Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 172 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

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Up the ladder they hastened, and a place of safety was gained, just as the tornado broke with a shock that made the island tremble from end to end. ‘Why don’t the boy come? Ill not wait longer for him.” He moved away as he spoke, but suddenly, with a tremendous leap, sprung upor the crouching foe. That it was unexpected was evident, as a balf-ery of terror broke from the man’s lips, and that was choked off by a firm gripe upon his throat. | In vain was it that he attempted to use his | knife, for St. Vale had prepared against that | by grasping his right hand with his own. | The man was wiry, and very strong; but St. Vale had never met his equal, and found CHAPTER XXX, himself the master of his foe. ; He did not care to kill him, and yet he Se ee ee eee knew not what to do with him. At that moment a third person appeared upon the scene, coming over the edge of the cliff. It was Frank, and he started back at the sight that met his gaze. Bat recognizing him, St. Vale called out: | ‘‘ Ho, Frank! who have I here that wasspy- | ing upon my actions?” | , ““Ah, senor, it is you”” and Frank bounded to his side. “Yes; is this one of the men?” ‘**Let me see his ugly face.” ** Now,” and St, Vale wrenched it round for | him to look at, “Yas, senor, it is the man we call BI Cobra, and he is properly named, for he is a snake of It was a grand sight for St. Vale to witness the tornado from the Tower Rock, and noting its fury, be several times asked Frank, who crouched near him, if the brig was certainly in safety. ‘As safe as you are, senor; I saw her into what we call the Reef Haven, where the sea is as calm asa pond, and only her topmasts will catch the full force of the blow.” ‘* And the captain trusted you?” : “He did, and I like him, senor; after anchor- ing the brig I went after the boats, and found the same officer in charge whom we held cap- tive here.”’ “ Lord Ceeil Milnor?” “Yes, that is his name, and he is a brave man to make the struggle for freedom be did to-day; but there is Ostel, our second officer; ask bim where he sent one of the men we left here,” : The last was whispered to St. Vale, as the officer, who had before communed witb the lieutenant, approached and said: “kl Tornado nearly caught you, senor?’ “Yes, but Frank warned me in time.” *‘Did you watch its effect upon the brig, senor?’ “Then I am glad I caught him,” and St. Vale tightened his gripe upon him. **Holy Padre! but with what ease you hold him, senor. Why he is our best man; but | what doas he know?” ** He bas been watching me for half an hour.” “Watching you?” “Yes, [ saw him suddenly dodge behind that rock, and pretending not to see him, watch- —— ee ed him.” ‘No, for the brig had already sailed.” “Did you speak aloud?” ““Sailed! And where?’ asked the man in \ (No surprise. “What did he see?” “Tam not her commander, Senor Ostel, to know her destination.” ** She could not have sailed from there withb- out a pilot, senor,” ‘‘ Perhaps she had one, as I saw a small boat put off toward her.” “What, senor? A small boat put off to the | “You going and coming.” *‘ Ah! then, senor, he must die.” sé Die id “* Yes, senor.” “Do you mean it, Frank?’ “Do you prize your life or his, the most, | now?” was the significant question. brig?” ‘My own, of course.” “Yes: are any of your crew missing, Senor “Then kill him.” Ostel?” \ St. Vale was fairly startled at the cool way the advice to take life was given, and echeed: “* Kill him?’ "Yes, senor.” ‘s How ?? ‘Knife him.” “Do you think he would betray us?” | “ Will poison kill?” “1s there no place we can secure him?” ‘* None.” “Can we not take him on board the brig, or rather you take him there?’ ) **Do you see yonder cloud, senor?” “Yes,” and St. Vale looked in the direction that Frank pointed, and beheld a dark line sweeping up over the skies. “* Well, no, senor, but—” “There was a man here when I left, who is not here now.” ‘‘ Ah yes, that was El Cobra. By the cross! but he must be the one, for I sent him to the basin to see if the brig’s crew destroyed our boats, and he has not returned. **Curse him! he has proven traitor!” “Tf so, I shall bold you responsible, Senor Ostel, for I gave orders that no one should leave this retreat,” sternly said St. Vale. “ But, senor—” “There is no excuse; if your man has been the traitor to save the brig, he will be treach- erous enough to bring her crew upon us here, and if he does, you shall suffer for it.” ov, Ostel remained silent, for he saw that he had “Tt will strike us before I could reach the | a master, and giving orders to the guard to brig.” | kill any one attempting to leave Tower Rock, * I hate to take his life in such a matter-of- | withvut his permission, St. Vale turned away. fact way.” | “You do not mean Senor Ostel, captain?” “He would take yours with real joy; but | if you don’t care to knife bim, just hurl him over this cliff and that will do the work, and the sea will wash out all stains before morn- ing.” St. Vale was ata loss what to do. To kill & manin action was one thing; to kill him when he was in his power was far different. He glanced at the pretended youth, then at Arriving on the schooner St. Vale sought the the rapidly-approaching storm, whose roar | cabin, at the door of which stood a guard, for was now becoming fearful, and then at the | the captives were within. face of the man, whose throat he still held The cabin had two state-rooms, and one of with force enough to keep him passive. these had been given, at St. Vale's command, ‘* Quick, senor, or all will be lost,” cried the | to the maiden, and the other to the three gen- pretended youth. tlemen passengers. s Still St. Vale hesitated. In the center of the cabin lay the dead form ‘“For God's sake, kill him, senor, or my | of the poor woman whom death had relieved knife shall enter bis heart.” | from captivity, and St, Vale noticed that she St. Vale hesitated no longer, but dragging | had been prepared for burial in the sea, for a the now fiercely strnggling pirate to the edge | hammock infolded hor. ot the cliff, by a mighty effort hurled himfrom | Putting the lamp out St. Vale threw himself him. | upon a sofa under the transom, and, lulled by the gentie rocking of the schooner and the roar of the storm among the rocks overhead, he soon sunk to sleep, queried the guard. ‘*{T do mean Senor Ostel, or any one else,” and St, Vale descended the rude steps leading | down to the water tunnel, and was accompan- | ied by Frank, who whispered: “You rule well, senor, and the only way you can govern these devils is to make them fear you.” ! There was a wild, boarse shriek, a dark form shot downward, a crash was heard upon the rocks below, and then canae in earnest tones: What awakened him he never knew, unless it was the presence of danger, for all was as still in the cabin as the dead form resting near. But, without rising he lay awake listening, and soon his sensitive ears heard suppressed breathing. It was not the breathing of a person asleep; neither was it like one naturally drawing breath. That it was not from the staterooms he knew as well as he did that it did not come from the corpse No one had been in the cabin proper when he had laid down, and he had not examined the gangway leading forward. Involuntarily he raised his hands over his heart, and as he did so he touched a human hand, Instantly he grasped it, and it held a knife. Fearfully the one he held tried to get away, but he kept his gripe with a power that could not be shaken off, while he called out to the guard to fetch a light. A moment after a battle-lantern flashed in the cabin, borne in the hands of Frank, and it revealed a scared, beautiful face looking out of the door of one state-room, three startled visages gazing from the other, the corpse rest- ing quietly, to the relief of those that. had be- lieved it had been walking in ghostly form, and under the transom, on the starboard side, lay a man on bis back, and ancther knelt upon his breast, and held his hands in an iron gripe, And those hands were in golden manacles, and one of them still elasped a keen-bladed knife, which told the story of an attempted as- sassination. ‘Take this fellow forward and chain him to the deck,” was St. Vale’s calm command to several pirates who had hastened to the scene, and, muttering curses Jacques Quentin was led from the cabin, and his intended victim threw himself down to rest with seeming indifference to the danger he had escaped. As St. Vale went on deek after sunrise, Frank hastily approached him and asked in a low tone; “Have you forgotten, senor, the prisoner?” * Quentin?’ ‘Yes, senor.” ‘* No, I shall take care of him to-day.” ‘“‘ But, senor, the time is nearly ap.” “The time? What time?” ‘The law of the Golden Fetters,” ** What law?” , |‘ Why, senor, can it be possible that you do not know the law of the Manacles of Gold?” asked Frank in surprise. ‘“‘I. know of no law regarding them.” **Then, senor, why did you place them upon his wrists?” ‘* Because I had them in my pocket by. ac- cident, and theught they would eome in well.” Frank looked puzzled, and after a momentary silence, said: “Senor, Captain Ebony should have told you about them when he gave them to you.”’ ‘Captain Zbony never gave them to me, nor did he ever see them.” ‘There is some mystery here, senor.” ‘* So it seems, so please solve it.”’ ** May lLask you where you got them?” ‘‘] inherited them,” bitterly said the young officer. ‘‘Senor, come with me aside, while I tell you what a power is your imheritance witb the Carribbee pirates, for your words, your map- ner, prove to me that you are innocent of the secret power of those Golden Fetters, and the laws that are connected with them.” There was something in the manner of the speaker that impressed St. Vale strangely, and leaping from tbe schooner to the rocks, he walked with him ont of earshot of any curi- ously-inclined pirate that might be watching them. CHAPTER XXXI. THE SECRET POWER. ““SENOR, your placing the Golden Fetters upon Senor Quentin, when he was mutinous, led us all to believe that you fully knew their power, and the very act doomed him to death,” said Frank, the disguised weman, when she had waikeda short distance away with St. Vale. ‘‘ Indeed! this is remarkable, Frank, for those fetters of gold are the crest of my name and home, and they were willed to me as my enly inheritanee. “ow is it that they happen te be the IOO (ECON MILE cS com