Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 206 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

TA ‘*Struck his flag!” ‘‘ Yes, and saved his bacon, but at a cost I should not like to have paid.” ‘* Well, Redge?’ “Well. The lugger stopped firing, and sent a boat to take possession.” ‘* A boat! hat for?’ ‘“Why, she evidently feared a ruse, and knew that if she once came within range of the frig- ate’s broadside, one round would sink her.” se { see,”? ‘So did old Wright, and what do you think he did?’ ** Don’t know. **Sha! no!” ‘* Well, give it up. Tell us.” ‘‘He set his men to pumping like mad, and hoisted his flag again, Union down. What I call a regular cursed pirate’s trick, unworthy a gentleman.” “6 Why Q”? ** Don’t you see? It was a signal of distress to decoy the lugger near and make her people think he was in a sinking condition. Anyhow, the bait took, and she came up with her sweeps, and the French flag flying, while Wright sent his boat—the only one he bad left—out with a white flag and a man who could speak French, to yell for help. The lugger came within two cables’ length, when he called the men from the pumps and opened fire on her with twenty guns that he had been pointing on thesly while he was pretending distress. That lugger went down in less than five minutes, with every soul on board but two.” Egerton uttered an exclamation of wonder and disgust. “Well, by Jove. poor devils?” ‘‘No. On the contrary, he fired at them in the water.” ** And the two who got off?” “They were picked up by an officer of the Penelope, who had more bumanity than tke brute Wright.” * Who were they.” ‘*A boy of twenty, who wouldn’t give bis name, and a big one-eyed fellow, who was equally sulky.” ‘* And what did Wright do with them?” **Ordered them hung as pirates, after he’d repaired damages.” ‘* Pirates! but they were French.” ‘* Yes, but the war was over, and they flew the old tricolor. Anyhow they made no com- plaint, and would have been strung up next morning but for one little fact, which shows they must have been desperate quick-witted men.” ‘* Ah, they made their escape?” ‘Yes, but how? ** That’s for you to teil.” “Well, the Penelope had but one boat, and they had left that towing from the stern, being in a dead calm.” ‘** And they stole it, of course.” “Yes, but how did they do it? They were double-ironed, with a marine sentry over the door, and they down in the ship’s hold.” “Oh don’t ask riddles. Tellme.” ‘* Well, first of all they asked the sentry for some water.” ** Well?” ‘And he, like a fool, laid down his musket and knelt down to give the old one-eyed man a drink.” ** Well?” ‘* Well, that was the last of him.” “< How?’ ‘‘They found him next morning dead, with a hole in the back of his head.” ** Who did it?” “The young one, with his irons.” ** But how did they find it out?” ** He left a letter for Wright, kindly detailin the manner of his re and the captain foun it on the sill of his cabin window next morning, when he also found the birds bad flown.” ** And what did the letter say?” **Told him that no one had helped them to es- cape, but that two French soldiers of the Old Guard were a match for avy ship’s company of Englishmen, and all that sort of brag, you know. But what made Wright savage was a postscript.” ** What was in it?” ‘‘ He never would tell me, but his first laff, Charley Duncomb, did. The postscript called Wright a coward, and told him that the writer d yet have the pleasure of sinking his ship and killing himself. It told him none but a dastard would bave used the pity of brave men to lure them to their destruction, and that the time would come when he—Wright—should swing at the yard-arm as a pirate.” * “74 Jove! That was severe.” ‘Yes. Duncomb told me the old man ripped and swore worse than twenty pirates, but it was no use. The only boat was gone. There was not a breath of air to move the ship, and nf ge saw the two men again.” Blew her up?” Didn’t he try to save the That was the truly British comment of Eger- pes as he got up ard shook the ashes off his rar. ** Good-night Redge.” One Hye, the Cannoneer. ——— a OC - - — er Lows! aH Oe ee ee ‘*Good-night, Edge.” And the speakers vanished, while the con- cealed Frenchman uttered a low sigh of relief and stretched bimself. He had heard the story and understood part of it, but it interested him little. He was thinking of his expected visitor, and was wondering how he was going to come to the summer house. It was an hour after “ taps,” and the lights in the telegraph stations and houses shone like stars, while the sky was covered with mists which were condensed on the lofty rocks of Point Diana. Below him, on the side toward Miss Mason’s lay a black gulf, into which he looked, and up which, if any way, his visitor was to come. The clock of the little church in Jamestown struck ten ‘as he looked, and he heard the long- drawncry of the sentries: “Ten o'clock, and a-a-ll’s well !” And just then, down in the black gulf below, he saw a flash, repeated three times, Fireflies were flitting in the shrubbery and valley, but this was not a firefly. The light was red, not green; and he heard the faint ‘‘ tick! tick !” of a flint and steel. The count carried one him- self, being a smoker, and in a moment he had it out and made a similar signal over the edge of the precipice, when he heard below, a voice, calling out: ‘* A Vechelle ! a Vechelle !” [To the ladder. ] The words were spoken in a hoarse whisper, as if the speaker were holding his face against the rock and trying to make it carry up his voice, Then the tapping began again, and the puz- zled count said to himself: “The ladder? What ladder?” Then it suddenly occurred to him that the ei tn must have some connection with the adder. So he felt about in the turf above the place whence the flashes proceeded, and presently felt a wire lying in the grass, which seemed to be hanging over the edge of the precipice, and yet fastened to something behind him. Tracing it along, he found it tied to one of the posts of the sunimer house, and its use flashed on bim, It was left there by some one to haul up a ladder with. As soon as this idea dawned on him he com- menced pulling it, and speedily found that he was right. A ladder was indeed there, hanging to the end of the thin wire rope, and at the end of the ladder were two grappling hooks which he thrust securely into the soil, supporting them on roots, before he looked over again and whis- OR! BE! The waiter below made no audible reply, but shook the ladder twice, and Bertrand felt that he was ates 8 In five minutes more a dark bead came over the edge, and a voice whispered in French: ‘* Silence! Come into the summer house, and lie down. There is a patrol up the valley, and I nearly ran on it.” They crawled into the summer house and Bertrand whispered: ‘*Show your face, I want to know you.” The other struck»out a flash revealing the dark bearded face of a man with only one eye. CHAPTER XI. THE PLOT. THe darkness descended again over the sum- mer-house, and the stranger said, in the same cautious way: ‘You have seen my fuce. I think not.” ‘*No,” returned Bertrand, frankly. pected some one else.” “The captain? Yes; but he is busy. It takes more than one to accomplish a thing of this sort. ‘** And what is it you propose then?” “To carry off the emperor.” **1t cannot be done, or it would have been done before.” ‘* It has never been done rightly before.” ** Indeed?’ ** ‘Yes, Lam sure of it.” ‘* And how do you propose to do it?” ‘Simply that his majesty shall come here to- morrow night. If he can descend the ladder, I will answer for the rest.” Bertrand sighed. ‘*It is impossible. You do not know that there is a guard-house at the end of this valley below.” ‘**On the contrary, I do.” ‘* And what do you propose?” ‘To paralyze every soldier in it.” ‘You mean to kill them. In that case, I warn you—the emperor will not consent. He could have esca from Rochelle, but he would not consent to the sacrifice of a single life to se- cure his personal liberty.” The one-eyed man laughed. ‘Very well; they can be silenced in other ways. Englishmen love brandy. I can only repeat this: if bis majesty will come here to- morrow night and go down the ladder up which I have just come, I will engage to have him at Do you know me? “T ex- sea within two hours and in safety before morn- i ertrand hesitated. ‘* But who are you?” ‘‘T was a soldier in the Artillery of the Guard. My comrade commanded the firing party that shot Marshal Ney. The dead marshal left him a legacy to be spent in rescuing the emperor. He accepted the trust. We sailed from Havre five years ago, but had bad luck. It has taken us four years to get ready; but now we are ready. Inthe yacht in the harbor lies a sum of nearly two hundred millions of francs, which belongs to his majesty. If he will come with us, we Can again make him head of France. All we ask is that he come here and descend this ladder,” Bertrand listened, and the story told by the British officer came back to bim. He asked, therefore: “Were you in the lugger that fought the British frigate, Penelope? The other ground his teeth audibly. ‘We were. Curses on the coward that fooled us! But his turn will come before long.” Bertrand laid bis hand on his arm. “Comrade, I can only say this: I will tell his majesty your proposal, but I fear be will not consent.” ‘*But why not, monsieur?”’ The tones of the man were imploring, ‘‘It can certainly be done. It may not even cost a single life. If it does—well, they are only English.” ‘*L have told you already that the emperor will not consent to the sacrifice of life to secure his individual liberty. A battle for France is one thing; this is another.” The one-eyed man heaved a sigh, ‘‘Tt is too bad. There is no danger. We have laid our plans so well. See here, monsieur, I don’t know you—” *“*T am Count Bertrand, grand marshal of the household. What is your name?” ‘* Jean Martin, monsieur—simple sailor. But let me tell you what we have done, before you decide against us.” ‘* Proceed, Jean.” The count’s tones were coid. He did not like the whole business, which savored to bim of a desperate scheme, likely to result in failure. artin laid his band on the count’s arm, ** Monsieur, I am not a learned man like the captain; I find it hard to explain. But I will do my best. See here. We two, four years ago, were alone in a boat on the ocean. é had nothing but a memory, not even food. Weswore then, in the sight of the God who spread the blue heavens above us, to save his majesty from this prison, if it took all our lives, bod heard us, and we were saved, A ship. picked us up—-a ae grade bound to Mexico. e were taken to era Cruz, and remained there until we had learned Spanish. Then it was necessary to find the treasure of which the marshal’s legecy had told us. That took us two years’ constant work, during which we passed as fishermen. Then we bad to procure a vessel to.come here in which we could defy pursuit, and none such was to be found in Mexico. We had to go to the United States, to Baltimore, where they build the swiftest ships in the world, and that took us a year more. Our comrades were all dead, and we had to find a crew on whom we could ne ay At last we did it. We have men from half the lands in the world, every one of whom isa hero. We have concealed our identity as sons of France and defy suspicion, Our captain will to-morrow be hobnobbing with the Gov- ernor of St. Helena, and the officers of the gar- rison and navy will be drunk, We have ar- ranged everything for our scheme. Now are we to go bac for a mere nothing?” ‘‘No,” said Bertrand, moved by the recital of the other, ‘‘ but I have told you that I can only report to bis majesty. @ must be the judge whether he consent to the enterprise or not. How did you get that rope ladder here?” One Eye laughed shortly. ‘‘T am a Gascon, monsieur, and you have my old townsman Gavroche here, He isa sharp one, and threw over the wire, You must not leave it tied tothe post of the summer house to-morrow, or it will be seen. It was well enough to-night, for Pierre took care to place it after the English officer had goneaway. To- morrow you must let it hang from one of the roots of the edge of the ban It is invisible from the valley, and the ladder is ina hole. I shall be in waiting at taps, and you will flash three sparks over the summit, to which I an- swer by one. The patrol will not trouble us to- morrow night. Now, monsieur, adieu. We shall be ready to-morrow night. If bis majesty con- sents to come, we bave prepared all. If not, we have done our best.” “Stay.” said Bertrand as the other rose to go, ‘*We may arrange some signal for the day, in oase his majesty decides to come to the summer house.” ‘Very good, monsieur. ride out toward Jamestown.” ‘* That is forbi.lden.” “ Peste! that is unlucky.” “True. He is n>t allowed near the coast.’” Let the emperor <eom cS choo + and let what we have done pass co Aes 8 ft Oo ee i |