Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 11 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

“was right, with the exception of the v . «yffice; so he told the men, that altho “All right, Massa Easy,’’ replied Mesty; and Jack salaiieen which he knew nothing about. To make sure, Jack brought one of the com down from deck and compared them. He then lifted off the glass, counted the points of the compass to the ‘\.estward, and marked the corresponding one on the binnacle compass with his pen. ‘“There,’’ said he, *‘ that is the way to Gibraltar, and as soon as the mutiny is quelled, and the wind is fair, Tl be off.” CHAPTER XVIL. IN WHICH JACK’S CRUISE IS ENDED, AND HE REGAINS THE HARPY. A FEW more days passed, and, as was expected, the mutineers could hold out no longer. In the first lace, ‘hey had put in the spile of the second cask of wine so icosely when they were tipsy that it dropped out, and all the wine ran out, so that there had been none left for three or four ck in the next their fuel had long been expended, and they had latterly eaten their meat raw: the loss of their tent, which had been fired by their carelessness, had been followed by four days and nights of continual rain, Everything they had had been soaked through and through, and they were worn out, shivering with cold, and starving. Hanging they ‘nought better than dying by inches from starvation; and yielding to the imperious demands of hunger, they came down to the beach, abreast of the ship, and drop- ped down on their knees. ‘I tell you so, Massa Easy,’ said Mesty; ‘damn rascals, they forget they come down fire musket at us every day: y all de powers, Mesty not forget it.”’ “Ship ahoy!”’ cried one of the men on shore. ‘What do you want?” said Jack. “Have pity on us, sir—mercy!"’ exclaimed the other “nen, “ we will return to our duty.” ** Debble doubt ’em !”’ “What shall I say, Mesty?”’ “Tell "em no, first, Massa Easy—tell ’em to starve and be damned,” “I cannot take mutineers on board,” replied Jack. ‘* Well, then, our blood be on your hands, Mr. replied the first man who had spoken. ‘If we are to die, it must not be by inches—if you will not take us, | had kept upa steady, well-directed, although slow fire the sharks shall—it is but a crunch, and all is over. | with their larboard guns upon the Spanis What do Fb say, my lads? let’s all rush in together: and two of her boats had been disabled. The Harpy go0d-by r. Fasy, I hope you'll forgive us when we're | brought the breeze ‘up with her, and was scon within dead: it was all that rascal Johnson, the coxswain, who | range; she steered to cut off the corvette, firing only rsuaded us. Come, my lads, it’s no use thinking of it, the sooner done the better—let us shake hands, and then make one run of it.” It appeared that the Sg fellows had already made up their minds to do this, if our hero, persuaded b ilesty, had refused to take them on board; they shoo uands all round, and then walking a few yards from .ue beach, stood in a line while the man gave the signal -~one—two— “*Stop,’’ cried Jack, who had not forgotten the dread- ful scene which had already taken place—‘“‘ stop.”’ The men paused, ‘* What will you promise if I take you on board?” ‘To do our duty cheerfully till we join the ship, and then be hung as an example to all mutineers,” replied A ee men, | “Dat very fai:,’’ replied Mesty; ‘‘take dem at their word, Massa Easy.”’ ‘* Very well,”’ replied Jack, ‘*‘ Laccept your conditions; and we will come for you.” Jack and Mesty hauled up the boat, stuck their pis- tols in their belts, and pulled to the shore. The men, as they stepped in, touched their hats respectfully to our hero, but said nothing. On their arrival on board, Jack read that part of the articles of war relative to mutiny, by which the men were reminded of the very satisfactory fact, ‘that they were to suffer death;” and then made a speech which, to men who were starv- ing, appeared to an end to everythi Jack’s harangue; , biscuit, which they devoured in thankfulness, until they could get something i ' SN e interminable. However, there is | but there was no anchorage until he had run many in this world, and so there was to | miles further. ter which Mesty gave them some | o’clock it again fell nearly calm; but the Harpy had | 15 —-————— Midshipman Easy. ee ae ——_ — _ _ — - — — ——=» —————— two miles from Jack’s vessel, and the eg about a | Harpy and corvette were still hove to, repairing mile from him, with all her boats ahead of her, towing | damages. He ordered the men to lower down the toward him; Mesty examined the Spanish vessel. ‘small boat, and, leaving Mesty in “ Dat man-of-war, Easy—what dedebbel we do two oars, he pulled to the Harpy. for color? must hoist somet’ing.”’ wounded men, with prisoners, and boats going Mesty ran down below; he recollected that there was | and coming between the vessels, every one on avery gay petticoat, which had been left by the old board the Harpy was well employed; and in the dark, lady who was in the vessel when they captured her. It | Jack’s little boat came alongside without notice. This was of oe silk, with yellow and blue flowers, but very | should not have been the case, but it was, and there faded, having probably been in the Don’s family for a | was some excuse for it. Jack ascended the side, and century. ape had found it under the mattress of one | pushed his way through the prisoners, who were being of the and had put it into his bag, intending prob- | mustered to victualed. He was wrapped up in ably to cut it up into waistcoats. é soon appeared | one of the gregos, and many of the prisoners wore the with this under his arm, made it fast to the peak hal- | same. yards and hoisted it up. | Jack was amused at not being recognized; he rag te ‘*Dere, massa, dat do very well—dat what you call | down the main ladder, and had to stoop under the ham- ‘all nation color.” Everybody strike him flag to dat— | mocks of the wounded men, and was about to go aft to men nebber pull it down,” said Mesty, ‘‘anyhow. Now | the captain's cabin to report himself, when he heard den, ‘ab hoist color, we fire away—mind you only fire | young Gossett crying out, and the sound of the rope. one gun at a time, and point um well, den ’ab time to | ‘“‘ Hang me, if that brute Vigors ain't thrashing young load in.”’ | Gossett,” thought Jack. ‘I dare say the poor fellow ‘*She’s hoisted her colors, sir,’ said Sawbridge, on | has had plenty of it since I have been away; I'll save board of the Harpy; “ but they do not show out clear, | him this time, at least.’’ Jack, wrapped up in his and it’s impossible to distinguish them; but there’s a grego, went to the window of the berth, looked in, and Pb found it was as he expected. He cried out in an angry ‘It’s not at us, sir,’’ said Gascoigne, the midshipman; | voice, “Mr. Vigors, I'll thank you to leave Gossett ‘‘it’s at the Spanish vessel—I saw the shot fall ahead of alone.” At the sound of the voice, Vigors turnéd her.”’ _ round with his colt in his hand, saw Jack’s face at the ‘‘It must be a privateer,’’ said Captain Wilson; “at window, and, impressed with the idea that the rea all events, it is very fortunate, for the corvette would ecg was supernatural, uttered a yell and fe otherwise have towed into Carthagena. Another gun, | down in a fit—Jittle Gossett also, trembling in eve round and grape, and well pointed too; she carries | limb, stared with his mouth open. Jack was satisfied, heavy metal, that craft; she must be a Maltese priva- and immediately disappeared. He then went aft to teer.””’ ; the cabin, pushed by the servant, who was giving some ‘‘That’s as much as to say that she’sa pirate,”’ re- orders from the captain to the officer on deck, and en- pues Sawbridge; “I can make nothing of her colors— | tering the cabin, where the captain was seated with two hey appear to me tobe green—she must be a Turk. Spanish officers, took off his hat and said: net og gun—and devilish well aimed; it has hit the **Come on board, Captain Wilson.”’ ts,’ | Captain Wilson did not fall down im a fit, but he “Yes, they are all in confusion; we will have her — up: and upset the glass before him. now, if we can only get a trifle of wind. That is a “Merciful God, Mr. Easy, where did you come breeze coming up in the offing. Trim the sails, Mr. Sawbridge.”’ charge, ‘with What with from?” ‘* From that ship astern, sir,” replied Jack. The yards were squared, and the Harpy soon had| “That ship rm! what is she?—where have you steerage way. In the meantime Jack and few men | been so long?” “It’s a long story, sir,’’ replied Jack. x — Wilson extended his hand and shook Jack’s eartily. “At all events, I’m delighted to see you, boy; now sit down and tell me your story in a few words; we ‘ will have it in detail by-and-by.”’ ‘““We ‘ab her now,” cried Mesty; “fire away—men “If you please, sir,” said Jack, “‘ we captured that take good aim. Breeze come now: one man go to helm. ship with the cutter the night after we went away By de power, what dat?”’ —I'm not a first-rate navigator, and I was blown The exclamation of Mesty was occasioned by ashot to the Zaffarine Islands, where I remained two hulling the ship on the starboard side. Jack and he | months for want of hands; as soon as I procured ran over, and perceived that three Spanish gunboats | them I made sail again—I have lost three men had just made their Appenranes round the point, and | by sharks, and I have two wounded in to-day’s had attacked them, e fact was, that on the other | fight—the ship mounts twelve guns, is half en side of the cape was the ~ and town of Carthagena, | with lead and cotton prints, has fourteen thou- and these gunboats had n sent out to the assistance | sand dollars in the cabin, and three shot-holes right of the corvette. The ship had just now caught the | through her—and the sooner you send some people on breeze, fortunately for Jack, or he would probably | board of her the better.” have been taken into Carthagena; and the corvette, This was not very intelligible; but that there were finding herself cut off by both the Harpy and Jack's | fourteen thousand dollars, and that she required hands vessel, as soon as the breeze came up to her, put her | sent on board, was very satisfactorily explained. Ca head the other way, and tried to escape by running | tain Wilson rung the bell, sent for Mr. Asper, w westward along the coast close in shore. Another | started back at the sight of our hero—desired him to shot, and then another, pierced the hull of the ship, and | order Mr. Jolliffe to go on board with one of the cut wounded two of Jack’s men; but as the corvette had | send the wounded men on board, and take ch oO turned, and the Harpy followed her, of course Jack did | the vessel, and then told Jack to a Mr. Jolliffe, the same, and in ten minutes he was clearof the gun- | and to give him every information; telling him that he boats, who did not venture to make sail and stand after | would hear his story to-morrow, when they were not him. The wind now freshened fast, and blew out the | so very busy. green petticoat, but the Harpy was excha broad- sides with the corvette, and too busy to look after Jack’s ensign. The Spaniard defended himself well, and had the assistance of the batteries as he passed, | corvette; her bow-chasers.”’ CHAPTER XVIII. IN WHICH OUR HERO FINDS OUT THAT TRIGONOMETRY IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY TO NAVIGATION, BUT MAY BE REQUIRED IN SETTLING AFFAIRS OF HONOR. As Captain Wilson truly said, he was too busy even to hear Jack’s story that night, for they were anxious to have both vessels ready to make sail as soon as the At noon the wind died away, and at one neared her distance, and was now within three cables’ better. The next morning the length of her antagonist, engaging her and a battery | breeze should spring up, for the Spaniards had vessels wind was fair, they weighed their kedge with some dif- | of Four guns, | ese a he Pp ficulty, and ran out of the harbor; the men appeared | the Jack came u again, for he had | of war at Carthagena, which was not ten miles off, and last of the breeze, an was about half a’ had known the result of the action: it was therefore very contrite, worked well, but in silence, for; mile from the corvette. when it. fell calm. By | necessary to change their position as soon as possible. hey had ne very pleasant anticipations; but hope al-| the advice of Mesty he did not fire any more, | Mr. Sawbridge was on board the prize, which was a ways remains with us; and each of the men, although | as otherwise the Harpy would not obtain so much corvette mounting two guns more than the Harpy, and ne had no doubt but that the others would be hung, | credit, and it was evident that the fire of the called the Cacafuogo. uoped that he would esca wind, however, did not allow them to steer their course long; before night it was contrary, and they fell off three points to the northward, “However,” as Jack observed, “at all events we shall make the Spanish coast, and then we must run down it to Gibraltar: ‘‘ I don’t care—I understand navi- gation much better than I did.” The next morning they found themselves, with a very light breeze, under a high cape, and, as the sun rose, they observed a large vessel in shore, about two miles to the westward of them, and another outside, about four miles off. Mesty took the glass, and exam- ined the one outside, which, on a sudden, had let fall all her canvas, and was now |! for the shore, steering for the cape under which Jack’s vessel lay. Mesty put down the glass, 3! Easy—I t’ink dat de Harpy.’ One or the seamen took the glass and examined her, | on board; besides, as Jack while the others who stood by showed great agitation, ‘* Yes, itis the Harpy,’ said the seaman, ‘‘Oh! Mr, Hasy, wili you forgive us?’ continued the man, and he cnd the others fell on their knees. ‘‘ Do not tell all, for God's sake, Mr. ‘y ack’s heart melted; he looked at Mesty. J ‘*T t’'ink,”’ said Mesty, apart to our hero, “ dat with | what them hab suffer already, Suppose they get seven dozen a-piece, dat quite enough.’ Jack thought that even that punishment would h he must state .yhat had oecurred, he would not tell all, and would contrive to get them off as well ashe could. He was i.bout to nak a long speech, buta gun from the Harpy, which had now come u within range, made him defer it till a more conve ent opportunity. At the same time the vessel inshore ho Spanish colors, and fired 7 "By de powers but we got in the middle of it,” cried vlesty. “Ha t’ink us Spaniard. Now, my lads, get “ell Sande, being up powder and shot. Bec 8 fire at ard—Harpy not fire at us—no ’ab English colors on b —dat all we must do, The men set to with a will; the guns were all loaded, and 3 soon cast | and primed. during which « pera it fell calm, and the 4 1 three vessels Lapped against their masts, The Harpy was then about with a sound flogging. The | Spaniard slackened fast. At three o’clock the Spanish | | leave the vessel a mile from the Harpy wit She had escaped from Cadiz, run through the straits colors were hauled down, and the Harpy, sending a boat | in the night, and was three miles from Carthagena on board and takin ession, di ed her whole fire | when she was captured, which she certainly never upon the battery, which was soon silenced. | would have been, but for Jack’s fortunately blundering The calm continued, and the Harpy was busy enough | sapess the cape with his armed vessel, so that Captain with the prize, een | the prisoners and refitting both ilson and Mr. Sawbridge (both of whom were pro: vessels, which had suffered very much in the sails and | sa the first to the rank of post-captain, the second rigging. There was an occasional wonder on board the to that of commander) may be said to be indebted»to Harpy what that strange vessel might be, who had turn- | Jack for their good fortune. The Harpy had lost nine- ed the corvette and enabled them to capture her, but teen men, killed and wounded, and the Spanish corvette when ppeepte are very busy, there is not much time for aetna Altogether, it was a very creditable surmise. | affair. Jack’s crew, with himself, consisted but of eight, one | At two o’clock in the morning, the vessels were of which was a Spaniard, and two were wounded. It ready, everything had been done that could be done therefore left him but four, and he had also something in so short a time, and they stood under easy sail dur- to do, which was to assist his wounded men, and secure ing the night for Gibraltar, the Nostra Signora del his guns. “oreover, Mesty did not think it prudent to Carmen, under the charge of Jolliffe, keeping company. only two | Jolliffe had the advantage over his shipmates, of tirst said, he had had no dinner, hearing Jack’s adventures, with which he was much and was not quite sure that he should find anything to | astonished as well as amused—even Captain Wilson was eat when he went into the midshipmen’s berth; he | not more happy to sée Jack than was the worthy: mas- would therefore have some dinner cooked, and eat it ter’s mate. About nine o'clock the Harpy hove to, and. before he went on board, in the meantime they would | sent a boat on board forour hero and the men who had try and close with her. Jack took things always very been so long with him in the prize, and then hoisted out easy, and he said he should report himself at sunset. | the pinnace to fetch on board the dollars, which were There were other reasons which made Jack in no. of moreimportance. Jack, as he bade adieu to Jolliffe, very great hurry to Fo on board: he wanted to have | took out of his pocket, and presented him with the ar- time to consider a little, what he should say to excuse | ticles of war, which, as they had been so useful to bim himself, and also how he should plead for the men. His he thought Jolliffe could not do without, and then went. natural correctness of feeling decided him, in the first | down the side: the men were already in the boat, cast- pence, to tell the whole truth, and in the next his kind ing imploring looks upon Jack, to raise feelings of coms) eelings determined him to tell only of it. Jack | passion, and Mesty took his seat by our heroin a very need not have given himself this trouble, for, as far as | sulky humor, probably because he did not like the regarded himself, he had fourteen thousand good ex- | idea of having again “to boil de kettle for de young cuses in the bags that lay in the state-room; and asfor | gentlemen.’’ Even Jack felt a little melancholy at re- the men, after an action with the enemy, if they behave | signing his command, and he looked back at the green well, even mutiny is forgiven, At last, Jack, who was peo. which blew out gracefully from the mast, for ti with excitement and the hard work of the day, | Jolliffe had determined that he would not haul down thought and thought until he fell fast asleep, and in- | the colors under which Jack had fought so gallant an of weidng at sunset, did not wake till two hours | action. afterward; and Mesty did not call him, because he was| Jack's narration, as may be imagined, occupied a in no hurry himself to go on board ‘‘and boil de kettle part of the forenoon; and although Jack did not: for eyoung genwomen, attempt to deny that he had seen the recall signal of Then jae woke up, he was astonished to find that | Mr. Sawbridge, yet, as his account went on, the captain: he ped gh 20 long; he went on deck; it was dark _ became so interested, that at the end of it he quite fors and s but ke could easily perceive that the | got to point out to Jack the impropriety of not obeying com “SECO (E| OOo)