Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 11 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

——s | — macrning we will the cabin-door and have a . h was Ce ee ——— side, but assisted. her to descend on the other, and with | great ceremony took his leave. Gase e hastened to Jack, who had been peeping, | and gave a detail of what had describing | Azar as the most beautiful, fascinating, and fond crea- | ture that ever was created. After half an hour’s rela- tion he stopped short, because he discovered that dack | "Hine viii ct Gaecoi ted night e- 8 of Gascoigne were repea every > | old Abd el Faza became every time more-gallant, and our midshipman was under the necessity of assuming a virtue if he had it not, » He pretended to be very modest. Inthe meantime Captain Hoge continued. his atten- | tions to the real Miss Hicks. The, mate proceeded to — get the bullocks on board, and as more than three weeks had already passed away, it was time to think of de- pexing for Toulon; but Captain Hogg was too much in | ove; and as for Gascoigne he intended, like all mid- ner er in love, to give up the service. Jack reasoned with the os who appeared to listen to reason, be- | cause Miss Hicks had agreed to follow his fortunes, and crown his transports in the tie pe Mary Ann. He. therefore proposed that they should get away as fast as they could, and as soon as they had weighed the anchor | he would come on shore, take off Miss Hicks, and make all sail for Toulon. | Jack ht have suffered this; the difficulty was with Gascoigne, who would not hear of going away | without his lovely Azar. At last Jack planned a scheme, which he thought would succeed, and which would be a good joke to tell the governor. He there-. fore oo he to consent to Gascoigne carrying off his | little Moor, and are | canvassed how it was to be man- | aged. Jack then told Gascoigne that he had hit upon | a plan which would succeed. " ‘I find,” said he, “‘ from Captain Hoge that he has | an intention of carrying off Miss Hicks, and when I | sounded him as to his having a lady with him, he ob- | ected to it immediately, saying that he must have all | he cabin to himself and his intended. Now, in the first | fone I have no notion of giving up the cabin to Miss cks or Mrs, Hogg. It be very. uncomfortable to | be shut out, because he wishes to make love; I there- | fore am determined that he shall not take off Miss | Hicks. ve awe, oa sed to me that he shall go on) board, and get the brig under way, leaving me with a | boat on shore to sign the vouchers, and that Miss Hicks | shall slip into the boat when I go off at dusk. Now I will not off Miss Hicks; if he wants to marry her, | let him do it when I am not on board. I have paid for | ev hing, and I consider the cabin as mine, ¢ k you, Ned, if you wish to. Moor, there is but one way, and that is a very simple one; leave her a dress of Miss Hicks when you go there | to-morrow night, and tell her to slip down at dusk, and | come out of own house, for as soon as she is out, she will be su osed to be the vice-consul's sister, and will not be ob- | served or questioned. I will look out for and bring her on nstead of Miss Hicks. Hogg will have the | brig under way, and will be too happy to make all | sail, and she shall lock the cabin inside, so that the mis- take shall not be discovered till the next morning, and we shall have a good laugh at Captain Hogg.” G nounced that. Jack’s scheme was capi- | tal, and agreed to it, thanking him, and declaring that— | he was the best friend that he had ever had. **So I. will be,” thought Jack, “‘ but you will not ac- knowledge it at first.” Jack then went to Captain Hogg, and a to enter vee eee his views, but him that Hicks ul what was going on, and had told him so, at 8 the same time grey 2 that he would not lose sight of his sister until after Hogg was on board. ** Now,” says Jack, ‘‘ you know you cannot do the_ thing by main foree; so the best plan will be for you to | o on board and get under way, leaving me to bring off | Kiss Hicks, when her brother will imagine all danger | to be over.” jc meeny: thanks, Mr. ae ’ replied Captain Hogg; | ‘it be capital, and il arrange it all with my Sophy. How very kind of you!”’ But, Hogg, you will promise me secrecy ?”’ us Yeu,” replica the captain, ‘That Gascoigne is a very silly fellow, and wants to run away with a girl he has made acquaintance. with here; and what do you think he has proposed? that after the ship was under way, that I shall carry her off | in the boat; and he has borrowed one of the dresses of | Miss Hicks, that it may appear to be her. I have | to it, but.as I am determined that he shall not | commit such a folly, I shall b off Miss Hicks in- | stead; and, observe, Hogg, he is that sort of wild fel- | low, that if he was to find that I had cheated him, he would immediately go on shore and be left behind; | therefore, we must hand Miss Hicks down in the cabin, and she will lock the door all night, so that he may not | at his intended brother-in- observe the trick till the next morning, and then we locks, and the sheep and the fowls, were all on board; | mout and Mr. Hicks, having received his money from Jack, had very. much altered his manner; he was barely divil, for.as he had got all he could out. of our hero, he was anxious to get rid of him as well as of Captain Hogg. Our hero was very indignant at this, but as it ould not suit his present views, pretended not to no- teodt-son the contrary, he professed the warmest friendship for the vice-consul, and took an opportu of saying that he could not return his kindness in a better way than by apie erg of the plot which had been arranged. He then told him of the intended escape 43 his ae and that he was the person intended to bri er off. rx Oe Tntarnous, by heavens!" cried the vice-consul; ‘‘I : shall write to the foreign office on the subject.” “ ’’ said Jack, eden | > a better to do at I sh ropose, which will en a hearty laug and to the confusion of Captain Hoge. Do. hn dress yourself in your’ sister's clothes, will bring you off instead of her. Let him e that he has your sister secure; I will hand you down to, the cabin, and will not sign the vouchers. The next realized. After an carly _ chuckled, and nity | cused without he consented to his m ourself in. He cannot sail without my | ee and who packed up all the jewels and money she could lay her hands upon. Poor little child, she trembled with fear and. delight. —_ a box of clothes on board, and in the box was her fortune of three hundred dollars. Mr. Hicks oer in his sleeve, so did Jack; and every one went to with expectations that their wishes would be dinner, Captain Hogs Gascoigne went on board, both squeezing Jack’s hands as if they were never to see him again, and looks of in- telligence passed between all the parties, As soon as they were out of the door the vice-consul iss Hicks, who thought he chuckled at the idea of having rid himself of Captain Hogg, her confidant; and our hero, for reasons known to the reader, chuckled more than either of them. A little before dark, the boat was sent on shore from the brig, which was now under way, and Mr. Hicks, as had been agreed, said that he should go into the office and prepare the vouchers—that is, put on his sister’s Midshipman Hasy. Miss Hicks smuggled, as she | and | 25 joined the admiral. Gascoigne gradually recovered himself, but did not speak to our hero, who continued to laugh and drink porter. On the eleventh morning they were in the midst of the Toulon fleet, and Mr. Hicks smiled exultingly as he passed our hero in his petticoats, and wondered that Jack showed no signs of trepidation. e fleet hove-to, Jack ran under the admiral’s stern, lowered down his boat, and went on board, showed his credentials, and reported his bullocks. The general signal was made, there was a fair division of the a and then the admiral asked our hero whether the master of the transport had any other eee —— ee eee stock on board. Jack replied that he had not; chuckled still more as she looked at our hero, who was | but that having been told by the governor of Malta that they might be acceptable, he had bought a few sheep and some dozen of fowls, which were much _at his service, if he would accept of them. The ad- Jack, for thinkin clothes, Miss Hicks immediately rose, and wishing our | hero a pleasant voyage, as had en agreed, said that | she should retire for the night, as she had a bad head- | } ache—she wished her brether good-night, and went into | shoved off the boat to deceive the vice-consul, was to _her room to wait another hour, when our hero, having | return, meet her in the garden, and take her off to the | brig. Our-hero then went into the office and the vice-consul, who took off all his own clothes and | tied them up in a handkerchief, intending to resume them after he had gone into the cabin. As soon as he was ready, Jack carried his bundle and led the supposed Miss Hicks down to the boat. They shoved nity of dropping Mr. Hicks’s bundle overboar soon as they arrived alongside, Mr. Hicks ascended, and was handed by Jack down into the cabin: he squeezed Jack’s hand as he entered, saying in a whis- r, ‘*To-morrow . mornh ave!’’ and then he locked the door. In the mean- time the boat was hooked on and hoisted up, and Jack took the precaution to have the dead lights lowered, miral was much obliged to the governor, and also to of him, but would not, of course, accept of the stock without paying for them. He re- quested him to send all of them on board that he could spare, and then asked Jack to dine with him, for ack had put on his best attire, and looked very much of a gentleman. ““Mr. Easy,’ said the flag-captain, who had been looking at the transport with his glass, “‘is that the master’s wife on board?” ** No, sir,” replied Jack; “its the vice-consul.”’ “What, in petticoats! the vice-consul.”’ “Yes, the vice-consul of Tetuan. He came on board in that dress when the brig was under weigh, and I | very important it was that the fleet shoul na great hurry, and Jack took an Ses | . As} considered it my duty not to delay, being aware how be provided with fresh beef.” ‘““What is all this, Mr. Easy?” said the admiral; “there has been some trick here, You will oblige me what a laugh we shall | that Mr. Hicks might not be able to ascertain what was | going on. Gascoigne came up to our hero and squeezed s hand “I’m so much obliged to you Jack. I say, to-mor- row morning what a laugh we shall have!”’ As soon as the boat was up, and the mainyard filled, Captain Hogg also came up to our hero, shaking him by the han a laugh we shall have!” “ Sag Smee 2 laugh who win,”’ thought Jack. e to sleep, ee for to-morrow morning. also, having nothi by coming into the cabin.” Easy followed the admiral and flag-captain into the cabin, and then boldly told the whole story how he tricked them all. It was impossible for either of them to help laughing, and when they began to laugh, it was almost as impossible to stop. “Mr. Easy,” said the admiral at last, “‘I do not alto- gether blame you; it appears that the captain of the transport would have delayed sailing because he was in love, and that Mr. Gascoigne would have stayed be- hind because he was infatuated, independent of the ill- will against the English which would have been excited by the abduction of the girl. But I think you might and thanking him; and he too concluded | have contrived to manage all that without putting the off your little by saying, ‘‘I say, Mr. Easy, to-morrow morning what | vice-consul in petticoats.’ ‘*T acted to the best of my judgment, sir,” replied Captain Mal- Mr. Hicks was too impatient to tell his wrongs to care | Jack, very humbly. nd ‘was fair, the watch was set, the course was | e house; all the danger will be in her steered, and all went down to their hammocks ~~ went | colm, send a boat for the vice-consul.”’ r. Hicks, | ng better to do, went to sleep, and by | for his being in his sister’s clothes: he came on board, ‘“‘And altogether you have done well. the morning dawn, the transport Mary Ann was more | and although the tittering was great, he imagined that than a hundred miles from the African shore. CHAPTER XXV. OUR HERO PLAYS THE VERY D EVIL. We must leave the reader toimagine the effect of the | side of the deck; but the admiral replied, ‘‘ Mr Every one wasina fury Hicks, in the first plave, this appears to me to next morning's denouement. it would soon be all in his favor, when it was known that he was a diplomatic. He told his story and waited for the decision of the admiral, which was to crush our hero, who stood with the midshipmen on the lee except Jack, who did nothing but laugh. The captain | be a family affair concerning the marriage of your wanted to return to obtain Miss Hicks, Gascoigne the wind was foul for their return, and Jack soon tain on his side. He pointed out to him ob- | sister, tain Azar, and the vice-consul to obtain his liberty—but | went on board of your own free will wit You in woman’s which I have nothing to do. | clothes. Mr. Easy’s orders were positive, and he obeyed them. It was his duty to sail as soon as the transport ed the ca frat, in the first place, if he presumed to return, he | was ready. You may forward your complaint it you would forfeit his charter bond; in the second, he would | please, but, as a meee I tell you that it will probably have to pay for all,the bullocks that died; in the third, , occasion your dismissa e wished to take Miss Hicks as his wife, he | not understood at the Foreign Office. You may return that if ; for these kind of pranks are must not first injure her character by wae her on | to the transport, which, after she has touched at 1 board before the solemnity; and lastly, that always go and marry her whenever brother could not prevent him. All this was very good advice, and the captain became quite calm and rational, and set his studding-sails below and aloft. As for Gascoigne, it was no use reasoning with him, so it was ag soon as they could go on shore again. the most violent; he insisted that the vessel should re- turn, which both Jack and the captain refused, al- though he threatened them with the whole Foreign Office. He insisted upon having his clothes, but Jack replied that they had tumbled overboard as they pulled from the shore. He then commanded the mate and men to take the vessel back, but they laughed at him and his woman's clothes. ‘At all events, I'll have you turned out of the service,’ said he to our hero in his fury.. “I shall be extremely obliged to you,” said Jack —and Captain Hogg was so much amused with the vice- consul’s appearance in his sister's clothes that he quite forgot his own am, pan oe w. He made friends again with Jack, who regained his ascendancy, and or- _of his tumbler, as if he could devour our hero, who only laughed the more. Mr. Hicks had applied to the men to lend him some clothes, but Jack and he was omnipotent. There was not a jacket or a pair of trowsers to be had for love or for money. Mr. Hicks theui considered it advisable to lower his tone, and he applied to Captain Hogg, who begged to be ex- age with sister, to which Mr. Hicks gave an indignant negative. | He then applied to Gascoigne, who told him in a very | surly tone to go to h—ll. At last he applied to our hero, who laughed and said he would see him d—d first. Mr. Hicks sat down in petticoats and vowed revenge. Gascoigne, who had drank much and eaten nothing turned in ‘and went to sleep—while Captain Hogg and our hero drank porter on the capstern, Thus passed the h, first day, and the wind was famously fair—the bullocks lowed, the cocks crew, the sheep baa’d, and the Ma Ann made upward of two hundred miles. Jack too | ession of the other berth in the cabin, and his Majesty's representative was ob to lie down in his petticoats upon a topsail which lay between decks, with _@ bullock on each side of at him with thelr horns, as if they knew e could | Mahon, will e pleased; the alongside, sir.” in laughing | shall have a fine hat bim,.” | dered out the porter on the capstern-head, They had: Captain H replied that it would be an excellent an excellent dinner, but Mr. Hicks refused to join them, joke, as Gascoigne did before him. which, however, did not spoil the appetite of Jack or | Now it must be observed, that the water and the bul- | the captain: as for Gascoigne, he could not eat a ul, but he drank to excess, re, over the rim | ad foreseen that, — his | 50 _ who every now and then | roceed again to Tetuan. The boat is Mr. Hicks, astonished at the want of respect paid toa vice-consul, shoved his petticoats between his , and went down the side amidst the laughter of the whole of the ship’s company. Our hero dined with the admiral, that he should have satisfaction as | and was well received. He got his orders to sail that Mr. Hicks was | night for Minorca, and as soon as dinner was over he re ed on board, where he found Captain H very _ busy selling his porter—Gascoigne walking the deck in a brown study—and Mr. Hicks solus abaft, sulking in his petticoats. As soon as they were clear of the boats, the Mary Ann hoisted her e and made sail, and as all the porter was not yet sold, Jack ordered up a bottle. Jack was much pleased with the result of his explan- ation with the admiral, and he felt that, for once, he had not only got into no scrape himself, but that he had eee others. Gascoigne walked the deck gloomily ; he fact was, that he was very unhappy; he had time to reflect, and now that the first violence had sub- sided, he felt that our hero had done hima real servi and had prevented him from committing an act o egregious folly; and yet he had summoned this friend to meet him in the field—and such had been his grati- tude. He would have given the world to recall what had passed, and to make friends, but he felt ashamed, as most people do, to acknowledge his error; he had, _ however, almost made up his mind to it, and was waik- ing up and down thinking in what manner he might contrive it, when Jack, who was sitting, as us in @ chair by the capstern, with his porter by him, said to himself, “Now I'll lay my life that Ned wants to make friends, and is ashamed to speak first; I may be mistaken, and he may fly off at a tangent; but even if I am, at all events it will not be I who am wrong—I'll try him.” Jack waited till Gascoigne passed him again, and then said, looking kindly and knowingly in ace: s face: “T say, Ned, will you have a glass of porter?” | Gascoigne smiled, and Jack held out his hand; the reconciliation was effected in a moment, and the sub- ject of quarrel was not canvassed by either party. ‘We shall be at Minorca in a day or two,” observed Jack, after a while; “now I shall be glad to get there. Do you know, Ned, that I feel very much satisfied with myself; I have got into no scrape this time, and I shall, notwithstanding, have a good story to tell the governor when I go to Malta.” ‘Partly at my expense,” replied Gascoigne. “Why, you will figure a little ia it, but others will figure much more.” > fi | “*T wonder what has become of that poor girl,’’ ob- to drive the scurvy out served Gascoigne, who could not refrain from mention- ing her; “what hurts me most is, that she must think “No doubt of that, Ned—take another glass of made a dart him. — your boat to be off at daylight | that. it was to him that they were indebted for their em- to take you ashore, and then I will make him proceed barkation and being destined to Toulon forthwith. It will be a capital joke. of the Toulon fleet. §So thought the vi as well as Gascoigne and| We cannot enter into the details of the passage, which, | me such a brute.” aptain Hogg. He shook hands with Jack, wasas | as the wind was fair, was accomplished in ten da vil to him as before. without the loss of a bullock. Dv this time Mr. porter That night G ne left one of Miss Hicks’ many | Hicks condescended to eat without g, imagining arerses Azar, who agreed to follow his fortunes. | that the hour of re