Beadle's Dime Library No. 151 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

— = ————- - —- —— The Freebooters. At this moment a loud detonation made the ves- Sel quiver: “ Ah!" said Dona Mencia with a cry of terror, ‘* what does that mean?”’ “Less than nothing, senorita; we have merely hoisted our flag, and a blank shot, to oblige the brig to show: her colors.” ‘Would there be = $ danger in going on deck?"’ Dona Mencia asked with curiosity. ‘In that case, your ission, we willgo up and see what is happening.” **T am at your orders, senorita.”’ The breakfast was over; they left the table and went up on the quarter-deck. The ship offered to the sight of persons unacquainted with naval affairs, & most singular and attractive nt aaonas The Soahalhe breeze had bellied the ; the corvette ounded over the waves like a gazelle, but did not take in a drop of water over the catheads. On deck, the crew were standing silent and motionless by the standing rigging, the gunners at their pieces, and the topmen at their posts. On the forecastle Rami- rez and his sixteen men were collected near the head, apparently indifferent, but actually watching the movements of the Mexican. At about a gun- shot and a half distant, the brig could be seen, from whose peak haughtily floated a large American flag. “I suspected it,” said the commandant, “it is a privateer, and has hoisted American colors to de- ceive us, but we are on our guard.” , **Do you think, then, that ship is not American?” Don Serapio asked. “No more than you are; it isan Argentine, or Brazilian privateer.” ‘Still, it appears American built." “That proves nothing; our ships, bought in differ- ent countries, have nothing that causes them to be ized, for we have no docks.” “ That is true; but look, she is going to tack.” “Yes, the sails are beginning to shiver.” The Mexicans fancied themselves so secure from an attack, that most of the crew had left their quarters to follow the maneuvers of the brig; the sailors, perched on HB pone or leaning out of the ports, were curiously looking on, with- out dreaming of the danger such a breach of discipline might entail. In the mean while the bri came round, as Don Serapio had said. Suddenly, a the moment when it completed the maneuver, a de- tonation was heard, a shrill whistle cut through the air, and the corvette’s bowsprit, pierced by a ball, fell into the sea, dragging with it the foremast. This produ an extraordinary pause and con- fusion on board the corvette; the terrified sailors ran about in all directions, listening to nothing. At length the commandant succeeded in overcomin the tumult; the crew recognized his voice, and a the order to fire, fifteen guns thundered at once, in reply to the unjustifiable aggression of the privateer. CHAPTER XX. THE PRIZE. Vetere oy sustained by the corvette was serious; the bowsprit is the 3 of the ship's g, its loss entailed tof the come es ich the main-top- mast, no longer stayed, speedily followed. The ut- most disorder ailed on board, when, as nearly always happens under such circumstances, the crew had suddenly passed from blind confidence to pro- found terror. The deck was encumbered with fragments of every description, yards, spars, sails, st -booms, and entangled ,in the midst of which the sailors ran about d y, abandoning their posts, deaf to the exhortations equally with the menaces of their officers, and having a one thought; to es- cape from the death they eved suspended over their heads. | Still, the officers did not at all conceal from them- selves the gravity of their position, which the brig’s pene rendered ~* Me and momen- arily more precarious; they’ their power, therefore, to restore a little co to all thewe in- dividuals, whom terror blinded, and induce them to sell their lives dearly. | A fresh incident occurred suddenly, which render- ed the situation of the ship, if ible, more critical and desperate. Commandant Rodriguez had not left the quarter-deck; motionless at post during the events we have described, he had continued to give bis orders in a firm voice, apparently not notic- ing the symptoms of insubo nation which, since the catastrophe had pe Gen were manifest am the crew. With e face, frowning: brow, and’ ¢linched teeth, the old sailor mechanically pla with the hilt of his sword, taking every now and then a cold and resolute glance around him, while g his officers’to redouble their efforts to do their duty bravely. Dona Mencia and the two supposititious officers of the American navy were standing silent and atten- tive by his sidé, probably awaiting the moment for action. At the tumult which suddenly broke out on the forecastle, they all three started and drew nearer to the commandant. When the brig had so skillfully carried away the bow t of the Litertad, Ramirez and his sailors were the first to sow and propagate terror among ap by ut cries of terror, and ru ions. eir example was poo followed. Then they changed their tac- ies, began openly accusing the commandant, by asserting that he was a tor, who wished to ruin them, and surrender the corvette to the insur- gents. There is nothing, however stupid it may be, a thinker has said, which people may not be led'to believe by a certain mode of treating them. This remark is strictly true, and this time again received perfect Pe mn on. The sailors of the Libertad for- got in an t all they owed to the commandant, whose constant solicitude watched over them with ternal care, for they were u on and excited a the perfidious insinuations of Ramirez and his comrades. The courage they lacked to defend themselves and do their duty as men of honor, they found again to accuse their chief of treachery, and any arms they came across, they rushed ously toward the quarter-deck, uttering Menaces and cries of revolt. The officers, justly alarmed, and not knowing what means to employ to bring these men back to ‘their duty, collected round their commandant, re- solved to save’ themselves or sh with him. The old sailor was still apparently just as calm and angry sea which stoical; nothing revealed on his stern face the agony that secretly crushed his heart. With his arms folded on his chest, his head erect, and a steady glance, he awaited the mutineers. The latter soon invaded the after-part of the ves- sel, but, after passing the mainmast, roe stopped, through a remnant of that respect which is innate in sailors for their superiors. The quarter-deck is that portion of the deck which is exclusively re- served for the officers: the sailors, upder no con- sideration, are allowed to tread it, except for the purpose of executing a maneuver. On reaching the foot of the mainmast, then, the mutineers hesitated, for they no longer felt on their own ground, and at length stopped; for the mere fact of their invading this a of the deck consti- tuted a grave infraction of naval discipline. We have said that they stopped; but they were .like an reaks against the foot of a dyke it cannot dash over; that is to say, yelling and ges- ticulating furiously, but yet without going an inch further. At the same time, however, they did not fall back. But this hesitation and almost timid attitude of the mutineers did not at all suit the views of those who had urged them to insubordination. Collected in the rear of the sailors, they shouted and gesticu- lated louder than the rest, trying by all means to re- vive the fire which was already threatening to expire. The corvette’s deck presented at this mo- ment the most desolating, and yet at the same time imposing appearance. in the midst of the ae ments ae up pell-mell on this fine ship s6 fa decapitated by canister-shot, these men with their rude and fierce features, gathered in disorderly and menacing groups; and, scarce a few yards from them, a small band of calm and resolute officers, collected round the commandant, who, standing on the quarter-deck, seemed to dominate over the men. Then, a little in the rear, Dona Mencia and the two American officers, een disinterested specta- tors of the events w witness, but, in reality, followed with anxious glances all the incidents of the drama that was being played before them. And then, in the distance the lofty sails of the brig could be seen glistening, which was rapidly ap- ane doubtless with the intention of coming, ike the classic Devs ex machina, to unravel at the right time this situation, which every passing mo- ment only tended to render the more complicated. There was a momentary truce between the two parties, who, like practiced duelists, had tried to discover their adversary’s vulnerable point before crossing swords. A déep silence prevailed on the deck of this ship, where so many ons were fer- men in these hearts of bronze; no other sound was audible save the hollow and monotonous moapn- ing of the sea, as it broke against the sidesof the corvette, and the indistinct sound of weapons clutched by eager hands. This hesitation had something sinister and start- ling about it, and the commandant resolved to put an end to it at all hazards. He understood that he was the only person who could make an appeal to these mi ded men, who — possibly not re- main dumb to the voice of duty speaking through the lips of a man, whose noble character they had enjoyed many opportunities of appreciating, and whom they had been so long ace med to respect and love. Commandant Rod ez looked slowly and womb but yet firmly, round him, and exten his arm the direction of the brig which was ngging the wind to be able to run ngside the corvette more oamy: he said, in aloud and marked voice— ‘*My men, here comes the enemy. We have our revenge to take upon him; then why are you not at your quarters? at do you want of me’ Are you afraid that I shall fail you when the hour for fight- we yee t this direct and firm appeal a strange quiver ran along the ranks of the mutineers; some of them were even going to reply) when a voice was heard from the rear: “* Who you that we regard that vessel as an enemy?” Immediately hurrahs and shouts of joy, mingled with oaths and hisses, burst forth on all sides. “The man who dares to speak so,’’ the command- ant shouted, in a voice that for a moment quelled the tumult, “‘is a traitor and a coward. He does not form of my ship’s crew.” An indescribable tumult then broke out. sailors, forgetting all respect and discipline, rushed toward the quarter-deck with frightful yells and vociferations. The commandant, not at all discon- certed by this hostile manifestation, seized a pistol, which a faithful sailor handed him, coolly cocked it, and addressing the mutineers, said: ‘‘Take care. The first who advances one step further I will blow out his brains.”’ Some men are gifted with so t a magnetic power, and their influence over the lowgr classes is so , that the two to three hundred tineers, at += sight of this man, who alone withstood and threatened them with a pistol, hesitated, and finally pens im with avague movement of alarm. It was evident that this pistol was little to be feared, even under the hypothesis that the commandant carried out his threat, since it would omy kill or wound one man; still, we repeat, all these men stopped, sur- prised, perhaps terrified, but certainly not able to account for the feelings they eXperienced. A smile played round the commandant’s lips; he understood that these rough and rebellious natures had been subdued. He determined to make sure of his triumph. ‘Every man to his quarters,” he said; “‘the top- men W get the ship ec while the carpenters rig up a jury bowsprit.”’ And leaving the quarter-deck, the commandant advanced resolutely ard the mutineers. The lat- ter fell back as he advanced, without homey or esticuiating, but only i that final resistance fhe most dangerous of the force of inertia. It was allover with the mutiny, however; the crew, shaken by the firm and wise conduct of their chief, were on the point of returning to their duty, when an un incident completely changed the aspect of affairs, and put the officers once more in the critical position from which the commandant had extricated them with such ease. We have said that Dona Mencia and her two com- panions attentively followed the incidents of this ch chance compelled them to | a 23 scene, in readiness to interfere when the moment arrived. Commandant scarcely left the quarter-deck ere the young woman, or young man, whichever it may please the reader to this m ous being, rushed forward, and seizing a tel- escope, fixed it on the brig, as if to feel certain of the privateer’s position, and be assured of support if required. e brig was now only two cables’ lengths from the corvette, and within a few minutes would be within hail. Suddenly Dona Mencia, throwing off her feminine character, hurriedly tore off the dress that covered her, removed her bonnet, and appeared in the mas- culine attire El Alferez had worn at the pulqueria. This transformation had been so rapid that the offi- cers and crew had not recovered from the astonish- ment this strange metamorphosis caused them, when the young man, drawing a pistol from his belt, cocked and pointed it at a number of cartrid the boys had brought on deck when the captain t to uarters, and which they had left lying pell-mell at the foot of the mizen-mast during the rder that followed the fall of the spars. “Surrender!” El Alferez shouted in a thundering voice; “ surrender, or you are dead men!” Don Cristova]l and Don Serapio were standing on the right and left of the young man, hol a pistol ip either band. Ramirez, for his part, had lost no time; by his care two of the bow carronades had been axsenee from their ports and trailed on the stern, and two sailors, match in hand, were standing motionless by them, only tea the signal to fire. Ramirez and the fourteen men left him were aiming at the Mexican sailors. The crew was taken be- tween two fires; two hundred and fifty men were at the mercy of twenty. The position was desperate and the commandant had not even the resource 0 falling honorably. The events had occurred with such rapidity, this coup de main, prepared long beforehand, h been carried out with such coolness and skill, that the commandant, after taken a ey ery ny glance along the deck, was obliged to allow that he had only one chance of escape—laying down'‘his arms. Still he hesitated, however, and Alferez understood the oe that was going on in the heart of the brave officer. “We are not pirates,” he said, ‘“‘ Commandant Ro- driguez, we are Texans; you can lay down your arms without shame—not to save your life, to which the defeat you have just suffered causes you to at- tach but slight value, and which you would doubt- less readily sacrifice to dm our misfortunes— but you are nsible before Heaven for the two hundred and fifty men forming your crew. a needlessly shed precious blood? For the last time invite you to surrender.” At this moment a thick shadow covered the deck of the corvette; the brig, which every one had a ten, had continued to advance; it had come wi pistol-shot, and its lofty sails stretched out over the vessel and intercepted the sunshine. ** Halloo the ship!’ a voice shouted from the stern of the cruiser; *‘send a boat aboard us with your voice sounded like a thunder-clap in the ears of the Mexicans. The brig had shortened sail, and was now lying motionless to starboard of the cor- vette. There was a moment of intense silence, dur- which all eyes were instinctively turned’ on the privateer; her yards were lined with top-men armed with muskets and hand-grenades, through the open ports the men could be seen standing by the guns, and it pared hela the corvette under its fire. “ Well,” Alferez continued, stamping his foot ph “have you made up your mind; yes or no 9 “Sir,” the commandant answered, “by an in- famous act of treachery you have become master of my vessel; as any resistance is henceforth useless, I surrender.” And with a gesture full of dignity the old sailor drew his sword, snapped the blade asunder, and after throwing the pieces in the sea, [retired to the stern with a calm and ed ae “Captain Johnson,” El erez shouted, “the corvette is ours; send a boat’s crew on board,” A whistle was heard from the brig’s deck; a boat was let down; and a few minutes after, twenty priv- ateer’s men, armed to the teeth, and commanded by the Co. in person, BY Lit on the corvette’s deck. é disarmament of the crew was effected without the slightest resistance, and Commandant Rod ez and his staff were at once transferred to the brig, in order that the Mexican sailors, who were much more numerous than their visitors, might be without a leader in the event of their attemp to regain ssion of the corvette by a desperate ef- fort. But this precaution was unnecessary, for the Mexicans had not the slightest idea of rising; on the contrary, most of them were natives of T who found among the sailors of the brig many of their old friends and acquaintances; in a few mo- ments the two crews were on the most cordial terms, and mixed up together. Captain Johnson resolved to profit by this fortu- nate circumstance; the privateer was in a very dif- ficult position, and literally experienced at this mo- ment an embarrassment of wealth; he had, without striking a blow, captured a first-class corvette, but that corvette required a crew, and the could dispose of by taking them from his own ship to put them aboard the ergs were insufficient; the good understanding that had almost suddenly sprung up between the two crews, therefore, sup- — im with the méans of escape from the dif Sailors, as a general rule, are men hardened to fa- tigue; faithful, but unscrupulous in politics, whose questions are much too abstract for their intellect, which is naturally limited on all affairs relating to land. Accustomed to be sternly governed and have all the actions of their life directed, from the gravest down to the most trivial, sailors are only -grown children, who appreciate but one thing—strengt A resolute man can always do what he likes with ee if he succeed in proving his superiority over em. Ma te Johnson was too old a hand not to know how he should act under the present circumstances. So soon as the disarmament was effected he mounted the A che Bye took up the s trumpet, and ma no distinction among the ors scattered about the deck, he ordered a series of maneuvers, (E| 8\(0)6) coi cS sailors he. (E(©)