Beadle's Dime Library No. 230 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

a 30 You would not tell me of the danger if you had not made up your mind to keep your oath to me. Furthermore, I know you will be faithful for another reason. My experiment on the Phan- tom has succeeded. Your cousin loves you.” ‘How do you know?” I asked him, incredu- lously. t have been in correspondence with your kinsman, Mungo Bruce, for the last two years,” ise said. ** He knows me only as Vanderdecken but he knows you are in my power, and he has ~-— ——< ee ae ee eee. arm interest in you as his sole surviving male relative, on account of some Scotch rhyme about your two families—” I remember it well. How often had I caught myself dreaming over it: ** Johnston, sire, and Bruce for mither: Make a bairn shall pase all ither.”’ He saw me flush and continued with a smile, *T have often told you I do not love needless eruelty, though I am a cruel man, as you know. I have made up my mind to reward you b giving you the woman you love, on a condi- on. ‘Name it,” Isaid. ‘‘ Shall I be free?” ‘Yes, after you perform tho task I now set ou. [am going to send you to Paris to find ord Teviot. You are to give out to him that you are a deserter from my service and that you know I have a man called Dhundn Punt with me, You are to offer to show him my haunt and leave the rest to me.” “‘ But where am I to lead him?’ I asked. He handed me a slip of paper, on which were writ- ten a certain latitude and longitude. “There,” he said. ‘1 will await him there.” ‘* But he will not trust me,” I urged. ‘‘ He will, if you give him this,” he said, and he handed me a small package that felt beavy as if it contained gold. ‘‘ Now listen. I have sent also to Paris through the branch house of Bruce, Hilton & Co., a sum of money to be to your credit in case you sa . The ay that you put Lord Teviot opposite to me in the position I have written down, no matter if he brings a fleet of iron-clads with him, you are free and will be a rich man and able to marry your cousin,” , “ But what guarantee have you that I may not stay away, ex you to the world and mene” money?” I aske ‘*The guarantee of your love for your cousin,” he said, gravely. ‘I have made her love you, and I send you back to her, no longer a plain, awkward boy, but a man who would be con- sidered fine-looking. You start. Look in the I confess I had not noted the change that two years of vigorous life in the East had made in me, I saw in the glass a well-built man with a str beard, and beards goa great way to hide ase cages ir had darkened under a tropical sun, my freckles had become one coat of tan, and for nearly a year I had dropped my Malay disguise and passed for a Parsee in Vanderdecken’s serv- ice. He smiled at me in the glass. ‘*You see you owe me something, Johnston,” be said. “ Now in one word do you consent, not on your oath, but on your word and on the honor of Mamie Bruce’s lover?” He had struck the right chord at last. “T consent,” said I, ‘‘ and, Mr. Vanderdecken it I find her well and bappy, I forgive you all the woe you have cau me, and I promise never to reveal anything that may barm you.” That is needless,” he said; “you cannot harm me, Say ree ay apeee when you have done your work. But till then I hold you to your pledge.” Then he gave me detailed instructions as to how to reach Paris and find Lord Teviot in the shortest space of time possible, and when I expressed myself confident of understandin all, = beld out bis hand and said to me, sol- emnly: **Jobnston, farewell. Brothers of one race, our must ever remain foes, till justice prevails on earth and force is overthrown for- ever. But for all that we are brothers, you and I. The time may come when you will judge me, as you judge David and Joshua, not by their slaughters, worse than mine, but by their cause. Till then, remember me when you look atthe woman who will be your wife, and when eb ld your first child in your arms, remem- vho killed my mother before you call me a demon in huinan shape.” his wonderful Ry: he wrung my ba dark eyes glistening with the tears I ever saw there. vs hour later I was on my way from Batavia to Calcutta in a Dutch steamer, as Mr. Hassim, of Bombay. I never saw Vanderdecken again. CHAPTER III. CLOSE OF THE NARRATIVE. 1 ARRIVED at Paris, and saw Lord Teviot and his wife at the Hotel de Londres. To them I was Mr. of Batavia, and I sent up a sim -—- @ - es - ee Se + card as such, as imstructed, scrawl, ‘late in the service of with important news.” They sent down for me at once, and I was face to face with the bitter foes of my chief. As I expected, they were suspicious and reti- cent, disposed to think me a fraud, with de- signs on tbeir purses. | told Lord Teviot that I was a deserter from Vanderdecken’s service—tbat I knew him to be a secret pirate, that I would, if necessary, guide a ship-of-war to bis haunts. and that I asked no pealitio, but the privilege of going with the ex- tion. He looked skeptical, and asked me how he was to know I had ever been in Vanderdecken’s service, adding: ‘* All the world knows my efforts to unmask the true character of that infamous wretch, and I have been victimized by sharpers more than once on that account. 1 have induced naval officers to follow him, and he has outwitted us, I feel sure who he is, but I cannot prove it. Show me some evidence; if you have been in his service, you know his secrets and who he is. Show me that, and I'll follow you.” I took out the package, and I confess I trem- bled as I opened it, I bad promised to doit and inspect the contents before banding them to Lord Teviot. The first object I saw was the casket with the rtrait in it, I opened it, gave it to Lord eviot, and, as I did so, a paper fell out which I picked up, and said: ‘*Do you recognize that face, sir?’ | Lord Teviot opened it, and he and his wife glanced eagerly at it. Then the lady geve a faint shriek, and would have fallen but for her husband’s arm, for him, he was trembling like a leaf and white as ashes, but not with fear. It was in the intensity of rage that he hissed out: ‘‘Sir, do you know the original of that pic- os d been glanci th in th a n glancing over the paper in the mean time, ony I answered, reading: “This is the portrait of Caroline Teviot, sister to Douglas Teviot, who was shot dead by her brother for having married the Rajah Dhundu of Bithoor, during the mutiny, to save her family from exter- m Her son is pow known ag Philip Vander- decken, aud his father as Dhundu Punt,” Then I saw why Vanderdecken hated Teviot, and Teviot was no whit behind him in abhor- "His hand f ith si is handsome face was gray w on, and he hissed out: Pie ‘By heavens, sir, if you came to taunt me with the weakness of that r creature who held life dearer than honor, | swear—” But I was I and looking down at him as firmly as himself, and I knew I could pitch him out of the window if I wanted. **Moderate your tone, sir,’ I said. ‘I come to give you your revenge if you please, not to be threatened. You know that in the lapse of time since the mutiny passions have cooled down. Vanderdecken is not ashamed of bis origin. He is capable of coming to Paris to roclaim it, and you know that if he does, urope will not permit England to seize either him or his fatber for acts of warfare. There is only one way to silence tim, and I offer you that. No one bat you knows of this picture and the crime you committed in your mad- ness— ‘No, no,” interrupted his wife, shuddering, ** we thought she perished in the great massacre at Cawnpore, At least—” ** At least you did,” he interrupted, bitterly. “Yes. You are like all women. I bad to hide it from you as wellasthe rest. Could I have faced the world with my sister’s shame trump- eted over India? My sister the willing slave of that— Bah?” He foamed at the mouth in his fury of race hatred. I never realized before how false no- tions of honor can drive men insane. Then he said in a low, hoarse tone to her: “IT knew this Vanderdecken was his son, bat, God’s my witness, I did not dream she was his mother. The wn of that lecherous vermin of Bithoor, ready to tell the world he isqmy nephew! My God! I shall go mad with shame! He must be put out of the way or life is not worth having. And Dbundu, Alive yet! The reward stands yet, Constance, three lacs! It will make me. And the reputation, too! To capture the man who has escaped us all these years,” He turned abruptly to me. ‘*T beg your pardon for my violence. T’ll go with you to the end of the earth to find that monster Dhundu and crush out this stain on my line. Tell me every particular.” ** But first,” said I, ‘tell me one thing. Who in the world is this Dhundu?” - started back and stared at me as if pet- rifle ‘*What! You a Parsee, and never heard of Dbundu Punt? Then you are no Parsee.” “Tam not,” I ssid “I am an American Scot, and my name is Mungo Johnston. I will tell you the rest another time, Now, sir, whois Vi a ee ee ee em ee eee ee es with the pencil- | this Dhundu Punt and why all this reward of- niideiteclain _ fered for him?” x He looked round apprebensively. ‘* Some one may bear us, Constance,” be said. ‘“* Tf it gets out he will be warned and escape, as he has so many times before. Secrecy, sir secrecy. Promise never to tell the name till we have him and | will whisper it in your ear. I promised readily, for I saw the policy of his remark. For Dhundu Punt I bad no regard. He might bave been anything bad and 1 had no wish to save him. “T promise,” said I. Then be whispered in my ear a name identi- fied with such fearful atrocities that I too started and cried: “He! Great heavens! Do you mean it? Why, I thought he was dead.” ‘So have many more,” said Lord Teviot, with a grim smile, ‘‘ but the devil takes care of his own. Now, sir, you see why I have cause to hate him.” “I do,” said I, ‘‘and if Ican help you to get hold of Aim, humanity, [ know.” That is all that passed between us before we entered on our business aod laid our plans to capture Vanderdecken and tbe—I cannot say whom, since my promise to Lord Teviot, for as the reader of these pages knows we did not catch hundu. All 1 have to say is this; pick out for yourself in recent history the name of the man most completely execrated by the British in India; that is the mon, Find a synonym for merci- less ferocity; that is his name. Lord Teviot and I went out that afternoon in the Bois de Boulogne as the best place to talk amid the confusion of carriages, and Ir rized the Hyatts and found that, if I did not wish a general discovery, I must get off. He agreed with feverish eagerness and off we went by rail to Marseilles and thence to the Suez Canal and India, which we crossed by rail and found the Eastern Squadron at Calcutta with our old friends the Cyclops and Swallow just fitted out for a cruise. Lord Teviot’s name was a power in India, and when he told his news in confidence to the authorities, the ironclad and her consort were given us with feverish eagerness. The capture of the much sought-after Rajah of Bithoor was certain to enlist every English- man who hated a Hindoo, that is ninety-five per cent. of the Anglo-Indian population. irty-six bours later we were steaming for the destination I bad given near a small island between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. here as I told them, we ran into Vander- decken and they bad a fair chance, West against Eust, force against craft and stratagem. Denyse has recorded the result of that battle. We did not capture Dbhundu; but Vancer. decken, after encouraging us till we grew care- less by his mimic flight, turned on us with his terrible rocket-float-torpedoes and destroyed both ships with a suddenness appalling even in these days of science. In the boat that fled from the scene of disaster were two sailors, one officer, Lord Teviot and myself, ' T think, had it not been for the coming of De- nyse’s steamer, I should have been spared and Teviot executed, for I heard the Malays yelling to me to stop; ‘‘ that they wouldn’t burt; me that the chief bad sent them.” I think he was sorry, believing I had been killed, but if so, he bas heard different ere this, for he bas spies all over the East, and some in Europe. : In fact, I knew it since I began to write this narrative, for Bruce, Hilton & Co. bave received orders from him, through their Paris house, to pay to me a Jarge sum of money, erough to en- able me to take my place as an equal perreee in the house, which will hereafter be known as Bruce, Johnston, Hilton & Co. Have I any more to tell? I bardly know. The general public can have but little interest in the private love affairs of a red-haired young man, with a plain face. Let me rather tell of others. Denyse is married, and his wife made an amicable settlement with Dr. Sam, whose bark was always worse than bis bite, and who be- haved generously as soon as his fair enemy owned her weakness and cried for mercy. I think Sam Peters will marry well some day, for he is one of the noblest fellows in the world, and too sensible to degenerate into a sarcastic old bachelor. One more fact, and I have finished. Sam is to be my best man when Mamie and I are married, which will be on the ist of April next. He says, in his cynical way, that the day is exceedingly appropriate, and hopes it will end our folly. Are we fools? I hope not. If love is folly, we are; but I am content to be called anything now, for— Mamie loves me! | MUNGO JOHNSTON. THE END. <€om IOO “S (E I shall be doing a good service to | (Elo) *