Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 210 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

rey oe ——— eo oe ee tee se ee ee ee eee ——-- &r in her belt, and she answered in c low, earnest tone: ‘“Yes, I am glad to see you, Frank For- rester, for I have not forgotten that you made | me your wife, for I loved you then, and, to | get my inheritance, killed both my father and mother, and sent a hireling to sea to kill my | . brother, who was in the navy, for you wished | all my riches, or none. “But I discovered your crime in time to save my life, and you had to fly, or die upon the gallows, and since then you have been cruising the seas as a pirate, “So be it, for such a career is worthy of you; but you are in my power now, and the end must come.” “In your power! Bah! I will hurl you from yonder cliff into the sea, and thus puvish you for daring to ship on board my vessel as a cabin boy,” said the pirate chief. She shook her head, and anzwered: ‘‘No,.you can do no such thing, for I feel that my destiny is to put the noose of the hangman around your neck. “J was determined to pursue you to the bitter end, so in this disguise, and with my brother, who would not allow. me to come alone, we shipped on your vessel as sailors, and we have tried bard to get you in our power, ‘My brother you made commander of your other vessel, and we have tried, oh, so hard, to get the opportunity to capture you and both of sour vessels together, but fate has foiled us, and at last I determined to remain here to await your coming, and boldly take your life. “‘My brother sailed yesterday, without knowing of my intention, and [ have feared he would at ouce return for me, when be dis- covered T was not on board; but now I have vou in my power, and be will come to find you dead, or my prisoner.” Tie man laughed lightly, but said: tery of why the Red Rover has made no cap- tures since I placed your brother in command. “| saw in hima daring young sailor, and I made him my lieutenant, little dreaming that he was Raoul Langdon of the navy, and your brother, though there was a resemblance in his face and yours, I could not recall of whom. “Now, my sweet girl, 1 -have lost my schooner, and ‘have come here to take com- mavd of my other craft, and my first duty will be to hang your brother, ay, and your- self, for your treachery, for as you have dis- carded the garb of your womanhood for the attire of a man, you must expect no mercy. **Come, give me those toys your hands rest upon, for they are dangerous playthings for such as you,” He stepped toward her as he spoke, but she suddenly drew the pistol from her belt, and throwing it to a level, fired. : The bullet was well aimed, struck him ‘squarely in the breast, but was flattened against the gem-studded hilt of a poniard he always «carried there, The shock caused him to step backward quickly, and half reel, as about to fall, and seeing it, the woman drew the long, slender blade from her belt and sprung upon bim. Whipping out the knife which had saved bis life, be caught her blade upon it, and it broke at the hilt, and she was disarmed. But, ere he could seize her in his powerful arms, she slipped from him and bounded away dike a-deer toward the cliff, CHAPTER XXII. THE FATAL sHorT, __ENRaGED at the attack of the woman upon him, without feeling that his conduct toward her and hers, in the past more than justified it, Forrester, the Freebooter, at once started in rapid pursuit. His face was livid, bis eyes glaring, and hoe » eried as he ran: “By Heaven, woman, you shall behold how J puni«h your brother, and then your fate will be a fearful one.” She paused when she came to the edge of the cif, for on that island of rock there was no esca, 6 for her, no place of refuge to which she could fly. But. seeing that his face showed the direst hatred to ber, sho feared to come within his grasp, and bounded away along the edge of the cliff. Rapidly he followed her, and heard her glad Sry, as she came ty the spot that overlocked — sees —_ Buccaneer Bess, the Lioness of the Sea. . 13 the basin, and beheld the little boat moored against the dismasted hulk, Over the cliff she swung herself upon the rope ladder, and rapidly descended, with a nerve that was remarkable under the circum- stances, She was a fleet woman, and went down the rope ladder with the agility of a cat, so that she had gotten half way to the hull, when she heard his voice above. ** Hold, woman, or I fire!” Her response was a mocking laugh. **Do you hear me?” t'Vas.” * Will you heed?” ce No. ” IT warn you.” “IT heed not, for I now see how you came here, and your boat shall bear me away to safety, and this rock shall be your tomb!” she shouted back, exultantly, pausing on the rope ladder as she did so. He drew a pistol from beneath his storm- coat and leveled it at her, but still she heéded it not. “Kate, I do not wish to kill you,” he said, earnestly. ‘Bah! you have no mercy for man or wo- man,” she answered, as she reached the deck, *“ Return, and let the past be forgotten and forgiven,” he called out. ‘Murderer of my parents, how dare you ask me to forget and forgive,” she answered, as she seized the rope that held the sail-boat, and began to untie it, He leveled the pistol downward, but, as though feeling bis aim would be useless at that cistance, he bastily began to descend the ladder, She saw his intention, and, as quickly as she could, sprung into the boat and seized an oar to shove it off with. She succeeded in doing so, and ina minute | more would have been safe; but he halted in “Well, Kate, your words explain the mys- | his descent and called out: **Once more I warn you!” She measured the distance, and seeming to feel that Fate would aid her to one day punish hiro, called back: “I defy you!” “* Drop that oar!” ‘* Never!” **Then you die!” With his last word, he leveled his weapon and pulled the trigger. ; The report and a cry came together, and the oar fell with a splash into the water, for the bullet had shattered the band that held it. But, undaunted still, she leaned over, seized the oar in her left band, and began to urgo the boat further away from danger, But, dropping the unloaded weapon to the deck, he drew another from his belt, and with a muttered curse, again fired. A wild shriek broke from the lips of the wo- man, and tottering beckward, she fell in the bottom of of the boat, writhing in agony. Even his hardened heart was touched as he heard her dying groans and saw her writhing in anguish, and he turned his gaze away, But, when be looked again at her, he gave a startled exclamation, for he saw that the tide had seized the boat, and, with its ghastly freight, it was drifting rapidly out to sea, He knew no other craft was on the island, and should aught happen to the Red Rover, that island wou!d indeed be his tomb, Was it a retribution upon him for his crimes, he wondered? Hastily he descended tothe deck, and throw- ing aside his clothing, sprung into the basin, and with strong, rapid stroke started in chase of the drifting boat. But, when almost near it, to his horror, a livid, anguish-stamped face was raised above the gunwale, and the burning eyes of his vic- tim were turned upon bim. Instantly the face disappeared, and then slowly, and evidently with a great effort the jib was raise2, and feeling the breeze, the boat’s movement was quickened, and it glided away before the wind ata pace that he could not equal by swimming. ‘Hal ba! ha! Forrester, the Freebooter, though dying I have foiled you. ‘‘Go back to yonder rock and die!” The voice was feeble, but he heard the words and witb bitter curses took the advice and swam back toward the island. But tide and wind were against him, and only after desperate energy was he able to at Inst drag himself upon the wreck, where he ' suak down utterly prostrated and overcome. — CHAPTER XXIII. THE RED ROVER. Axnout the time that poor Kate Lange don, the deserted wife of Forrester, the Free- booter, in her disguise as Kit, the Cabiu Boy, was drifting from the island retreat, a vesse hove in s'ght, and headed on the same course the sail-boat had persued, a few hours before, It was a schooner of a build that made honest craft look on her with suspicion, and feel anxious to give it a wide birth. Of the class known as rakish, it was also thoroughly armed, at the same time manned with a crew whose faces wore the look of hard- ened crime. They were dressed in white duck pants, blue shirts, and red skull-caps, and presented a pio- turesque, but by no means an honest appear- ance, All were armed, and about the masts, and ranged in brackets along the bulwarks, be- tween the very heavy armament for a vessel of its tonnage, were smal)-arms, from muskets to cutlasses and boarding-pikes. The vessel had all the neat appearance of a man-of-war, discipline reigned supreme, yet still there was that air about if that would not have surprised an honest tar to see a black flag go up at her peak. Aft, leaning over the top-sail, was a young man with a face that did not bear the stamp of an evil life, though it was stern and sad, and the expression resting upon i¢ was that of daring resolution, It was a dark, handsome face, andthe uni- - form be wore proved that be was an officer, while there was that about him that would impress a stranger with the idea that he was the commander of the vessel, Excepting the belmsman, he was alone on the after part of the deck, and seemed Jost in contemplating the group of distant islands, with the large one in the midst, already de- scribed tothe reader as the retreat of pirates, **Helmsman, there comes a small craft out from behind the first island,” he suddenly cried, “Tt’s true, cap’n; a leetle sloop, an’ she seems ter be driftin’,” answered the helms- man, The young officer seized his giass, and turned it upon the little craft, which was about a league away. “Yes, she is drifting, with wind and tide, for her jib is hauled but half-way up, and there seems to be no one in her.” ) “Wonder what she can be doin’ in these parts, cap’n?’ asked the helmsman., “I cannot surmise; but she has, doubtless, drifted away from some vessel. ‘*Head so as to pick her up, Felter.” The helmsman obeyed the order by changing the course of the schooner, just as the crew came aft in a body. “* Well, men, what is it you want?’ and the young commander turned somewhat sternly upon the crowd of seamen. *““Cap’n, we wishes to speak to you, sir, and we hope for a straight answer,’? came from the lips of one who seemed to be ringleader. ‘Well, my man, speak out,” was the frank response. ; ‘You see, cap’n, you must excuse us if we are wrong; but the truth is, sir, you and cabin-boy Kit shipped on board this schooner six months ago, and shortly after the chief put you over the heads of his luffs and made you cap’n. . ‘None of us said @ word against that, not even the luffs you were promoted over, at least not to us, for we all saw you was a perfect | sailor and a brave man. ‘* But now four months have gone by sincé you were cap’n, and not a prize bave we taken, though they have been on the seas.” ‘Well, lads, what does all this mean?’ calmly asked the young captain, without the slightest show of anger. po “Tt means, cap’n, that it looks mysterious, and as we left your pet shipmate, Cabin boy Kit, on the island two days ago, and you are now putting back after him, and yonder boat adrift is in sight, it makes us feel that you — may not be square, and that you are taking us into a trap, for you are mysterious-looking, . anyhow.” “Well, my men, I am captain on this ves- sel, and I shall do as I think best. “Go forward now, and let me hear no more . of this.” The words were spoken firmly, and there ; _ Te MIELOCWO KSa(e (E(0)