Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 206 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

v4 6 One Eye, the Cannoneer. life,” he would say when he was drunk, but at no other time, ‘‘and curse him, Ill.do all I can to poison what time he has left, if I can get the chance.” And therefore, it was that the Penelope was now going out on “necial duty, detested by every flicer and man in “he ship save one, and he we . the captain, who ha. tually applied to be pl: ced on this very duty. hb frigate, one of the. smartest » ie British navy, had been detailed, on the request of Captain Marcus Wright, to do guard duty at the Island of St. Helena, and examine all vessels coming within two degrees of latitude, to prevent any escape of the state prisoner confined there. Osome men, to most, a vexatious and. tedi- ous duty; to Wright, a mission of vengeance for the past, a promise of delightin torturing the prond captive. The captain came on the quarter-deck, and actually smiled as he saw Havre receding in the distance. A smile was as rare on his.sour face as snow in June or flowers in December. Then the smile changed to a frown as he suddenly set eyes on the beautiful French lugger, skimming along in the wake of the frigate, less than a mile astern, under jib and mainsail alone, He frowned because she was beautiful and yet unmistakably French. He hated to admire anything among his old foes. e muttered a curse and resumed his walk: but every time he turned back his eye was attracted to the lugger, and at last he muttered to himself: ‘* By the living—yes—she is gaining on the Penelope, and holding our course.” And his course was straight out to sea, with a trend that would take him into the Atlantic. But it was too early for the captain of the frigate to decide whether the pretty white yacht was holding his course, when there are onl two wavs out of Havre, up and down channel, till the chops are reached. Captain Wright scowled at the lugger in a generally vindictive way, and then snarled out: ‘* Curse the French jade! Here, younker!” The midshipman of the watch came up in a hurry, for aboard the Penelope it was a jump- ing matter when the cross captain spoke. ‘The glass.” In a moment it was unslung and set to the exact focus used by the captain, and known by the boy from long experience, es gs gill The edptain stared at the lugger long and steadily through it. Through the glass, one could hardly see which was lugger, which foam, on account of the white hull; and it was only by glimpses that he could make out all the details of her bow. 7 hen his face contracted into a scowl! of dead- ly hatred, as he saw the beautiful head of osephine, with its coronet, and he put down the glass with an oath. The officers On the Ice side the deck winked sl ly gt each other, Weghts virulent hatred of the fallen emperor had become a matter of half-jest, half contempt in the ship, his rank prévented his hearing of it outspoken sea officers, and only from, the natural] “Old Crabs’s got the colic,Charley,” said Tom Chumley; ‘‘the poor woman little thought her very dummy would make him scowl! so. hat a mug he’s got.on him. That’s the spiteful gripes, sure as a pun.” “Hush, Tom,” muttered Duncomb. | ‘‘ Old mian’ll hear you, By Jove, he’s got a new fit.” The captain’s face had turned pale and red and purple alternately, as he looked at tLe lug- ger, and now he suddenly wheeled round and stared eagerly round the horizon. “Mr. Weatherston,” he cried, harshly. ** Here.” It was the first lieutenant he addressed, the next Cignitary to himself in the ship, and that worthy pane himself together and came stiffly toward his superior, not liking the abruptly im- perious manner of the summons. ‘“* How far are we from the nearest coast, Mr. Weatherston?” cried the captain, sharply. ‘* How far, sir?’ “Yes, how far, sir? Blast it all, don’t repeat my words. How far? You took the ship out, and have your log and time, haven’t you?” “Yes, sir. We're clear of the jetties one hour and thirty-five minutes,” answered the first Luff, more graciously. ‘‘ We’re making about seven knots, sir.” The captain gave the rail an angry slap as he ejaculated: ** Not enoug® yet. high seas, an the coast.” _ Weatherston, a quiet, matter-of-fact man of sixty, who never hoped to be a captain, looked puzzled. ‘* Not enough for what, sir?” ‘To blow that cursed French Jezebel out of the water,” growled Wright. ‘‘ Do you see her figure-head, Weatherston?” * Can’t say, sir. No.” “Well, it’s the head of the Empress Joseph- = as they used tocall her, Bonaparte’s divorced e. We've got to be on the that’s three marine leagues from “A very nice woman, I’ve heard,” said the first lieutenant, innocently. ‘‘ Did you ever meet her in Paris, captain? Captain Wright scowled deeply, and his face grew purple. ‘* No,” he growled, ‘“‘ how the deuce should I have seen her? Are you a fool?’ Then he turned away and took two or three angry turns up and down the deck, when he eame up again to Weatherston. ‘*Clap on top-gallants and stand out into the channel, sir,” he said, sharply. ‘‘ 1 want tosee if thatimpudent French jade will dare dog us into deep water. If she.does, by heavens I'll send a shot through that dainty figure-head of hers, and send her back to Havre to refit,” The first officer looked amazed, crying. ‘But we're at peace now, sir.” ‘* Peace! curse peace! IT’'ll never have peace with anything that carries that head or any thing belonging toit. Do as 1 order, sir, at once. And he wheeled short round and went back to his cabin, where he contented himself with watching the obnoxious lugger through the stern windows till he was sensible, from the in- creased speed of theship that Weatherston had obeyed his orders and piled on more sail than before. The white line cf the lugger’s bow began to drop, and the captain lost sight of the smiling face of the image of the unfortunate empress, when he said to himself; ‘* Curse her! she can’t do any better. fool to get angry about it.” He turned back to his table and was about taking up a book, when his eye was attracted by something white that fluttered above the acht. ¥ In another minute out swelled another broad white sail, as the Belle Creole came down after the frigate, wing-and-wing, and the arch sinile of the figure-head became plain on the field of the telescope as she gained on the ship. Then Captain Wright uttered a furious curse and shouted up through the skylight: ‘‘Mr. Weatherston! Pile on every stitch the ship will carry at once, sir. Run her under water, but beat that lugger. Do you hear, sir?” ‘* Ay, ay, sir.” The answer came down the skylight, and was followed by a stream of loud orders, accom- panied by the trample of many feet, as the sailors rushed to the shrouds and went aloft or seized the halyards and sheets on deck, The gallant frigate felt theimpulse of the new canvas, and plowed the water with increased speed, while the captain, too anxious to remain below, went on deck and began to criticise everything Weatherston had done, to that wor- thy’s disgust and anger, till he had satisfied himself that there was not a foot of standin rigging in the shipcapable of carrying a and that had not its full burden. Then he. observed, reluctantly: ‘‘ She’s doing all she can, Weatherston.” ‘‘T should say so,” was. the dry reply... ‘I don’t khow the frigate that. can come up to her I wasa going full. We’re going a good fourteen knots. an hour now, sir, if you'll believe if.” The captain turned and looked astern, There was the lugger at the same distance and no more, under three sails only, with several. more still to spare, and she was going.to and fro ina way that, showed she was not trying to pass the frigate, but anxious to keep her at a compara- tive distance. He uttered a deep curse of angry amaze- ment. ‘By heavens, she is dogging us. Playing tive with ustoo, Well, we'll see about that. me the biti 0! sir.” The first lieutenant, with a look of some amazement, handed the captain the speakin trumpet, turned on his heel and went to his cabin. Mr. Weatherston felt that he was being snubbed without cause, The captain, without noticing his executive officer’s sense of injury, suddenly bellowed out: ‘*Hands by the braces! In lee braces! Sharp up there! Sharp! Put the helm down, quar- termaster.” ; The vessel, obedient to her helm and the new angle at which the wind struck her sails, heeled over under ber press of canvas, nearly at right angles to her former course, and began to run down the channel, clese-hauled to a stiff south- erly breeze, across the forefoot of the lugger. s soon as the ship had completed her change the captain looked at the white lugger. There she was, at the same distance, just a long mile, having hauled her wind in a manner that showed she meant to dog the frigate, Then the captain uttered a curse again. ‘Clear away one of the main-deck guns!” he shouted, fiercely. ‘‘ Pass the word for the gun- ner to send a twenty-four pound sbot under that fellow’s hows, and if he’ll only chip the figure-head I'll give him a five-pound note, D’ve hear?” The order flew with lightning rapidity, and before five minutes were over a gun bad been cleared away and loaded, beside which stood the gunner. ‘‘ Are you all ready?” cried the captain, ** All ready, sir!” came from the gun, ‘** Give it to her, then!” The gunner took a long squint and applied the linstock—for it was before the days of prim- ing tubes. A broad flash, a white cloud, a loud boom, and they saw the shot go skipping over the waves, under the bows of the lugger, where it. dashed up a shower of spray. The captain, watching intently through the glass, uttered a joyful cry: ‘‘ Hit, by heavens! Call the gunner up.”’ Through the glass he saw that the shot had actually struck the beautiful head of the Em- press Josephine, and had knocked it into splin- ters, while the little yacht, hauling her wind, spread another sail and stood off rapidly, as if to get out of range, fearful of another shot. Captain Wright burst out into a laugh of scornful triumph and shook his fist at the lug- er. ‘*'You’ll come round chaffing me, will you, you miserable frog-eating curs?’ he roared, as if the Frenchman could hear him. Then, seeming satisfied with the lesson he had given the audacious Gaul, he added, more piaca- bly: f Secure that gun!” As the gunner came up with a grim smile on his weather-beaten phiz, the captain added: ‘* Bolter, you’re a brick. Come down to my -eabin, and I'll do what I promised and more, Yow’re not afraid of a glass of grog?” ‘‘ No, sir,” answered Bolter, grinning; and with that the captain passed the trumpet to Chumley, as officer of the deck, and went down to his cabin, where he filled out a stiff tumbler of grog for his subordinate, and became—for him—so unusually gracious that Bolter hardly knew what to make of it, till the captain said: ‘‘ There’s your five pounds, Bolter. You don’t. know what those devils made me suffer for twenty years, and I hope you never witl have such a hard apes as mine. I swear, when I think of it, | wonder sometimes I don’t go mad, Oh, if this war were only not over so soon, ’d— Never mind. Bolter, drink your orog and be off.” e noticed, from the smile of the old sailor, that the grog and condescension were too much for him. Bolter looked asif he might get too familiar, and the instinct of the captain warned him to return to the stiff formality of naval discipline. Bolter grinned, pulled his forelock, and was leaving the cab'n when they heard the dull re- port of a distant gun, followed by a loud cry on deck, CHAPTER V. A. STRANGE DUEL. CAPTAIN WRIGHT heard the ery, and listened intently. A moment later it was followed by a oneeb ng. oF wood in the fore part of the ves- sel, and lter, in the freedom generated by two stiff rummers of grog, blurted out: ‘* Hit, by the Lord Harry!” The captain, waiting for no more, took two 4 up the companionway and reached the deck, where be found officers and men standing as if astounded, staring at the lugger, which had now retired to a distance of a good mile and a half, while a cloud of smoke drifting from her side to leeward showed that she had actual- ly fired at the frigate. If a small boy should deliberately throw a stone at a policeman, and stand ready with a second before him; if a toy terrier should sud- denly fly at a bloodhound; if a common soldier should slap his colonel’s face on parade, the be- holders might see an expression on the face of the party assaulted such as reigned on the coun- tenances.of the British officers, as the lugger fired that shot. They looked not so much en- raged as astounded—flabbergasted, unable to realize for a moment what it all meant. Then the captain turned black with fury, as he shrieked out: ‘‘ Bear up for that infernal puppy. Beat to quarters! Blow him outof the water! Do you hear?—curse you! Are ye deaf? Beat to quar- ters—quick! Hands by the braces. Lay her dead for that lugger.” He seemed almost beside himself with rage at the audacious insult, and in a moment the shi became a scene Of bustle and noise, which sub- sided to perfect silence by the time the long roll of the drum had ceased, when the men stood at. uarters waiting for orders, and the officers ef the divisions came up and saluted to report. When all was still, the form of the boatswain came rolling aft, and he touched his hat, saying quietly: ‘* The lugger’s shot knocked away the whole of the figure-head, sir.” The captain started. He had almost lost sight. -* the fact that the shot had struck the Pene- ope. ‘‘Our figure-head?” he asked, incredulously, ‘** At this distance! Impossible!” The boatswain touched his hat, ‘Very good, sir. Any orders?” ‘No, Harpin, no. Stay! I cannot believe that till I see it. Show me.” A third time the other saluted. ‘‘ Very good, sir.” _ They went forward, followed by curieus,, ,OO <€om (E S) (E(@)