Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 128 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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the schooner had rushed swiftly through the Pass, and was heading for the shore beyond, as though knowing escape was impossible, her cap- tain intended beaching her and saving himself and crew by taking to the forest. Apparently believing this to be his design, the cutter and the brigantine, both entering the Pass together, sailed side by side, and followed in the wake of the chase, fully assured that at last the famous El Maldito’s piratical days had ended. “Good God! he intends to beach her; I am surprised at that, for the Chevalier has a nature that would make him risk running out between | can vessel,” said Lieutenant Frayne, whom | the cruisers, and taking the chances of their sinking him,” cried Alvarez Navarro. ‘*And I have been the cause of this?” said Stella, sadly. ‘*Oh, no; we believed that there was trouble on the lugger, so put back to see, and, as free rovers, we must take the chances,” indifferently said the young officer. ‘* And if he beaches his vessel?” ‘‘Then they will have to take to the forest ay escape, 80 he may reach the city as soon as do, ‘* But will lose his beautiful vessel?’ ‘*Oh, yes; but not long will the Chevalier Corsair remain ashore, for he will soon have another craft, though ki Maldito’s match will be hard to find; but, see, the schooner does not strike the beach!” ‘There is a lagoon there, sefor,” answered one of his men. . ‘* Ah! I see now, and heis running intoit; I see he ha determined to stand at bay, and fight the boats off, if they attack.” ‘‘ Many years ago, seflor, when I was a boy, | The Chevalier Corsair. each vessel, making a very formidable force with which to attack the schooner, for there were over a hundred and fifty men in them, and the two that led the way each carried a six-pound howitzer mounted in the bows. With steady stroke the little fleet moved up the bayou, two abreast, the cutter’s boats upon the starboard, the brigantine’s on the left, and only the length of their oars apart, the two | commanders had an opportunity to converse to- gether as to what course the Chevalier Corsair would pursue. “T learn that he never fires upon an Ameri- ! | | | Harold Sylvester had left in command of the | | back to the mouth of the inlet; he ightened my Jarnival, carrying Walter Nevil along with | boat ofits crew and sent me back to tell you, Huntress when he went to the city to see the him, and approaching in his boat by a small bayou that led into the city’s limits. ‘‘ He does not take American vessels as his | game, and I have only known him to fire once upon me, though I have often had him in a hot p ace, and have thrown tons of iron away upon im,” answered Captain Dumont. ** He did fire wpon you once, then?’ ‘* Yes; but it was when [ had him in as close a place as he is in now, almost, for I had him on a lee-shore, and he had to run the gantlet of a frigate’s fire to escape; but, just as we were certain he would have to fight, surrender or blow up his schooner, he suddenly lay to, and I saw the chief himself swing his long pivot twenty-four around and sight it, and I can tell ; } | —_—_—_—___=-_® ee ee ee — —_ into the larger one, and where they had parted with the cutter’s men, they turned we y into the lagoon that led away to the right; but sud- denly coming toward them was an eight-oared | barge, with no crew but its oarsmen, and a mid- shipman in the stern. Before he camein hailing distance he waved his hands for them © stop, and coming nearer, shouted : “Back! back to the brigantine and get under way, for the bayou is no longer choked up, and the corsair has gained open water.” ** And Captain Dumont?” called out Lieuten- ant Frayne. “Is pulling with all haste along the shore besides firing the howitzer.” ‘* Back water; about all! pull for your lives, men,” shouted Lieutenant rayne, and the eut- ter’s boat dashing up, all five rowed back down the bayou, the oarsmen bending to their oars — a will that caused the blades to bend like a Ww. ‘* And the pirate has escaped?’ asked Lieuten- ant Frayne, in a disappointed tone, as the mid- shipman’s barge rowed abreast of him. ‘Tt looks s», sir; we got out of the inlet to see him standing leisurely away under easy sail, and about a mile distant, and, in firing the signals to you, we sent a shot after him; but he took no notice of it whatever.” ‘*Then he towed through the bayonus, with ou, sir, it was a dead shot, for it cut my fore- | his boats out ahead?” mast off ten feet above the deck, caused me to ‘“Yos, sir; he knew, what we did not, that broach-to, and away he went again like a | the bayou was no longer choked up, and in run- racer, darting in between the Chandeleurs, where I thought a keel dare not go, and thus | us, and which we my father was a smuggler on this coast, and the | avoiding the frigate’s fire, and running out into lagoon the chief has run into was open, and a | the Gulf as‘coolly as though he was on a plea- boat could go, by the numerous bayous, all the | sure cruise.” : way to the city’s edge; but it has been choked _ with deposits of late years, I’ve heard, and e pretty craft has run intoa trap, for even a large bateau cannot run up more thana mile now,” said the man; who had been the one to whom Alvarez Navarro had resigned the helm. ‘* Well, we'll soon hear the music of combat, for I do not believe the Chevalier will allow even his own countrymen to take him without ® savage fight in self-defense, and may the holy Vi spare him.” e same prayer is upon my lips, sefior,” said Stella Enderos, tere 6 and shortening sail n a the lugger, as the wind steadily increased, allen board waited to hear the sound of con- flict, for both the cutter and the brigantine had followed the schooner into the bayou, and the tall trees had hidden even their lofty topmasts from sight. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE CORSAIR’S TRUMP CARD. Swe by side the two cruisers, the one a rapid sailing cutter, which had for two years been a terror to outlaw crafts upon the lakes and among the Chandeleur Islands, and the other the brigantine, also a vessel of marked , entered the mouth of the lagoon-or bayou, into which a quarter of an hour before the schooner had disappeared. As they were but a short distance apart, each crew could see upon the decks of the other ves- sel, and an officer of middle age, who stood, trumpet in hand on the quarter-deck of the cut- ter, hailed the brigantine and asked: “ What brigantine-of-war is that?” ‘‘The Huntress, ordered South on a cruise in the Gulf and Caribbean Sea for buccaneers,” answered a young lieutenant, who was evident- ly in command, though his uniform showed the rank of a junior lieutenant. ‘*f am glad to meet you, sir; I am Captain Dumont, and [ command this cutter, the Sleuth- hound; are you Captain Harold Sylvester, who I learned was to command the Huntress?” queried the officer of the cutter. ‘*No, sir, I am only the officer in charge, Capthin Sylvester having gone ashore to visit the city; seeing the schooner, and suspecting her of mischief, Iran ouf last night from my ancho and gave chase.” “You were right, sir; that is the famous schooner Kl Maldito, and her commander is Belmont the Buccaneer, who is also called the Chevalier Corsair; | have chased him half a dundred times, but he is at last caught in a snare, and I will be glad to have you join me in the eapture of the noted pirate.” ith pleasure, Captain Dumont, and from ail I have beard of the Chevalier Corsair we will both bave our hands full. What depth have we in this bayou?’ ‘‘ Ob, wecan run up to the bend yonder, and then will have to attack in our boats,” and with equal speed the two vessels, their crews at their guns, and all hopeful of soon capturing the great sea rover, stood on together, until they came to the bend referred to by Captain Du- mont. — There the bayou narrowed to a creck, not two hundred feet in width, and both cruisers came to anchor, and then followed the orders: ** Man the boats!” In a few minutes after the anchors were let fall four boats, crowded with armed men, left ‘But you do not think he will fight now, Captain Dumont?’ “If he don’t he’s a fool, for he'll hang as sure as he surrenders; but he may set his schooner on fire, and take to the woods with his crew, and in that case he can escape, though he loses his craft, and she’s the fastest that ever spread sail in these waters—there, now we can see for half a mile ahead of us.” ‘* And the schooner is nowhere visible.” ‘* No, but she must be soon, for the overflow of the swampsome years ago choked up this bayou, and fishermen say that a pirogue even cannot pass,” and Captain Dumont raised his glass to his eyes and peered searchingly ahead. The bayou, as they went on, continued to nar- row still more, and its low banks were bordered by swamp cypress trees, loaded down by fes- toons of gray moss, through which it was im- possible to see half a dozen yards, and it was evident that some men in the ts ex an ambush, for many an anxious look was turned upon the shores, as if anticipating a line of fire burst forth, and feel the deadly bullets crashing into their midst. At last the second bend of the bayou was reached and turned, and again the view was unobstructed for half a mile; but still po schooner appeared in sight, and Lieutenant phi a glanced over to Captain Dumont in- uiringly. | bars Barings: I have not been up this lagoon for many years, but it seems to me that we should have reached the barrier the overfiow made across it,” said that officer. And on the boats pulled steadily until another bend showed another bayou branching off to the right, while the one they followed ied inland further. : ‘What does this mean? Ido not recall this second lagoon,” said the surprised captain of the cutter, and the little fleet of eight boats came to a stand-still, the men resting upon their oars. ‘‘Whatis to be done, sir?’ asked Lieutenant Frayne, not knowing what to suggest. “¥ do not remember this bayou, sir, but my memory may be treacherous, as it was so long ago since I was here; but let us divide forces, you going to the left, I to the right, and a shot trom our howitzer will be a signal for us to come to the other’s aid, if we discover the schoonor,” said the captain. ‘‘ Ay, ay, sir: give way, men!” and the brig- antine’s boats kept away to the left, while the, cutter’s held on to the right, and soon they were lost to sight of each other. For a mile Lieutenant Frayne held on, and then came to a staad-still, for fallen trees barred his further passage, and it was evident the schooner had not gone that way. “ Put about, all! We'll join the cutter’s boats, and pull with a will!” said the ya ge Te officer: but, as he spoke there echoed through the gloomy forest the deep boom of a heavy gun, causing many a sleepy alligator to plunge from the banks into the water, and water-birds to fiv shrieking through the woods. ‘Pull hard, all! that’s the signal, and Cap- tain Dumont has found the corsair,” shouted the lieutenant, and, as another deep boom was heard, and then another, the crews of the boats gave a wild cheer and sent them flying through .the water. Reaching the spot where the bayono flowed ning in here was playing a trump card against had no idea he held,” replied the young middy, who doubtless passed his leisure aboard ship in the steerage over a game of cards. ‘Tt is too bad indeed; but with two such fleet vessels as the cutter and ms Be in his wake, eaeey yet be taken; pull, lads, pull with a Wwul, ‘* I doubt it, sir, though I ho special curiosity to see the Chevalier Corsair; but, fast as your brigantine is, sir, I noticed the schooner held her own this morning, and had not all her canvas set.” ‘*True; but there are the vessels,” and raising his voice until it rung like a trumpet, Lieuten- ant Frayne shouted: , Ho! the cutter! up so, as I have a ‘*Ho! the Huntress! with your anchors! set all sail! lively, lads, lively !” Aware that something of astartling nature had occurred, the officers left in charge of the two vessels obeyed with alacrity, and the cut- ter and the brigantine swung clear by the time the boats were alongside. To hoist them to their davits, and get under way, with all canvas set, was short work, and out of the inlet dashed the fleet sea-warriors hot on the track of the daring corsair. When clear of the shores they met the boats of the cutter, and Captain Dumont was livid with rage as he boarded his vessel, and in spite of the gale that was blowing, ordered more sail set, for just a league away, dashing toward the pass between the lakes, was the saucy pirate schooner, with nothing to bar her flight to the open waters of the Gulf. _ And away across the low point of land, creep- ing toward her hiding-place, could be seen the tops of the lugger’s lateen sails, while upon her decks, Alvarez Navarro and bis men were re- joicing over the escape of their daring chief, for they could see that El Maldito was showing a clean pair of heels to her disappointed pursuers. CHAPTER XXXYV. A CORSAIR’S MUSINGS. “WHERE will you head, sefior chief?’ The speaker was the officer next in rank aboard El Maldito, to Alvarez Navarro, and al- most a giant in form, but with a face that was full of courage, and not devoid of kindness. ‘* To the Balize, Mr. Morgan, and I trust, we be not too late,” was the reply of the Chevalier Corsair, as he turned his gaze astern upon the cutter and brigantine a league and a half away, but pressing on swiftly in pursuit. “Tsit a treasure-ship from Spain, or Portu- 1, making the port of Orleans you wish to ead off, sir?” asked Morgan, the lieutenant yet in a polite tone, thatshowed interest instead of inquisitiveness, **No, it is a West Indian caravel;: once the cee yacht of Don Ivan Enderos, whose acienda we raided some time since; she sailed from New Orleans early last evening, and was boldly cut out by my old friend, but now my bitterest foe, Conrado Costello, who has deter- mined to raise the black flag, and be guilty of a crime which I have sworn he shall not accom- plish; don’t spare canvas, Mr. Morgan, for we must head the caravel off at the Balize, or else we may have to follow her to Boston harbor, and a stern chase will bea long one with her for we sailed out of St. Jago with her once and E! Maldito nearly found ber match.” ‘*}] remember her now, sefior; but El Maldite had on her bonest sails then as a coaster: but with her dishonest canvas set, as she has now, there’s no keel been laid ever driven through => comic S ICO - ; ; —— , ae~B , a -