Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 137 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

aS a aes Long Beard, t fell under its awful sweep. ‘he floor at the giant’s feet was piled with struggling men, and slippery with blood. The voice of Kirby Kale was heard above the din of conflict, urging the men on. Rankin fell under a blow. Long Beard fought alone, and inch by inch the foe pressed him back into the room; the tide of battle was slowly but surely turning against him. The eyes of the great man blazed with an un- earthly fire. In the dim light that pervaded the room his tall form and venerable beard ren- dered him grand and imposing, His very soul seemed inspired with the majesty of strength. He seemed possessed of a charmed life, and within that nimbus of unearthly power the foe disappeared, one by one, bleeding and dy- in &. But this was not to last long. A soldier suc- ceeded in getting in behind the giant and deal- ing him a blow upon the head. He staggered forward, and before be could recover his foot- ing half a dozen men were upon him. Thus overpowered, he was borne to the floor and se- curely bound. ‘*At last, my venerable Long Beard,” said Kirby Kale, glaring triumphantly down upon the old man. A look of loathing—unutterable scorn—was the latter’s only response, and even from this Kirby Kale involuntarily started back. Neither one affected ignorance of the other’s identity now—they recognized themselves as foes to the death! CHAPTER XVII. THE WATER SPRITE’S RETURN. WE will not attempt to describe what fol- lowed the capture of Long Beard, Margery and Captain Rankin. They were all bound and carried away to the boats, the woman ina state of total unconsciousness, Kirby Kale searched the cabin through and through as if for something which he particu- larly wanted. He ransacked every box, nook and corner in the house. In a small chest in a bedroom he found an infant’s clothes and some playthings all ogioee | folded and laid away. A sigh, then an oath escaped the lips of the ruthless plunderer when his eyes fell upon the infantile garments and trinkets. ith set teeth and clenched fists he sat and azed upon them, his thoughts reverting to the im t. Then, as a mist gathe in the sinful man’s eyes, that hard, wicked look on his faee softened; his soul seemed smarting under the remorseless reproaches of a guilty conscience, Finally be dashed everything aside and with a violent oath strode out of the building. Just across the threshold he stopped, when he saw that his men had all gone to the boats with the dead, wounded an risoners, Terror seized upon him when he found that he was alone in the gloomy night. He trembled—his teeth chattered and his soul cowered. Then that terrible death-warning, that strange ‘* chirp” rung startling upon the air. With a bound the English officer reached the darkness as a bullet cut through the space where he ha © ran wit speed, on by the phantom of vengeance, down to the boats, where he found the men in a pat of fury over the loss of every oar left on the boats, This loss delayed their retreat all of an hour until oars could be extemporized from boards torn from the outbuildings. In the mean time Happy Harry was busy. Having stole about, putting in a deadly shot now and then, until he saw that his aid was of no further avail to his friends, he turned, and hurrying down to the boats, removed and con- cealed every oar. Then he crept back into the bushes and waited until the soldiers had emerged from the cabin with their captives. Fearing, however, that there might be others in the cabin, he waited several minutes, when, true enough, a man appeared in the doorway. He recog- ized the form by its outlines as that of Kirby Kale. Raising his rifle, and giving utterance to his warning cry, he fired, with the result al- ready seen. Satisfied that the house was deserted, he crept up to the door and entered. Ail around gave evidence of the dreadful struggle; the ruin was complete—that home was indeed deso- late. With a heavy heart he turned to go out, when Belshazzar uttered a low growl and crouched in the doorway as if about to spring upon something in the darkness without. Harry’s first thought was that one of the soldiers had returned to the cabin. He glanced out into the night; all was gloom; but a voice from out the darkness came: ; **Doggy, will you bite?—here, fellow,” it we) in a low, musical tone, tremulous with ear. ‘*Be still, Belshazzar!” commanded the youth, and his dog rose from his couchant po- sition and turned aside. Then the darkness seemed to part, and from between the walls of gloom a light ap ed— the — of a sweet, angelic face. young irl of sixteen crossed the threshold and con- nted the boy. | In speechless wonder he stood and regarded the maiden, who, running her eyes about the room and seeing its disorder, cried out: ‘*Oh, where are my friends?’ Harry knew her now—the maiden called Tempy, who had gone to Colonel Miller with Captain Rankin’s dispatches. ‘‘l’m sorry—very sorry to say,” the lac re- plied, recovering from his momentary embar- rassment, ‘‘ that the English soldiers took your friends away to their brig.” ‘‘Oh, my poor papa! my poor sister!—it will kill them, kill them!” she oried,-wringing her little hands in a paroxysm of grief. ‘Little woman,” said the youth, with rude pro pcde “‘T b’lieve I know who you are, ieard ‘your sister Margery tell Long Beard that Tempy had gone off with some dispatches tio fhe head-quarters of some colonel, and I guess you’re the girl, are you not?” 9 Ves, sir, | am,” ‘Well, you see, I’m Happy Harry, and am down here with the govenir—tbat’s Long Beard. I’m a friend of hisn, and done all I could to keep them p’isen English from capturin’ them. But it wasn’t nouse. They come too many, and bu’stin’ the door down, bolted in. But I tell you, miss, a hornet stung a few of them red- coats, as they won’t hear another buzz this side of the judgment day. I’ve been the very edge of despair—a brink of eternity to several of ’em, and I can jist fight for you like a nest of hornits. And that ole dog, Belshazzar, ’ll fight for an an- el any time; but, as we’re not overly safe here, iss Temple, we’d better get away from bere. Them sou Boa te English are on this island, yit, and are liable to drop in on us at any mo- ment,” ‘*And what became of the young captain— Mr. Rankin, whom I left here?” ‘* He was taken with the others.” ** Taken !—where to?” ‘Them English are soldiers, and jist off the Pleiads to the north, they’ve got a small brig- of-war, and it’s to that vessel they'll take your friends.” Tempy’s eyes filled with tears, and her slen- der form shook with deep emotion. Her tears touched Harry’s heart, for his me Shean he sighed heavily, and, turning aside, he drew his at across his eyes, and said, in a half-choked voice: ‘*Come, Temple, we’d better git out of here into the night, afore them varmints find you’re here, or all creation will be overturned to git ou. “T have friends near here,” Tempy replied. ‘We heard firing in the vicinity of the house as we How ck seve the island, and as 1 was ac- quain with every foot of the ground, [ in- sisted on their allow ng me to creep up and see what was the matter, for fear of some trap.” ‘*Who are your friends?” ‘An escort of soldiers under Lieutenant Reeder, of Colonel Miller’s command.” “The great i foe hornits! you don’t say? Why, I’m jist at home with them fellers, Tem- ple, rt am, for a munificent fact. I know every mother’s boy of ’em better’n a book. Just lead the way to whar they be; I want to grapple with ’em.” hae he led the way from the cabin, along a dim path through the undergrowth—down to the beach where seven men, in the uniform of United States soldiers, were waiting. ‘*My friends are all taken captives,” sobbed Tempy, as they approached the men. ““Indeed! It is too bad, but I see you are not alone,” said one of the men, whose voice Happy gnized as that of Lieutenant Philip “ No, sir, she’s not alone, Lieutenant Reeder,” the youth answered, stepping forward, ‘“‘Happy Harry, the Wild Boy!” exclaimed the soldiers. Lieutenant Reeder ge the youth’s hand, and shaking it warmly, asked: ‘* What’s the trouble here, Harry? Have the English got this far down?” * You mean this fur up, don’t yout—up from Satan’s dominions?” ‘* Well, have it as you please, but what's the trouble?” Harry narrated all that had transpired on the and during the night. The soldiers, completely astonished by his story, knew not what course to pursue, so turned to Harry for suggestion. ‘“Hornits!” exclaimed the youth, “if my say ’d do the work, I’d say exterminate the Englishers and Indians, overrun Canada, and take possession of the province and run it in our own private interests. But, as we’re only a few, we'd better do the best we can.” “Well, what can we do? that’s the ques- tion.’ ‘*Let me see,” said the hoy, scratching his head, reflectively. ‘‘I guess we’d better hide this little angel here on the island, then we’ll take to the lake, row down toward the brig, and see what we can do about takin’ possession of the institution,” ‘* Preposterous!” exclaimed Lieutenant Reed- er. “Thar’s nothin’ onpossible, Lieutenant Phil. Ionce heard of a man that surrounded a bull he Giant Spy. —— + Gee squad of men and captured ’em. Why, it’s nothin’ after you git used to it once. When you git to be an ole veteran like me, you’ll buckle right up and attack a cannon, and if it arn’t loaded you may carry the works. And so it is with the brig; if we'll spruce right up to bei, we may capturo her, providin’ her crew is not aboard, ** Oh, certainly; but that is not likely to be.” “It is, lieutenant, likely to be,” returned Harry; “you see, the dogged thing war atrwid torup down here among the islands and bars without takin’ soundin’s and so they anchored up thar and sent a boat: down here to reconnoi- ter; but, ’atwixt mo and Belshazzar, we man- aged to extract their boat out from under ’em, and then I talked out of my long-ranged mouth to ’em, when click, click, whang-che-bang went their old muskets into the Bip ynight. These sounds made them up at the brig think a battle was goin’ on, sodown to the islands come an- other boat-load of English buzzards, and after a while here come another, and so I don’t think there were many left at the big boat. All ofa score of men came down, and | can’t see what more’n that’s a-doin’ aboard a little affair like that brig. But, say there are five left: I believe we can gitin ahead of them as have been here, and ’salt the brig and hercrew. I do for a monstrous fact.” ** But those that were here may be at the brig ere this.” *‘Nary brig; they’re on this island yit—at the t’other end, buntin’ for oars to paddle their old shebangs with. You see, I abstracted the oars from their boats when they were at the cabin raisin’ hob, and dog my cats if I didn’t for- git to put ’em back; and it’s causeda botherated elay to’em sweet-scented royalists, If they git to the boat in the next two hours they'll do well, and so we might try to take the brig in out of the wet; and if we manage things right, we night cabbage a few of the crew. I'll take a little canoe layit’ right around there and lead the way to within bailin’ distance of the brig when you can stop, and I'll go on and git aboard the British renegade and find out how many men’s aboard of her. If thar’s two or three or such a matter, lll give a whistle, and then you 09 f proudly down upon us and board the “That is easier proposed than executed Harry,” said Lieutenant, der. ‘*Great hoppin’ bornits, yes! in course it is easier to do the talk than the work, lieutenant. But then, we must always lay our plans and work up to ’em. Now, that brig, lieutenant is not goin’ to be fool enough to pull up and run down here and surrender herself to us. No, sir; we’ve got to go up there and Jam thunder outen her crew of red-coats, and in course we’ve got to get up and buzz. Here’s seven of you and one of me, that’s eight. Belshazzar I'll leave with Miss Temple. ell eight is a good force. Every Yankee is ekel to three Britishers: that makes eight times three, which is forty-four—forty-four red-coats that wecan whip. Just think of it, Lieutenant Reeder! But then, what’s the use talkin’? it’s only wastin’ time. If you won’t with me, I believe Pll run up alone and the brig a jolt or two. I’ve done just as foolish a thing as to attack a man-of-war, and come out oP ca Ihave for an extended fact. It’s all in one can’t tell what he can do till he tries. what do you say, lieutenant—go? or stay!” Lieutenant Reeder was a soldier, bvé he had no practical experience in the field, therefore he used more discretion about veut into unknown dangers than the ‘** old veteran” who | has been uncer fire, as it were. He was slow and cautious — brave, but »ot yenturesome; Sid he qools nos me me and hear a y—a mere child—like Happy Harry, ng for his assistance in an undertaking Be 3 eclared he would attempt alone, if not aided. Therefore the officer consented to his proposi- tion, and at once prepared for departure. Tempy was concealed in a clump of bushes, and Belshazzar left to protect her. She was somewhat reluctant about remaining behind; but when apprised of the danger to which she would be ra Soa in caso she accompanied them, she yielded to her friends’ desire—pray- ing that success might crown the expedition and lead to the rescue of ber father and sister ” The soldiers at once embarked in their own boat—a six-oared barge, creeping away through the darkness after the indomitable Happy Harry, who, in asmall canoe, headed toward the brig-of-war. CHAPTER XVIII. ‘BRIG AHOY!” AuTnovuet Lieutenant Reeder’s boat was, as stated, provided with three pairs of cars, that were handled by three strong, skillful men, it was scarce able to keep up with the little craft manned by Happy Harry. The darkn ss was somewhat against the lieutenant’s party, but by careful watching they were enabled to keep the Wild Boy in sight. In this manner they traveled nearly a eur when the young bor- deyman dropped alongside their boat, and said: — : Boys, do you see that light off hereaways?”’ “Yes,” was the general response. luck But, IOOKS EOMMIC (0)