Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 181 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

—. ———_ ——_—_——_ and, after passing the Castle San Juan d’Uloa will send them back in my shore boat.” ** As you please, sefior chief.” ‘*Now, Campas, one question?” ** Well, sefior?”’ ‘* You remember the schooner overhauled my lugger?” ‘* Yes, sefior.”’ ‘ ‘‘ And Midshipman Stanhope boarded?’ 2 Yes, chief, and most cleverly you deceived him.’ ‘*T sent him after the goleta,” ‘* Telling him Don Diablo was on board,” ** Yes; did the schooner come up with the goleta?” ** She did.” ** And capture her?” asked Don Diablo, with some excitement. ‘* She sunk her.” ** Hal with all on board?” ‘** No, sefior chief; there was one who did not go down with the goleta.” ‘* And who was that?” **Captaia Alma.” ** Nombre de Dios !” ** It is true, senor.” **She was saved?” and the chief’s brow grew black. ** Yes, sefior, though she tried hard to die.” ‘* How mean you?’ “She would not strike the flag, and as we had so few men on the schooner, Lieutenant Warburton would not board; besides he could not risk injury to the Wizard, so we poured in our fire, and yet Captain Alma would not strike her flag.” ‘*She showed pluck,” said Don Diablo, in ad- miration of the courage of the woman. ‘*T never saw nobler bravery, sefior.” *“*Well, go on, Campas.”’ ‘* When an offer was made by the American officer to pardon those who surrendered, Cap- tain Alma—” ‘* Hal! such an offer was made?” ** Yes, sefior.” ** And some accepted ?” *‘Half a dozen or so, but they signed their death- warrant in doing so.” ** How mean you?” ‘*Captain Alma shot them dead.” “s ae the Cross! did she do that?” ** Yes, seflor, she would not allow any to sur- render, and more, we: escaped uninjured, sought to kill herself, but was saved by Mid- shipman Stanhope.” ** Curse the boy! whv did he meddle?” ‘“*He saved her life, while I, knowing that one wounded man, English Jack, as we knew him, would tell all he knew, if carried on the schoon- er, made his wound fatal by driving my knife into his heart.” ** You did well, Campas.” ‘*Tt was a hard deed to do, sefior; but better hasten his end than have a hundred brave fel- lows, whatever their crimes may be, swing from his treachery, and he was a dangerous man. ‘“T am glad he is dead; now as to Alma?” ‘‘She was taken on board the schooner, and only one knew her to be other than she ap- peared, a young officer.” ** Well?’ ¢ Midshipman Stanhope knew to the con- trary. ‘That accursed boy again.” ‘‘He kept her secret, and the night we reached port she escaped,”’ as Ha! “Yes, chief, she dropped from the port and swam ashore, it was said, but 1 believe that Midshipman Stanhope aided her escape,” ‘* Ah! well, he has set a tigress on my track.” ‘*] fear so, chief, for I overheard her swear on the goleta to kill you.” ‘‘Her cause for so doing, Campas?”’ coolly asked Don Diablo. ‘* Midshipman Stanhope told her of your car- rying off the Sefiorita Sabinas.” ‘Oh, curses on that boy, and the woman, too,” ‘*T fear she will harm you, sefor.” **T know she will, if—she gets the chance.” **'You will have to be wary, for she is in town,” ‘* How know you?’ ‘*I saw her to-day, on my way down from the hotel.” ** Saw her?” ‘** Yes, sefior, and she was dressed in her feminine attire.” ‘** Did she see you?” ** No, chief.” ‘* Well, [ must gu and look her up; remember, the third night from this, and I shall come late, as I have been invited by a friend of Major Navaro’s to attend a masquerade fandango, and { shall go. ‘* Adios, my good Campas,” and dashing off his last glass of wine, Don Diablo left the room and the house, in a very good humor at the glad tidings he had heard regarding the schooner, and very angry at the bad tidings, to him, of Alma Aubrey’s escape from the goleta, CHAPTER XLII. A DOUBLE SUMMONS. TrvuxE to his Ba ge Major Fernando Na- varo took Don Diablo, as Nevil Vane, a wealthy | The Scarlet Schooner. American, to the club at night, after entertain- ing him with a most sumptuous dinner at his rooms. , And, true to his pledge, Don Diablo allowed the Mexican to win from him at monté the sum which he said he would not Jend him, The cool indifference of the supposed wealthy American at his losses wholly won the hearts of the Mexicans present, and by noon the fol- lowing day Nevil Vane was the féted lion of Vera Cruz, and card§ of invitation flowed in upon him from every quarter. But the Sefior Vane regretted his inability to accept the pressing pleadings to dinner and tea from the old Dons and Duennas with marriage- able daughters, as be must léave in the packet for New Orleans, his passage having been al- ready engaged. Yet there was one entertainment he was pindied to attend, and that was the masquerade to which he had been invited by an inti- mate friend of Major Navaro., As for the Mexican officer, he was only too anxious to bave Don Diablo shown around, for the rumors of his striking likeness to the cele- brated pirate chief were floating on every breeze, and it was his desire to so fortify him- self with all who met the buccaneer that, should the crash of exposure come, he would be con- sidered as imposed upon with the others. What the chief was doing in Vera Crnz all his spies could not discover, and why be was going on the packet-ship to New Orleans, also puzzled the major. But that he was going he felt assured, as the tena had engaged passage for himself; this he new. And to throw the major off his guard, Don Diablo had communicated with Campas Cali- ente, and gotten him to look up a man answer- ing to him in personal appearance, and who could speak English fluently. Such a personage the boatswain discovered in a tall, handsome Englishman, who, with a little browning up and staining of the hair and mus- tache would pass very well for Don Diablo. This man was sent to report at the hotel to the chief, who inspected him critically, and ap- parently satisfied, rigged him out with clothing and baggage, ordered bim to try and make up as much like him oP lem and gave him a generous sum of gold, with instructions to go on board the packet-ship about midnight, of her night for sailing, and play Nevil Vane through- out. ‘‘This will protect that devil Naveyo too, b proving that his friend did sail on the packe : and was not Don Diablo, as some might believe, and he will be useful to me at another time.” Such were the thoughts of the chief, and he laughed at the thought of also deceiving Guy 1 alli by palming off a substitute for him- self, Having arranged all his plans, Don Diablo attended the masquerade thorough! disguised, though there were a number of fair seforitas present who felt sure they would recognize the rich American by his superb form and distingué air, and in whose romantic heads, he was the more admired on account of his mysterious re- semblance to the noted pirate chieftain, whose name was such a terror on sea and land. The bail was certainly a grand success, and it was with the greatest regret that Major Navaro received a summons from Captain Cas- tellar, of the new Mexican schooner-of-war, Black Wizard, to come on board at once, as he wished to see him upon an important matter. Of course the major dared not disregard such a summons from such a source, and departed, Fob with deepest regret at the pleasures left n All night he had been striving to discover how Don Diablo was dressed, but each time he thought he had penetrated his disguise he found he was mistaken, and he left the ball convinced that the chief had not attended. To convince himself on this score he strode by the hotel on his way to the shore, and learned that the American sefior, Nevil Vane, had al- ready gone on board the pr ete , Inquiry at the quay of the vessel convinced the inquisitive major that Don Diablo, believed to a Sell Vane, was asleep in his berth on board the packet, so he continued on his my to the schooner-of-war, muttering to himse] **That Don Diablo is playing some deep game by coming here; but what it is, 1 cannot dis- cover. ‘* Well, [am thirty thousand pesosin by his coming, and can see no way of being detected pane iend—bah! his friend! I mean his—his ally.” While the gallant major, whose dark deeds were so thoroughly kept under a bushel from the eye of the public, was en route to the quay, a man was standing in the window of the house in which the ball had been given looking at the dancers. He had seen the major depart, and then, for the first time entered the ball-room. But hardly had he engaged in one dance, when a slender form came up to him and whis- pered in his ear, The lad was in a handsome sailor suit, repre- senting a reefer in the Mexican navy, and his I | rrr LLL Se : s 23 ee face was concealed by a mask; but/ the one he whispered to heard distinctly the words: **The Sefior Campas says do not delay, but come at once.” And out of the room the two went together, the tall man in the uniform of a Mexican gene- ral, and with his face masked, and the lad in the reefer’s suit, ‘You come from the Sefior Campas, my lad?” ** Yes, sefior.” ‘*Heis anxious to be off then, fearing some danger?” ** He is, sefior.” ‘* You are ove of the crew?” ° ‘* Yes, sefior.” ** Who were you told to seek?” ** Yourself, sefior chief.” *€ And how knew you me?” ** He told me you would be dressed as a Mexi- can general.” ** Ah yes; then come, and to-morrow yonder revelers will learn of that which will astound them, and cause them to dread still more the name of—” The chief paused, and the lad added: **The name of Don Diablo, sefior,” CHAPTER XLII, AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. Wuewn Major Fernando Navaro arrived on board the Mexican schooner-of-war Black Wiz- ard, be found Captain Castellar anxiously await- ing him, to place before him some information received from a sailor who reported that he was skipper of a polacca that had come in an hour or so before. , The skipper had said he was chased in from Tampico, by a swift-sailing lugger, carrying the well-known and much-dreaded flag of Don Di- ablo, the pirate, but had saved his vessel by run- ning inshore into shallow water. ‘**You know, Major Navaro, that though I have my crew on board, excepting the marines I have but one officer to aid me, the others that are ordered to report tome having not yet ar- rived, being absent on a cruiso in another ves- ‘* But if you can spare me some soldiers, and one or two artillery officers to command the guns, | will, with my lieutenant, run out at once after this noted pirate, and render a good account of myself.” “You shall have the men, my dear captain and several good officers too, and I will send at once for them, and await here their arrival,” was the ready answer of the Major-Comman- dante of Vera Cruz. ° The messenger was called and dispatched to the shore on his mission, and then Major Na- varo, governed by his ruling passion, suggested a game of cards to kill time, until the val of the soldiers. Captain Castellar willingly consented, and leaving the Mexican lieutenant in charge of the deck, the two officers retired to the cabin for their game of cards, So rorke gw were they in the excitement of losing and winning, for they were playing for a stakes, and were alternately in g and ill-luck, ye to observe a form coming out of the shadow of the cabin, and approach- ote table wherethey sat. he new-comer tr BOmeleney seomingly gliding, rather than were and his appear- ance was enough to excite horror in any one oe ae him. From head to foot he was dressed in brightest scarlet. But, stra t of all the suit fitted his form closely, and he had huge wings, armed with sharp claws, extended out from the back on either side, His feet ran off to a point, upon which was a claw, and his long fingers were similarly orna- mented, while two horns, black as ebony, pro- jected from each temple. His eyes were black and piercing, bis nose hooked, sharp and long, his teeth white and littering, and his hair, a sickly pres, rose up n a ridge along the center of his head, Across one arm was & long, forked tail care- lessly thrown, and in his right hand he carried a black pitchfork, that might become a very dangerous weapon. j Nearer and nearer this hideous being, this di- abolical visitor, seemingly from the infernal re- gions, crept to the two gamblers, and then, un- noticed still by them, bent an earnest gaze upon the Soa ‘*‘Make it a thousand pesos, Major Navaro, and I will play another game,” said Captain Castellar. ** Let us say two thousand, sefior.” ** No, you are too high for me, and if I lose that much if will severely cramp me.” * Well, make it a thousand,” responded the major. ‘* Gentlemen, make souls the stakes, and per- mit me to join your little game.” The deep voice breaking in upon their quietude, startled them; but the hideous being bendin over them with grinning face and pitchfor ready, alarmed them to that extent, that their superstitious natures were excited fearfully, CORNICLOOOKS se ed —————— s a ah ln ee —