Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 206 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

Se Tate Ricci aoe — —-- EEE em a —_ water, where it floated alone, and the crew of | mast having been dragged over by the fall of the Belle set to work to reduce their canvas to | the other mast. a jib and close-reefed mainsail, to meet the Then One Eye, the Cannoneer, patted his gun coming squall. roudly, murmuring: The wreckers worked till the breeze ahead of ‘Did they abuse you, my child? I knew that the squall began to sigh in the rigging, when | we couldn’t miss twice!” they cast off the hawsers, scrambled aboard, Rutledge Norton came up and slapped him on and the Belle of Baltimore fell off and began | the back. to rush through the waters at race-horse speed. | ‘By Jove, Martin,” he said, ‘‘ you shoot as if The squall was fierce and drove them along | you had served in the Constitution. 1 couldn’t at sixteen knots an hour, so that it was not | have done better myself.” long before they went racing past the Arethusa, ‘““You forget, monsieur, that you did the which was lying to on the east of the island. same yesterday, to the Penelope,” said the one- The frigate, as they passed, fired a gun to | eyed cannoneer, modestly. windward and showed a signal, to which Norton “ Ah, that was a chance shot. replied by setting the American flag as he raced | me more than the enemy, perhaps. away to the north. meant both your shots.” Inside of an hour the squall had turned into a The Belle sailed on now so fast that her com- steady breeze, and they saw the Penelope and | mander threw her up into the wind to wait for Arethusa join company to windward and come | the Penelope, the Arethusa being out of the after the Belle under a press of sail. fight. “Now,” said Rutledge Norton, coolly, “‘ lve Whey saw Wright’s frigate come up to the got them where I want them. The fellow with | Arethusa, pass by, and crowd all sail in pursuit, the stumpy foremast has had one taste of the not deigning to notice her consort. old forty-two already. I fancy ll make him, ‘That fellow has grit, at all events,” was sick before he sees Jamestown again.” Norton’s remark, surveying the frigate. ‘‘ He The two ships came on, and the Belle, re- | knows his danger, and comes on, Give him a maining under small canvas, was being steadily | chance, boys. He shall have all the fight he overhauled, when Norton asked Delmont: wants. Up helm, and let her go through the ‘‘T wonder why the Arethusa didn’t chase us | water now.” till the other fellow came up?” The Belle paid off and skimmed away, the Delmont explained: Penelope in hot pe pee till she had drawn ‘‘ She’s been out of the fight, and didn’t know | within gun-shot of her twenty-fours, and let fly us. Besides, the man who commands the other | a full broadside. ship has a personal spite against the emperor | The shot came skipping over the sea and one and all us French, and be’ll follow wherever he | of themstruck the bends of the schooner, but sees a ghost of a chance.” _ dropped off, spent. Rutledge laughed again. ‘*Give her the main-topsail, boys,” cried Rut- ‘* He will, will he? Then he’ll be the sickest | ledge, with a defiantlaugb. ‘* That big villain Briton I ever knew before I’ve done with bim. | will knock all our paint off.” Aloft there! Get the main-topsail loose. Shake The topsail was set, and the next broadside out the reefs, boys. I want to get a good fifty | failed to reach the Belle. miles from St. Helena before I begin.” ‘*Now,” cried Delmont from the mast-head: They hoisted the foresail and began to move | ‘‘ two degrees and a half elevation. Aim where more rapidly, till Norton said: you please.” ‘We're holding our own now. I want to Martin eyed the frigate coolly. separate those fellows. The Arethusa seems to ‘*She’s not far enough yet from the other,” be waiting for the othcr. They don’t think the | he remarked, ‘‘ to make it worth while to poke odds enough, without two frigates toa Yankee | at her spurs. I think I’d better sink her, eap- schooner.’ | tain.” On they sailed, hour after hour, till the island “Sink her!” said Rutledge, incredulously. of St. Helena had vanished, and the ocean was solitary around them. Then Norton noticed that the Arethusa had drawn nearly a mile ahead of her consort, and was within five miles of the Belle. At this juncture he ordered the main-topsail taken in, and allowed the frigate to overhaul him slowly. “Now,” he said to Delmont, ‘‘it is time we began work. Get your range, and as soon as yon can hit his foremast let him have it,” | Delmont called for Martin, who came up full of eagerness, and took bis post at the gun. It surprised But you — $e friend.” ** Monsieur shall see,” returned Martin. ‘‘M life against the emperor’s safety, this shot shall sik her.” “Or at least,” he added, as he tcuched the priming, ‘‘start a leak they can’t stop.” The great gun boomed, and the missile hummed away on its flight. The Penelope was coming bows on, far abead _of her consort, and the shot. struck somewhere in the bow, raising a great cloud of spray. ‘ H la! capitaine!” cried Jean, anxiously looking up at the mast-head. ‘‘ What have i done this time?’ Delmont was. gazing fixedly through the lass, and he said nothing for some time. At ast he shut up the glass, came down the rig- ging, and offered his hand to the one-eyed can- noneer. — en — The one-eyed cannoneer was in his element at last. ‘“‘Now, my. captain,” he. said, patting the breech of the gun affectionately, ‘1 have some- thing I can depend on. Norockets here. Where shall [hit the gentleman?” “J want to cripple him, Monsieur Martin,” said Norton, politely, ‘‘so that the other gen- “Comrade,” he said, “‘you have knocked tleman may have a chance to come on alone.” a hole in. the frigate’s bows tbat will sink “In that case, monsieur,” returned Martin, | her.” with equal politeness, “it will only be neces-| “Impossible!” cried Rutledge. sary to strike his foremast down by the deck. | the glass!” That will stop his racing.” But the glass was not needed. They saw the “Do you think you can doit?” | Penelope heave to, set her flag, union down, in ‘‘ Tt depends on the captain, monsieur—I[ mean | the mizzen rigging, while she was distinctly Monsieur Delmont.” settling by the head, and her boats were being “‘T thought you were to fire,” lowered on all sides. “So I am, monsieur, and to point, too.” “It is actually true,” said Rutledge, after a “Then why has the captain anything, to do | long look through the glass. ‘‘Mr. Jean Mar- with your shot?” tin, you are the king of all cannoneers in the “He has to tell me when to fire and at what | world.” elevation to point.” And he tock off his hat ceremoniously to Delmont had gone up to the mast-head in the | Martin, who blushed up to the eyes, while the mean time, and was taking the angle of the dis- | crew cheered him vehemently. tant vessel. “Now,” observed Norton, “I think we have ‘What, hight is this mast?” he called down, turned the tables on our friend yonder, aud “ Seventy-five feet,” answered Norton. | now, Delmont, you will see what I meant when “Then we are a hundred yards out of range. | I said we would have your men back from St. Give her four degrees elevation, Martin, and | Helena in three days.” wait.” | Delmont brightened up. The schooner sailed on, and presently the| ‘I see. You mean—?” young Frenchman cried: | “To take all those boats, before they can get ‘¢ Aim at the top of the bowsprit! Fire!” to the Arethusa and make hostages of them. The big gun roared, and they watched the | That’s fair, isn’t it?” shot, a little black spot in the air, till they saw | the splinters fly from the bows of the Arethusa, and Delmont shouted down: ‘Too low. You hit her, but not in the right place. Try again, Jean.” “Give me ‘* We shall not have long to wait,” the French- man returned. “I think the ship is going down now.” In fact, not ten minutes after the lucky shot oo of the one-eyed cannoneer, the ill-fated Pene- Again the gun was loaded, but this time the | lope took a plunge, and went down, head-fore- Arethusa yawed and let fly a broadside of | most, leaving a cluster of boats on the sea, pull- twenty-four-pound shot, which all fell short, ing away to windward, The second shot of the schooner struck in the ‘Now,” shouted Rutledge, “pile on the same meee as the first, and Delmont shouted | kites, boys. Clear away those top-sails. Set an: ; ‘ flying jib and staysails. Give her all she can ; at are you about? Missed again?” carry and lay her for those boats.” Jean Martin wiped bis face and looked vexed. ith hearty cheers the Americans sprung to **T don’. see “ow itis,” he began, when a shout | their work, and the Belle rushed through the from the crew in‘errupted him, , water for the little fleet of boats, to cut them The foremast of the Arethusa came toppling | off from the Arethusa. over into the sea, and the ship at once broached-| The disabled frigate was about four miles to to, and lay on the sea a wreck, her main-top- | windward, but the boats had the advantage of One Eye, the Cannoneer. ie ' ‘But that is a cut above even your skill, my | 27 being able to pull in the wind’s eye, while the schooner had to beat up to intercept them, The race was hot and exciting, but at last Norton cried: ‘Next board, and we have them. Get the small-arms ready, in case they show fight, I don’t want to sink them all,” The schooner rushed through the sea, and, as the captain had foreseen, her next tack brought her to windward of the boats, into the midst of which she rushed, her captain shouting: ‘‘ It’s no use, boys, I don’t want to burt you, but if you don’t surrender, I'll sink every mo- ther’s son of you.” ‘‘ Fire on the infamous pirate,” roared Wright fiercely, from the stern of one of the boats, which they could now see were heavily armed, ‘* Close in and board, men. Close in!” And the boats, with their ye giving a regular British cheer, dashed at the schooner like so many dogs at a bull. Had the weather been calm, there is no doubt they would have carried her; for they had three hundred men crowded into eleven boats, in- cluding a huge launch, that pulled twenty oars of a side and carricd a twenty-four pound car- ronade on the bow, while the crew of the schooner was less than forty all told. But Norton bad not made his swoop without counting the cost, and before a boat could hook on, he was sweeping through them at a speed that made them all back out of the way, and ran right over the launch, in the stern of which Wright was standing, cutting the boat down and swamping it. Then, making a rapid board to windward, he came down on them again, as if determined to exterminate every one, when an officer in one of the boats waved a. white flag and cried: ‘*That’s enough. We surrender!” ‘‘ Who are you?” cried Norton. ‘Lieutenant Chumley, in command. The first lieutenant was killed by your shot, and the captain’s drowned, I fear.” “Throw your arms into the sea every one of ou,” answered Norton, ‘‘or I fire into you. hen come aboard, a boat-load at a time. | know your ship of old. We've not forgotten your cowardly trick with the Belle Creole.” He had heard the story from Delmont, and used it with good effect now. The sailors, disheartened by the loss of the launch, obeyed the orders of their officers, and cast their weapons in the sea, when they were allowed to come on board the schooner, one at a time, and sent down into the hold till Del- mont observed: ‘‘Excuse me, captain, but I have a_ better plan than that.” ‘‘ What is it?” asked Rutledge, who was be- ginning to look worried and a little anxious at the numbers of his prisoners, ‘‘These mer may try to rise on us.” ‘** T know it,” ‘Why not. put them back in the boats and tow them?” ** A good idea.” So the exodus was sto , and the men who were on board were told to go back to their boats, which they gladly did, shouting and singing. * began to think the Americans were afraid of them, and about to let them go. They were only undeceived when they found that the boats had been stripped of oars and every- thing else, and that they were towed astern in a helpless state that caused loud curses at the smartness of the Yankee. This was hightened when Norton, taking a swift boat of his own, rowed round the fleet with Delmont, nspeting it closely, while four sailors, with two loaded rifles lying by each, watched every movement of the men. When they had concluded the inspection, Martin said inguiringly: “Well, it is as I thought,” said Delmont dis- tinctly, in English, ‘‘the captain has turned craven, and is trying another pirate’s trick. He isnot drowned. He is there in the pinnace.” And sure enough ‘‘ Old Crabs” was fished out from under a thwart, all his ferocity gone, for he was very pale as he said: ‘‘T suppose—you mean—to—murder me.” ‘‘ By no means,” said Norton politely. ‘‘ In fact, we mean to treat you better than you would have treated us. You would have hanged us. We are going te take you and all your officers on board the schooner, on your parole not toescape. You will be held as hostages for the return of our men held in prison at St. Helena. Come on board, captain.” And Wright, trying hard reserve his dig- nity, was taken on board the schooner together with all the officers of the Penelope, when the Belle of Baltimore set sail for St. Helena, tow- ing her long string of boats. hen they came within long -shot of the Arethusa, Norton set the boats loose to drift, Saying: ‘‘Tf your friends yonder want to save you, ve can doit. I don’t want you.” hen as they trimmed sheets for theisland, he said to De’mont: ‘The officers’ lives have value in England. Sailors they would let go without a thought.” EComicbooks ~ at oh. .