Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 206 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

| ad i — re hours afterward that they heard the clink of a bottle, and saw it hanging down by the image. The bottle contained some rum and water, aud had another label on the neck. ‘This is the last. The men say you must get. off inthe night or starve. They dare nct help you any more. One of the officers threatens to report if you are here at daylight to-morrow.”’ It was late in the afternoon when they re- ceived this missive. The schooner had vanished, the Andromeda was off to the southeast, five miles away, and the breeze had sunk to a gentle zephyr, while the Penelope forged slowly through the water, and her crew were busy on deck repairing the shattered foremast. Martin scratched his head and looked at Del- mont dryly. ‘*These brave Englishmen, it seems, bear malice after all, captain.” ‘* So I see.” ‘* Well, so much the worse for them.” ‘Why, Martin?’ é ‘* Because I had made up my mind, if I got off, to let them alone,” * And now—’ ‘Tf Ldo get off and get aboard the Belle of Baltimore, } shall not rest easy till I have sunk the Penelope.” And Martin added: ‘*) never said this before. given up the design—” ‘‘ You mistake. J!Aever said so.” ‘‘No, but Lsaw itvh your eye. You are too young to resist ....dness, captain.” ‘‘You are mistaken, Martin. I have a duty to perform, anc | ill do it yet.” * Whatisit?’? ** ‘* To hang this buteher Wright from his own yard-arm, if it be*standing. If not, from the gaff of the Belle of Baltimore.” It was singular *9 see these two men not yet released from perii of life, thus coolly planning what seemed an absurd scheme of impossible vengeance; but»Martin never laughed. He only held out higthand. ‘Touch t'yedt captain. I swear it—that is, if Norton’s'2”ol¥ee scruples do not prevent us doing it.” ‘*Norton wil. sot. I havea way to prevent him from opposing us.” ‘* And that is?’ , ““Tobuy the Belle. Norton will sell her to us, and we will sail her under our own flag.” ‘“You forget, captain, we haye no money left. It all went down in the poor little Mu- chachito.” ‘The Muchachito did not go to the bottom, and if she floats, we can get the treasure and buy the Belle.” ‘** True, my captain.” Then he laughed and added: ‘Who knows? We may be counting our chickens too early.” ‘‘That depénds on God, Martin, and he bas not deserted us, or we would be dead.” You did, and had CHAPTER XX. IN THE SEA. THE afternoon wore on into evening and the sun set, when the Penelope had got up fresh spars and looked as trim as ever, thanks to her owerful crew and the tireless energy of Vright. The vengeful Briton, with all his malignity, was a splendid seaman and infused his own spirit into his men. The fcremast had gone near the cap, and a new cap had to be made, the shrouds cut and spliced, the topmast refitted, and everything done inahurry. But four hundred men, work- ing under a skillful master, will perform what seem wonders to a landsman, and by sunset the frigate was moving again, with a foremast shortened by twelve feet, but otherwise un- harmed, The Andromeda was hull down to windward, St. Helena twenty miles astern, when the Peno- lope hauled her wind and stood in tothe island under a gentle breeze and a cloud of sail. The schooner was nowhere visible, but the two comrades under the figure-head hoped that she would hover round the land in the dark, looking for the felucca, and they felt satisfied to stand in for shore. As the time wore on they both felt very sleepy and nodded on their perch’s, till Martin suddenly woke with a start and ejaculated: ‘‘Heavens, captain; there are the Lights of Jamestown. We are near the harbor.” Delmont looked up at the stars, and saw that the Southern Cross was nearly perpendicular in the sky: “Tt is nearly midnight,” he said. Then he looked ahead and saw the dark hills of St. Helena looming up and the lights of Jamestown down atthe edge cf the water as Martin had said. ‘Tt is almost time we 23 lps off I think, cap- tain,” observed his comrade, ‘‘If we strip we can swim ashore, and hide somewhere till the echooner comes.” Martin nod’ed, and they undressed them- rr mm a ee ee ee a es ee One Kye, the Cannoneer. selves on their narrow perch, for a three mile swim is not so easy at the best of times that the incumbrance of clothing is to be courted. They were within a mile of the points that are: J amestown Harbor when Delmont said: ‘sé ow P At the word both dived straight down from the end of the bobstays, and struck out away from the ship; swimming as quietly as they could, They saw several heads look over the side of the ship, but no one said a word, and Delmont whispered: ‘*They’re glad were gone. the quarter-deck.” On they went, and the huge bull of the frigate receded from them in the darkness, till they found that they were alone between great smooth walls of water, that made them wonder bow they had thought the sea to be calm when they were under the bowsprit. But a man on the level of the sea, and one above it, see very different views, and they knew that what looked to them liquid moun- tains, were waves about two feet high, They directed their course toward the land, following the ship, till Jean Martin observed: ‘We are losing the lights, captain. A cur- rent iscarrying us off.” ‘In that case swim with the current.” was the composed reply. “It is useless to stem it, and we can get ashore further on, by good swimming.” On they went till the lights of Jamestown were hidden by the point, and Martin observed uneasily: ‘This current is going out to sea, captain, What shal] we do?” Swim,” was the curt reply. ‘‘ When I see that we cannot reach land I shall float till I give out,” In a very few minutes more it became certain that Martin was right. The current was taking them away from the land, out to sea. As soon as he saw this, Delmont said: ‘**Courage, comrade, I am going to rest, and let the current bear me.” With that he turned on his back spread out his arms, and both men allowed themselves to float silently along, looking up at the stars. In this way they lay for a long time, till Mar- tin said gloomily: **It is a question of hours. The sea is calm now. If it rises, we are lost.” “Tt is not likely to rise, comrade; it is a clear night. Have patience. At least if we sink we die at the hands of God, not of the English.” Martin groaned. ‘*] wish we were still under the bows of the Englishman, captain.” Delmont laughed. ‘‘A great confession. Then you have given up your schemes of vengeance?” “I see no chance of our ever realizing them, captain.” ‘*On the contrary, I do not despair. Here we are resting on a couch so soft that we can never be hurt by it.” ** And cold as ice, captain.” ‘* No; cool and pleasant, after the hot sun of the tropics. Then look above us. Saw you ever such lovely stars?” “T see them every night, captain.” ‘‘ But then you are busy. You have no time to look at them. Now we have nothing else to do. Do you notice how this Southern Cross, by its inclination, makes a great natural clock, so that we can tell what is the time as if we had the best watches from Paris in our pockets?” ** You're a cool hand, captain. I believe you would talk philosophy in the presence of death.” “The very time to talk it, Jean. What is our philosophy worth if it will not console us now? See how little are we two in the midst of nature. We sink and are lost in the infinity of the universe. My friend, we could not die amid grander scenes,” “* But I don’t want to die, captain.” “Nor I, Jean; such is the weakness of our poor humanity. But look at the stars. Con- ceive us dead and our freed spirits mounting there. Would you not like to find out what the stars are made of, Jean Martin, surnamed Le Borgne?” ‘I'd sooner go without knowing, if [ could —? even a plank, captain. I feel I’m getting tired— ‘‘Nonsense. It tires no one to float.” You mistake, captain. I am old and bony and I am tired of breathing so hard. When I let out my breath I sink, and the water threat- ens my nose. In a little while I shall get frightened. I know it is foolish but I feel it to be coming. Then up goes my hand, and I sink. It’s coming, captain.” “Stop your noise!” cried Delmont, sternly. “Are you turning coward in your old age, Borgne? Talk, laugh, keep up your spirits. I tell you we shall not sink, I dias you to turn over anc swim. Do you hear me?” The tone of authority of the superior mind was just what was needed to act as a stimulant on Jean Martin’s nerves. He felt ashamed, turned over, and swam on Get out of sight of 25 — beside his captain, who said, a moment later, in a tone of quiet triumph: “There, what did I tell you? [ thought it would be here, as soon as we entered the cur- rent, Far ahead of them, as they floated to the top of a swell, they saw a long, black object on the water, looking like a raft of timber. It vanished the next moment as they sunk in a hollow between the swells, and Martin asked: ** What think you it is, captain?” “The bulk of the Muchachito. The same current that carried it there has borne us along to it, and it is lucky, too.” a captain; but it looks a long way off still. ‘‘Never mind. So much the better.” ‘* Why, captain?” “Because the current has carried it out of sight of Jamestown harbor. Had it been seen from the cliffs, it would have been visited long ago by the English.” ** Perkaps it has been visited?” ‘*Perhaps. Indeed, I think it has; but not by the British,” “Why, captain?” “I see no figures on it against the sky line, and I know some of the crew must have got there.” ‘* Then who bas taken them off?’ ‘The schooner, my friend. I only hope—” He paused, and Martin asked, as they swam om: ‘* Hope what, captain?” ‘ That they have not hunted for the treas- ure. ‘No one knew of it, captain, but you and myself.” ‘*l'hey may have suspected it, and Norton is a shrewd American. e may think it fair sal- vage, and sail away with it.” Martin groaned as he swam. ‘** But it would be infamous, captain.” ‘“Never mind, At present we have only to reach the wreck, We are near it now.” In fact, the next wave that lifted them, . showed the abandoned hulk of the poor little felucca within fifty feet, and they soon after clambered aboard and sunk down exhausted on her deck. When they were able to make an examina- tion, the prospect was gloomy enough, The frigate had passed over the hall of the slightly framed vessel amidships, and bad cut it nearly in half, A portion of the forecastle, with the wreck of mast and sail, just showed above the water, the waves wasbing over it, and the quarter-deck had some ten or twelve inches elevation, showing that it was the lightest part of the yacht. Delmont had expected she would float, being very lightly Jaden, with no guns on board and large air spaces in the after hold, but he was not prepared for the very low level at which the stern was sunk, The deck was actually under water, the low bulwarks showing above it, and only the calm- ness of the sea prevented them being washed away. After a little time he said to Martin: ‘** Well, comrade, the treasure is still in the vessel, under the cabin.” ‘* How do you know, captain?” ‘“‘ If it bad been removed, she would float with the deck above water.” ‘* But where are the men?” ‘“That Ido not know. They bave been taken off, tut whitber— Ah, I have it.” ‘* What, captain?” _ “The guard-boat was near the wreck. It has teken them off.” ‘*Poor men! They will be shot then?” * 1 think not,” “Why not, captain?” . ‘The British are not all Wrights. They have humanity. Besides, once ashore, they would have to be tried by a court, and even a British court does not shoot men ia time of peace,” Martin looked gloomily round, ‘Then we are all alone, it seems,” ‘*So it appears; but I do not despair.” Martin sighed. ‘* What is to become of us? We are alone on a wreck that will not float many hours, and if we are seen from the land it will only be to be taken prisoners.” Delmont turned to him gravely. ‘**Comrade,” he said, three hours ago we were at the mercy of our enemies. An hour ago we were at the mercy of the sea. Now we are at the mercy of the God who made the stars, This is no time to despair. Look out for the schooner. She must be somewhere about the island. I know Norton would not desert us. She may be near us now,” So they strained their eyes over the water, ov ge for the schooner, to meet only a blank void. Far away, at one side, lowered the dark mass of St. Helena, where their enemies lay, but the sea appeared to be vacant, and after a long ures, even Delmont’s voice was gloomy as he said: ‘We can only wait, comrade, and trust to the mercy of God.” Then they sat down in the water that washed JOO <€om (E “S (E(@)