainard spoke a puff of white smoke burst from the bows of the Mexican, and soon after came the rushing shot, flying high over the masts of the Mexico. ‘* Curse him, he is making me lose an hour of this good breeze; but I must obey,” mutter- ed Captain Ralston, and the Mexico was soon lying-to awaiting the pleasure of the Mexican. Running close up, with his men at quarters, as though expecting resistance, Captain Caballos hailed, in Spanish: ** Olo la Mexico !” ** Bien, Senor Mexicano!” shouted back Cap- tain Ralston, inno very amiable mood at los- ing his time. ‘You have a state prisoner on board—one Don Leon Merlino, a rtinchero, from Corpus Christi,” shouted back the Mexican. ‘‘Tf there is such a person on board Captain Caballos has but to comeand take him,” haugh- tily replied the American, and he added, in a low voice: ‘*T gave it to him that time, commodore.” “By San Diego! I will do so,” was heard in the angry voice of the Mexican, and a moment after a boat put off from the side of the cutter and approached the packet-ship. ‘‘ Holy Moses! what can he want here?’ ‘*To whom do you refer, captain?’ asked the commodore. “To that devil’s limb, Don Felipe Cosala, the Monte Prince; he sits beside the captain.” ‘* Who is this Monte Prince, captain, of whom I hear so much?’ asked the commodore. ‘““Without answering you abruptly, commo- dore, he in if not Satan himself, his first cousin; a man that comes from nobody but himself knows where. ‘‘Heis a professional gambler, and was for years, is even now, ’tis said; a secret spy for the government, spying upon the movements of every official Renn the highest to the lowest, and all fear him for he has wonderful power. ‘* He is a dead shot, a desperate hand with the knife, and has sent scores of men to their graves; sneer EE EO EEE ana NE LL but I heard that the night before we sailed he met his match, and I see he wears his right arm in a sling.” ‘“*By Neptune!” ‘‘ What, captain?” ‘Tre the name—the man whom Captain Caballos asked for was the one who bearded the Lion of the Palacio of Fortune, as the gambling hell is called.” ‘‘Indeed! have you such a person on board, captain ” ‘Not to my knowledge, commodore; if so, I would hate to give him up, and confess to a cu- riosity to know him; but I have a large passen- er list. Good-morning, Senor Capitan Cabal- os; and Don Felipe, how are you? Heard you a been dreadfully wounded, yet you appear well. ‘* Senor Americano, itseems you have run off with a state prisoner, of course unintentionally, and I must request to search your vessel,” re- en the Mexican officer, merely returning aptain Ralston’s greeting with a slight bow, while the Monte Prince inclined his head gra- ciously; he was too elegant ever to slight a re- cognition. ‘If I have, senor, you will find him on my nger list. Mr. Browne, bring the register ere, please.” The purser soon returned with the book, and the Monte Prince, taking the initiative, ran his finger and eyes down the names. ** Don Leon Merlino,” he said, at last. ‘*The name is not here—maldito !” ** Not here, you say, Don Felipe? Then you have had your chase for nothing?’ ‘* Your passenger list of the cabin shows not the name; but where is your steerage list?” “It follows it—there where your finger is,” The Monte Prince hastily glanced over the dozen names.” ‘“Not here, either: could Juarez have been misinformed? No, I called at the hotel myself, and twas said he took your packet for New Or- leans.” ‘* Doubtless he runs under a disguise, captain.” ‘It may be, sener; I de nes undress my pas- sengers as they come on board, to see if they are what their clothes represent them to be.” “‘T am sorry, Captain Ralston, but I must in- sist upon seeing every man and woman you have on board,” said Captain Caballos, after a ty eee conversation with the Monte Prince. ‘*That is as they please, sir, not for me to say.” ‘* And you decline to summon them on deck?” ‘*L do; if they come you must ask them, and if I had the power, as I have the will, to prot _ct them, you would remain a very short while up- on this deck,” was the quick retort of the plucky American sailor. “The captain is angered at losing this good breeze, senor,” said the Monte Prince, smilingly ; then he added: ‘Who is that old gentleman, Captain Ral- ston?” ‘*One who is watching most closely how Mex- ican naval officers and spies conduct themselves on board an American merchant vessel.” ‘* His name?’ ‘‘ Alfred Brainard, commodore of the United States navy.” ‘* Ah!” and the Monte Prince turned his gaze upon the old commodore, who had his glass to his eye and was closely examining the Mexican cutter. “ALFRED BRAINARD, ‘* Commodore U. S, Navy, ** CONSTITUTION, 44 GuNs.” That was what the Monte Prince read on the spy glass held by the old gentleman, and he said cautiously to Captain Caballos: “We must go slow, for that old fellow is famous, and has immense influence with his Government; suppose you ask his advice, telling him that the man is a most important prisoner and may be disguised and under an assumed name.” ‘‘T will. Senor Capitan, will you present me and Don Felipe to the American commodore?’ “Certainly, with his permission.”’ Captain Raiston stepped forward and saluting politely, said: **Commodore, as you doubtless heard, those two Mexicans wish to be presented; what is your will?’ | te —" them up, of course, captain,” was the answer, in a tone that the two heard, as the old sailor shoved his glass together. “Commodore Brainard, this is Captain Ca- ballos, of the Marina de Mexico, and command- er of El Saltador, the cutter lying astern of us.” The Mexican officer bowed low, with his hand upon his heart, and the American stiffly. “ And this is Don Felipe Cosala, better known as the Monte Prince, Commodore Brainard.” ‘“ Your name is well known to me, Commodore Brainard, as a most distinguished officer; it was your vessel, sir, that ge the noted bucca- neer, Freelance,” said the Monte Prince. ‘“‘It was my flag-ship, senor, the Constitution, Captain Arthur Grenville, commander: we took the schooner of the buccaneer, but Captain Freelance was already dead.” GOMGEROOCKS GO | |