Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 108 — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

. ee —- 4 —— ——— = a ) ‘* And yet, I never saw an Arab with such white sails,” observed Lawton to Sloman. ‘*T should say she was a Greek *xebec, going back through the canal after taking a cargo of wine to Bombay,” replied the first officer. ‘* I’ve heard that Greek wines are coming into fashion in India.” “Greek or Arab, she sails like the very deuce,” retorted Lawton, impatiently. ‘If we couldn’t lift her under steam she'll drop us | now. Haul the screw out of water, sir. It’s doing no safland clap on the stu’n-sail booms. I'll run ood now. Get up the square fore- | i The Duke of Diamonds ‘*Send a shot after that fellow and make him heave-to,” he said to Sloman. The old lieutenant stared. ‘* A shot, sir?” ‘I believe my English is plain, Mr. Sloman. A shot, sir, from the seven-inch rifle first. If that doesn’t bring him to, try the nine- inch.” Mr. Sloman hesitated. ** Not near him, I suppose, sir?” ‘Certainly not. Hit him if you can and eripple him. I want to board the fellow.” or the last time Sloman ventured a remon- under water but what [ll overhaul that Greek | strance. before we get to Suez.” ““Not if we stop at Aden, sir,” ventured Slo: man. ‘The orders say—” *“Deuce take the orders, That fellow ma - a slaver for allI know. Clap on more sail, r. The Snapper heeled over under her pile of canvas till the water washed in at the lee scup- pers, and rushed on after the felucca, which was now dead ahead and holding the same course as the cruiser. But all the sails of the Snapper were of no avail to catch the light-heeled stranger which on the contrary began to sink on the horizon before their eyes just as the white and yellow outlines of the Arabian coast began to rise in the north-east. The stranger shifted her course westward and gave the cruiser an inside track for advan- but still the Snapper could do no more hold her own. It was not till the purple rocks of Babel Man- deb loomed up that they began to make any per- ceptible gain on the felucca, and then they no- tived it had shortened sail and was running into tbe Red Sea as if distrusting shoals. Commander Lawton, with the reckless de- termination which had won him all the praise he ever deserved, stood on till he found himself within two miles of the other when the spy- glass revealed her plainly. ‘*She’sa beauty, captain,” declared Sloman, in his sober way, as he inspected her narrowly. ‘Looks like a yacht, I should say, but I never heard of a felucca-rigged yacht before.” Here one of the midshipmen who had been ze hovering near looked so knowing that Lawton asked ; . Well, young gentleman, what is it?” ‘* Please, sir, I think I know who she is.” “That vessel?” "yen, @r.” “How do you know?’ ‘** Please, sir, I’ve seen her before.” ‘You; where?” ‘** Please, sir, you remember I came through the canal on the Teaser before I joined the gunboat. That felucca was lying at Suez then with a big ship for tender.” “A big oe for tender? What do you mean, r ‘*She’s a yacht, sir, belongs tio the richest fel- low in the whole world, so they told me at ia pe and he has the ship to carry extra cargo | of al _ your boat there?” The captain looked at Sloman in a doubting | sorts.” manner. _ “Do you think he knows what he’s talking about, “Yes, sir; Mr. Young has always been a re- | loman?”’ Mable young officer.” ‘‘Then who is this richest fellow in the whole world, Mr. Young?’ ““T don’t know his name, sir, but the say is a Brazilian, and owns a whole ot of diamond mines. They called him the Diamond Duke.” ‘*Pve beard of him, now Mr. Young speaks, | sir. He’s a great friend of the Khedive and his | .and when the _ @hannel as the felucca they were still within ‘ Yankees, but they say he hates the English, for some reason or other.” ‘Well, whoever he be, we're likely to know retty soon,” answered the commander, thought- y, ‘‘for we’re coming up with him now, hand over hand.” And in fact while they were talking they had ——w ' i | ; LLL LLL LL eet. title ttt et few months lessened their distance from the felucca to less | than a mile, when the Snapper yawed, fired a gun and showed the English flag. As the smoke drifted away to leeward the light report of an answering gun of small size came from the felucca and up went the red and ow flag of Portugal and Brazil at the end of he yacht’s main-yard. Still, however, the vessel kept on running, with only jib and mainsail ie a ong what they could now see from the deck of the Snapper looked like a line of breakers. After a little while she was seen to glide through a green opening, when the Snapper he compelled fo shorten sail at the moment the felucca put up her foresail ond spanker, to avoid running into one of the coral reefs that infest the whole of the Red However, the advantage gained by the lead- ership of the yacht was not to be thrown away, gunboat passed through the same the domineering ways of Commander Lawton cropped out. ‘We shall catch it for this, sir, if that be a yacht.” ‘*T take the responsibility, sir. Do as I order at once.” Sloman touched his cap, gave the necessary orders and a few minutes later the heavy re- port of the seven-inch rifle boomed over the ee i | sea, while a shrieking, puffing shell, making a | sound like a locomotive under full speed, went skipping over the waves and fesaad ahh be- tween the yacht’s masts. The effect was immediate, and Commander Lawton closed his strong white teeth in a grim wolfish sort of smile as the felucca wore short } ' round on her heel and came bowling back to-| ward the Snapper. yee thought we'd bring that fine gentleman to his senses,” he remarked, witha chuckle. ‘‘ Now we'll see what he’s made of.” Sloman volunteered no remark, and looked as study of conflicting emotions. will you make honorable amends to the Duke | of Diamantina?” While he was speaking, Lawton’s face wasa reluctance to give way, were finally succeeded by a forced smile, as he answered: ‘Of course I'll apologize. It was only a mis- pics I took you for a Greek slaver or smug- gler.”’ To this lamely self-evident lie, Hart made no answer except a silent bow; and he was turning to go back when Captain Lawton forced himself to say: ‘* Excuse me, Mr. a—a—” “Hart, Captain Lawton.” ‘**) beg pardon, Mr. Hart, but would you be so good as to tell his grace that I shall do my- self the honor of coming on board at once, to apologize in person for the mistake?” **T will tell him, sir.” And Clarence went down the side and leaped into his boat just as the boatswain of the Snap- per piped the captain’s gig, reaching the yacht and reporting to the duke as the English boat touched the water. As soon as he told Diamantina that the Eng- lish captain had apologized, the duke called out in Portuguese to Dom Gil, who had been super- a some mysterious preparations in the ws: ‘““The dog begs. Draw her teeth!” Then he turned to Hart, who was now recog- nized as a full-fledged member of his suite, and solemn as if at a funeral till the yacht hove-to | harmless strangers?” within a few cable-lengths, when a boat drop- ped from her side and a young man ina naval | | young lady in the cabin, your grace, and com- uniform, that they at once recognized as Ameri- can, was pulled to the British man-of-war by a crew of swarthy Malays as the Snapper threw her sails to the mast. Not a word passed till he had climbed the side by a rope way, and then he inquired of the officer of the deco who met bim at the gangway: ‘* What ship is this, and who’s her captain, if you please?” ‘*Her Majesty’s gunboat Snapper, Captain Lawton,” answered the officer, impressively. asked: ‘“‘ And who is this valiant capitan, who fires at ‘*He is Captain Owen Lawton, brother to the mands the Snapper.” ' Diamantina’s eyes lighted up with an expres- sion that Hart could not fathom, as he said, slowly: astily thrown from the gang- | | | | The American’s face had been very stern and | stiff before, but it softened immediately he | heard the captain’s name as he asked: ‘* Any relation to Sir Lumley Lawton?” ‘* His son, I believe,” was the reply. ‘*Then be kind enough to say that Mr. Clar- | ence Hart, late of the U. 8. navy, would like to see him.” ‘*The captain’s on the quarter-deck, sir. You can see him at once.” And Clarence found himself on the quarter- deck of the Snapper, confronting a stern, sar- castic-looking man with keen blue eyes, red whiskers, a hook nose, and very white teeth, who observed: “Well, sir, your captain found it best to heave-to. Her majesty’s vessels are not to be eluded by every nameless rover that chooses to hoist a flag. ho are you, sir, and what is Hart reddened with anger and then turned pale. This was Helen’s brother! ‘**T was an officer of the United States navy a ag , sir,” he answered, firmly. “The felucca is the yacht of his grace, the Duke of Diamantina, who demands an apology for our insult in firing a shotted gun over his head hae now.” ‘* Doeshe, indeed?’ retorted Captain Lawton, with a broad sneer. ‘* And do the ex-officers of your navy act 4s messengers for scurvy Portu- guese dukes?” Hart took no notice of the insult, but went on, quietly: . ‘* If the apology is not given, he will sink this vessel in one minute; for he has three torpedoes aimed at her, now.” Commander Lawton stared, and asked: ‘‘ Are you mad? Is your friend a pirate?” ‘*On the contrary he holds a regular commis- sion in the Brazilian navy, which empowers his vessel to act as a ship-of-war, and he already has his torpedoes pointed at you. Do you re- fuse to apologize?” ‘* Why, curse hisimpudence!” sputtered Law- ton, white with rage. ‘“l’ll blow him out of the water in five minutes.” ‘*Pardon me, captain, you'll do no such thing,” returned the American, coolly. ‘‘ First, before you can beat to quarters, you will have a hundred pounds of dynamite blowing a hole in our bottom. Secondly, the duke hassaved the ives of your own sister and your father’s, who are both now on board the yacht, and who would both be killed if we came to blows.” ae Lawton’s face altered. ‘What do you mean?” he asked, in a man- ner indicating great excitement. ‘“‘T mean that I wasa passenger on the Be- nares with the Misses Lawton: that the shi foundered two weeks ago; that we were pick up off a raft by a slave dhow; and that but for the Duke of Diamantina, your sister would to- day be aslave in the harem of Sultan Fyzoul Abdallah. Now, Captain Lawton, do you feel disposed to persevere in a wanton insult against | the law of nations, and a friendly power, or Th" 9) ot ote ee a . ce. oar tae.” 3 new ore POW tn AE oy ws eer | ) | | ; | ' ; courtesy. ‘“My dear sir, it only needs the father, now, to make all the family complete. And this is the honorable son of the honorable Sir Lumley! Aha! it is well.” As he spoke, Commander Owen Lawton, R. N., the picture of politeness, sprung on deck and bowed low before the duke,” CHAPTER XIV. ON GUARD. ‘““I HAVE come, as I told your friend Mr. Hart, to express my sincere regrets for the mis- take which led me to fire at your vessel, duke,” began Commander Lawton, with mellifluous ‘I trust your grace will accept the apology in the spirit in which it is offered, for I hear that to youl am indebted for the rescue of a dearly loved sister from a fate worse than death.” | The duke smiled one of his languidly frigid smiles, but did not offer to take the other’s ex- | ' tended band. Pride, shame, — ‘‘T was charmed to be of some little serviceto | a lady in distress, senhor, It is hardly worth while to mention it, till I have restored the lady to Sir Lumley Lawton bimself.” He remained standing, with a cold and dig- nified demeanor that abashed even Owen Law- ton, domineering tyrant by nature and educa- tion as he was. It was with a nervous laugh and half stammer that the British officer con- ‘Well, you see, I suppose your grace has had eniough trouble with my family by this time. Perhaps I’d better take charge of my sis- | ter myself, you know.”: | ' ; ; i “The way to the cabin is open, senhor,” was the frigid reply: “but. remember that the doubt of my honor which the removal will imply is an offense to the individual which no apology can wipe out.” | ; Lawton stared at this dark, handsome man, whose great black eyes were usually so sleepy and found them glowing like coals as they faced hisown. Then all the blonde blood in his own veins fired up to resent the implied menace, and his own fierce blue eyes widened as he re- torted: , “As you please, sir. I shall at least ask her if she prefers to remain here or go with hor | brother.” : ‘You will find the ladies, your auntand your sister, in the cabin, senhor,” replied Diamantina, as coldly as before. ‘‘Senhor Hart will show you the way.” Lawton bowed stiffly and followed the Amer- ican into the cabin, where the first person he saw was his honorable and kittenish aunt, who exclaimed in great surprise: ' “Why, Owen, is that you? Where did you spring from?” ‘*From the quarter-deck of the Snapper, aunt. Where’s Helen?” The captain could see that his respected aunt was not overjoyed to see him, for her greeting was decidedly cool. Owen ‘Lawton was ten years older than his sister Helen, and his ap pearance by the side of aunt Lorelia was apt raise doubts as to the youthfulness of the orable and kittenish maiden. The sound. of his voice, however, brought Helen out of the state-roem to which che had | ta GpoOGKS one wee : (E(@)