Beadle's Dime Library No. 18 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

a ee a el SSS Se ae 0S ee ee ee 3 ’ 4 9 ‘ , ie refused in our land, to a vessel of hia nation, nor hesitate to aid me in refitting !” “Of course not!” said the marquis, with his eyes still upon the letter which he had readiag, and a covert smile upon his face. “ And I will endeavor to ransom your daugh- ter with my sword ; while my government will not only acknowledge your courtesy, but. re- store each article for which 1 may make requi- sition !’’ “ Then, when and where shall I tell Colce- frinas that you will meet him?” asked Quies- tra, qifetly. “Let him name the place—not more than two days’ sail from here. My time will be but one week, if I have to work my crew night and day to be ready !” “I will get-it from him in writing and do ot fear but that he will be there ; for he hates ou with the same intensity that he loves the enorita Maraquita !”’ “ He dare to love her?” eried Allen, angrily. “He dares anything, even to flinging his hate and defiance in your own face! Yankee, I am Colcefrinas ; beware when next we meet!” Before Allen, who was almost stupefied by this sudden surprise, could reply, or even stoop to pick up the glove which the pirate had cast contemptuously in his face, the latter had turned upon his heel and left. the room, ‘The marquis, with well dissembled surprise, eried out: “This is most extraordinary ! Why the Senor Quiestra should pretend to > what he is not, is more than I can understand !” “T believe that his pretence ended when he declared himself to be Colcefrinas; and if others would be as plain as he has been at last, I should know better with whom I am dealing, and how to deal with them !” “ What do you mean, sir?” asked the mar- quis, while a flush, either of anger or shame, suffused his countenance. “That the man in high office who can be a friend to this pirate-chief, is false to his duty and to himself!” “Dare you insinuate that I, sir, knowingly, have aught to do with pirates ?” “ Like Colecfrinas, I dare almost anything ! Impudenee is an infectious disease, I believe !” “Sir! I but a moment ago offered you every aid to fit out your sana to battle with the pene ” : ““T know you did, sir; and now, you dare not withdraw your offer! If you did, I would report you to your own government, as well as to mine!” “s For Heaven’s sake, do not that!” said the marquis, turning pale with apprehension. “ Fit out my vessel speedily, and I will not,* said Allen, sternly. “For the sake of your evely and angelic daughter, I would rather nave found you an nest man, than to see you the possessor of all the wealth ever owned by Orcesus !”” The marquis now really blushed, for he felt that the plain republican before him held him in utter contempt; and well he knew that he deserved it. “I will go on beard my vessel, and make out @ requisition for all that I need, and draw a bill on my government for the same. All I ask of you is, that the articles are promptly furnished, and of a good quality—no more !” As he said this, Allen turned upon his heel, and without a bow or a word of adieu, left the room. “This is terrible!” muttered the marquis, when he found himself alone. ‘ Coleefrinas is foolishly rash, and will be my ruin, without he conquers this detested American, and sinks him and his secrets to the bottom of the seal” “That he will do, if you but do your part !”” said the pirate-chief, entering by » different door from that which Allen had departed. “Let the specimens of powder you send be good ; but let the bulk be that condemned trash which I let you have! And so with all else that you furnish, only be sufticiently care- ful in concealing the fraud. He shall never return to reproach you for your conduct!” — “TI live agan in hope!” said the marquis. “But why the deuce did you make yourself known to him ?” «“ Because I was maddened with his taunts, and tired of tampering with him. He is the boldest of all who have been sent against me, and must be the first to go down. After that, I ean dispose of the rest easily. But I have no time to taneye I must back to my men, who rage like ungry lions to be at the foe, who now blockade the coast, and cué our usual eruises short !”’ ; “ Hold, for one moment!” cried the mar- The N ew York Library. quis. “My daughter—where did you find her ?” _ “On board of your yacht, in male disguise. She came with the mad-cap American, How- ard, who is a second time my prisoner; and her intention was to betray me to Allen, for so she now boasts. How she knew my real name and business, you can tell, perhaps—I cannot!” “ Or my honor, I know not!’ said the mar- quis. “But yet another question. When will you return her to me ?” “When she is my bride, and our compact fulfilled. Not before!” said Colcefrinas ; and then he turned away, and left the room by the door where he had entered. ‘* Would to Heaven there had never been a compact between ua; nor I had linked myself to him in the fearful bonds of crime!” said the marquis, as he slowly followed the other from the room. And searcely had he left, when out from behind a curtain stepped yet another of our eharacters. It was Mariano, the faithfil (?) page of Coleefrinae-—the child of his confiding mistress. ‘The dark eyes of Marianc were bright with anger or some strong passion. “So now I know who and what is the trea sure so carefully guarded by my kind master in the caverns of El Sierra Diabolo, And he will return her to bar father when she is hia bride —not before? We'll see — we'll see ‘ Poor Maraauita shall find one friend ; and so should her lover, were he not a detested Yan- kee. It is better that he should perish, and I shall not interfere. But I must away, ere nry master is looking for me.” And the youth hurried on, as we must do with our story, for mueh remains of it to be told: some that is beautiful, more that is dark and terrible, little that is not true—alas! too true. CHAPTER XXII. It was a gorgeous place, the great treasure cavern of the pirate Coleefrinas, in the Sierras del Diabolo, the not inaptly-named “ Mountains of the Devil.” . I mean within; for outwardly nothing but huge rocks, covered with tropical elinging-shrubs, among which lurked many a a deadly reptile, could be seen, and none but the very few who composed his private guard knew of the seeret to its entrance. And so wild were those hills, so terrible the passes to them, that even daring Rapacity, and al- most equally venturesome Curiosity, never yet had ventured so far as the stronghold which | am about to describe—though, in later days, many a traveler thought that a trip to the now dismantled “Pirate Cave” an indispen- sable portion of his Cuban tour. Entered by a passage almost hidden by rocks when one was within ten feet of it, and eurtained with thorny vines and bushes, those who sought its inner mysteries would have to ad their way along a narrow winding hall or nearly or quite three hundred feet, where a light was never permitted to be used. For here was a vast safe-guard to the place, as could be felt by those who groped along, in two rews of barreled gunpowder, which were so conneeted with fuses, that a mateh applied from within would at once fire the entire terri- ble battery. Or, so at least all who entered there were told, and none who knew Coleefri- nas fora moment doubted that he had the nerve to apply the match whenever, if ever, it became necessary for the destruction of others. At the end of this gallery there were three sepa- rate strong oaken doors, each barred and bolted on the inside, with a sentinel to each, who would unbar to none but those whom he knew had authority to demand entrance or exit. Here, dim lights for the first time showed the extent of the sentinels’ promenade, and the strength of the securities. ‘ The last portal passed, and an immense hall opened to view, where, encamped like soldiers at bivouac, the guard of the interior, as well as exterior—a fierce and hardy-looking set o men, yet not sunbrowned and bronzed by storm and tempest, as were their comrades, whose scene of action lay abroad. All around this huge cavern were boxes of goods, stores of provisions, arms, and munitions); and the greatest wonder to one would be, how they got there? It was lighted by hanging lamps of silver, such as are still to be seen in the old cathedrals and ehurches, from whenee they had probably been taken ; for pirates neither fear man nor God, and seldom indeed have been known to respect sanctuary. But beyond this hall were rooms, into which | none but the chief and two or three of his rs | servants and most faithful officers were ever permitted to penetrate ; and from these often came rumors, that within all was splendor and magnificence, of a character almost too bril- liant to describe. It was known that thither had been conveyed the almost countless trea- sures which, in many years of daring piracy, had been amassed ; but many a secret yet lay within those inner doors, which none dare to whisper, and but few knew. Let us begin te overhaul some of them. In an apartment, curtained with crimson velvet, which blazed with wreaths and flowers of jewels, and through which a soft, dreamy light was east by several moonlike lamps, pendant from the lofty ceiling—a room furnish- ed asa chamber and sitting-room, with every ar- ticle which luxury could Tctate or the heart of an empress desire, stood a pale, tearful, but yet very lovely girl. She stood in an attitnde, and with a look almost of utter despair, Wine, fruits, and other food stood untouched upon a table before her—she seemed not to look upon one of the thousand beautiful things about her, but to gaze abstractedly in the air, while her hands were elasped together, as if bound by the icy manacles of despair. But at the sound of a coming footstep she aroused—aroused almost fiercely, brushed the tear-drops from her cheeks, and drew her form up haughtily ; and turning toward the closed door, glanced with black, flashing eyes thith- erward, as if she expected to meet, and—by her looks—would repel some hated enemy. The door opened; and her fierce, deter- mined look softened, as if the visitor who came was not the one whom she had expected. That visitor was none other than the youth Mariano. And in his look there was such a mingled expression of kindness and pity, that it was no wonder the lady’s fierce glance had so suddenly softened. “ You expected my master, lady,” said the youth, as he bowed low and deferentially. “1 dreaded that it was he who approach- ed !” replied the fady. “Why does the setiorita so dread him? Ie he not handsome ?” asked the youth, in an ap- parently careless manner. “Tshe not my captor and my jailer ?” asked the fair girl; ‘has io not long been hated by me? This, as his confidential attendant, you have often had occasion to see, when, with him, you visited my father’s house, and before I knew his dreadful calling and terrible name. Is it not so, good Mariano ?” The youth bowed his assent, and then ask- ed ; “Why does the senorita call me good Mari- ano ?” “Because you speak kindly and gently to me—have ever done so; and it were very eruel, and, besides, unnatural, if I replied or acted other than kindly inreturn. You could do one act, Mariano, which would outmeasure a million words of kindness. You could; yet I dare not ask that which I know you would refuse |” : “ Lady, I do not misunderstand you. You would ask me to aid you to regain your free- dom !” “T would, good Mariano; and so far as I eould, would reward you.” “Task no reward, lady; it was to give you hope of this 1 came now—but faint hope, alas! for youare guarded by those over whom I have no influence; and only cunning and the wit of—” The youth paused and trembled ; for other and heavier footsteps than his had been were heard close at hand. eager Placing his finger on his lips, as a sign of caution and seereey, Mariano sprang behind the heavy curtains, which concealed an al- cove, in which the lady’s couch was placed ; and though thus not left quite alone, Mara- uita seemed so to be when the hated pirate chieftain entered the room. He seemed surprised to see her 80 calm, so haughty, and, withal, so full of bloom—for that one ray of hope had left a flush of beauty on her cheek, brighter, it seemed to him, than he had ever before noted there. He had come expecting to find her drooping, wretched—a hat ad at his feet. Now, almost queenly in er majestic beauty, she stood erect, and with a flashing eye, confronted him. “Your beauty —" with your Fesi- dence here, fair lady!” he said, as he paused midway of the room. f She made no reply ; but gazed upon him with a steady but a scornful look. “ And your power of conversation seems te Gomicbooks (E(o)