Beadle's Dime Library No. 247 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

26 sprung to the musket, pointed it at bim, and cried, as he cocked the piece: ‘¢ Surrender, or you’re a dead man!” The discomfited cracker held up his hand, “ Don’t shoot, Yank,” he said. ‘* You got me fair that time; I cave.” Then Julian took off his belts, without any resistance being offered, and tied their late guardian hand and foot, a prucess he endured with perfect equanimity, when they allowed him to finish his cigar in peace, “‘T don’t b’ar no malice, Yanks,” he said to them. ‘We don’t all hate ye so bad as the gin’ral; but we can’t go back on the old man, ye know. We was sworn in, and we've got to stay till he lets us out.” “‘ And you mean to say that’s the reason you stick together?” asked Williams. “ Don’t you know the war's over long ago?” ‘“‘Sartin we do, sir; but we all hain’t done got our paroles, and the gin’ral he ‘lows as how we’re liable to be hung if the Yanks ketch us now, so we fights as well as we knows how, that’s all.” ‘‘ Now look at me,” said Williams authori- tatively. ‘“‘T’m no Yank. I was surgeon of the Twenty- seventh Florida.” The sentry grinned. ‘‘Reckon it don’t take much to know you ain't no Yank, doctor.” “Then you believe what I say?” ‘‘T b’lieva you means to tell the truth like any Southern gentleman,” returned McCoy, politely. ‘' But we all has tuk an oath, Doc, and we can’t break it.” ‘‘ And what's the oath, McCoy?” “To stick by the old man fill he tells us to go whar we like,” replied McCoy, soberly. Williams beckoned Julian out of the hut, and said to him softly: ‘'That’s a specimen of the old Southern sol- dier; stupid as a mule, obstivate as ten of them, but he’ll never break his word. Now we've got to get out of this.” “How?” asked Julian, looking round him with some dismay. ‘‘ How shall we get out of this without a boat?” ““T’]] show you,” said the doctor, and with that he led the way through the wood to the side opposite that at which they had entered, and showed Julian that they were at the edge of the lake, where still smoked the volcano, Out in the lake, puffing to and fro, they saw the little Water Lily, looking as if she were trying to escape from the pursuit of the three slowly-moviug bateaux that were maneuvering in such a way as to try and hem her intoa corner of the lake between two islands, ina place where the tops of grass showed that the water was very shallow. The doctor advanced to the edge of the island, waded into the water up to his armpits, and fired McCoy's rifle in the air, the bullet singing away toward the bateaux, and skip- ping over the water between them. As he bad anticipated, all these boats turned toward him, and the Water Lily made a dash into the open lake, at top speed, after the fugi- tives who were signaling. As she passed near the bateaux they opened a rattling fire, to which no response was re- turned and she outstripped them and came racing up to the island, where Julian and the doctor were taken on board, and Colonel Grey ejaculated: “Thank God, boys, I thought you were gone for good. What an anxious nighf—no, two nights—we’ve passed.” ‘How did you get back bere?” asked Julian, as they steamed back into the middle of the lake, in defiance of the clumsy bateaux, ‘‘ We followed the edge of the channel till we found a thin place, where we charged the bank and got through. We were going down after you when we heard the sound of distant rifle-shots, and concluded to go no further that night for fear of accidents. We cast anchor in the middle of the stream and lay till morn- ing, when we were about dropping down to look for you. Just then Jupe told us that he saw the Stonewall coming, and sure enough we saw a schooner under bare poles coming up to us, a vessel of such a size that we saw plainly it would never do to let it come near us, “T got up allsteam and headed up the cur: rent, finding it such slow work that I wonder- ed how in the world a sailing-vessel could ever stem it as the Stonewall appeared to be doing. ‘““T found out at last, through the glass, that ne ee Tn a a Se a a ee EEE they were hauling up a cable, which I knew | must be laid along the channel of the river. jl flatter myself I showed them a trick worth two of theirs,” “Why, what did you do? asked Wil- liams, ‘* Wished for the cable as I went, and took it on my own decks, of course, steaming as hard as I could besides.” “And how did it work?’ asked the doctor, with a shade of annoyance, “So well that I left their schooner behind me at every pull, and ran to the head of the cable,” “And where is that?” ‘* About five miles below the lake, where the current begins to grow rapid, | ran up to a huge ancbor, so large that our five or six hands could not weigh it. I was three miles ahead of the schooner then, and so I left the rope and ran into this lake again.” ** And where’s the schooner?” asked Julian in an anxious tone. “Gone down again, I think. She did not come above the anchor, at all events,” ‘‘ When did you see those bateaux?’ ‘Last night they came in, and one of them guarded the mouth of the channel and fired at us whenever we went near it. The others chased us round, and kept us moving all night,” “Here they come again,” observed Dr. Williams at this juncture. ‘‘ Now Colonel Grey, I put, it to you, sir, ought this thing to go on any longer?’ Grey looked surprised. ** How can I stop itif they fire at us?’ ‘*Pve reason to think, sir, that you have some hold on General Peyton or be on you, which makes you hate each other—” “My God, no,” exclaimed Grey, interrupt- ing. “It’s the very reverse, doctor. I wouldn't hurt a hair of his head fcr a greatdeal. I would give anything to make peace with him.” The doctor seemed puzzled. *‘T know he thinks you wronged him. I’ve heard him say so long, long ago, since the war.” “T can explain that if he would only let me,” Grey said, earnestly; “but he will not. He is imbittered, morbid, mad. He will hear not a word from me.” “‘ He'll hear it from me,” said the doctor, firm- ly. ‘I’m going to meet him with a flag of truce and try and stop this useless bloodshed.” ‘‘My dear sir,” exclaimed Grey, “if you can only doit I shall regard it as the greatest favor ever done me. But they may shoot at you.” ‘They'll do no such thing,” answered Wil- liams, proudly. ‘** You all up North don’t know we all of the South yet. Til show you. No true Southern soldier ever fired on a flag of truce.” ‘Take the canoe then, and God speed you,” the colonel said, earnestly. The smal] canoe which Julian had made at Jupiter Light-house was hoisted out; the doctor got into it with a white flag and paddled off to the middle of the lake, where the three long bateaux were now coming forward in a line, with their men rowing and a party in the bow of each, musket in hand, as if to make a regular attack on the Water Lily. They saw the boats stop at sight of the canoe, saw the white flag waved, and then the canoe j ined the bateaux, and remained in the middle of the lake for near half an hour, Through the glass one could see that an ear- nest conversation was going on between the doctor and Alligator Ike, and then the canoe returned alone to the Water Lily. CHAPTER XXX. . THE CONFERENCE, WHEN Doctor Williams came on board, his face was grave and perturbed, and he said to Gray rather reluctantly: “Ym afraid there will be some trouble. Come into the cabin and I'll tell you.” They went in and sat down—Colonel Grey, his son and Williams—when the doctor said: ** He will only consent to a conferenc) on the condition that you come alone and un- armed to meet him in the midst of his men. If you do so, he pledges his honor to allow you to speak freely and permit you to depart to your yacht unharmed; but he adds that, should you fail to convince him that you hada right to come bere, he will take his, as the rep- resentative of the State of Florida, and kill you and all your party as spies.” ! —_—_— evr SS —_——_----—r——orn TT :_ 8 0800 = — - ~ RS —_ _—— ‘* As spies?” echoed Grey, amazed *“ Yes, or guerrillas, more properly.” ‘‘ But what is he?’ asked the colonel indig- nantly, interrupting bim. Williams smiled. “He claims to hold an unexpired com- mission signed by tbe President of the Con- federacy to command the last remnant of the Confederate army, which has never surren- dered, while you have been discharged and are no longer in the service. Moreover, he claims to hold a Mexican commission from the Emperor Maximilian.” ** But he’s dead long ago. est sort of nonsense,” broke in Julian, the man crazy, doctor? “I’m not diagnosing his case,” said Wil- liams, in the driest manner, ‘‘ I’m telling you what he says and has the power to enforce, You must remember that you can only es- cape by one way, and that is closed by a guard boat, You cannot return the way you came over the Locohatchee, for that is only prac- ticable after astorm. Inthe mean time your steam will give out, and you'll be at Peyton’s merey. You bave only one chance, to con- vince him he has wronged you, not you him, and that your intentions are good toward him, The wan is getting tired of this lonely life, war- ring against the world, and he is amenable to reason, have never seen anything of the world, and whose influence is on your side. The question is, will you trust him, or will you run the gantlet of the channel with the chance of being sunk by a torpedo and go to sea to bring Uncle Sam’s forces up here to rout out what you call a nest of traitors?’ When the doctor had finisbed there was a short silence, and the colonel said: “‘ Julian, what do you say?” Julian, whose young blood was boiling, cried: “I say force the yassage, attack these in- solent fools. We have eight men here, and plenty of good repeating rifles. Wecan run close to them, and exterminate them.”’ The colonel pursed up his lips. **Do you know that their bullets go through our sides like paper, Julian We are more than likely to be exterminated ourselves,” “Then get up a barricade of mattresses,” said the impetuous young man, warmly. *Didn’t you ever fight such odds in the war, father?’ “Not without ruing it, Julian. No; that is not quite practicable except as a last resort, IT am inclined to think that the doctor’s offer is the one to be accepted. After all, the Peyton I knew was a generous-bearted fellow, aud he cannot be so much changed as to bave lost all his old feelings toward me.” Williams looked relieved. “T think you're right,” be answered. “TU answer for it that he will show no treachery to you, and the rest depends on yourself, Shall? I make the signal?’ “Stop,” said the colonel, ‘you said some- thing about putting myself in Peyton’s power, Do you mean I’m to invite him to advance to the yacht?” ‘“‘No. You are to go and meet him in a canoe, with Julian and myself,” “Tl agree to that. And after the con- ference?” ‘“*You are to be free to return to the yacht. Your embarkation will be the signal tor hos- tilities to recommence.” ** Be it so,” said Grey, gravely. the terms. Make your signal.” Williams went to the bow of the yacht, fired a pistol in the air, and waved the flag three times to and fro, He was answered by a similar flag from one of the boats, when all three shipped their oars and lay idle on the water. ‘Captain Jim,” said the colonel to his en- gineer-chief, ‘‘keep your steam up, so as to be ready to start at a moment’s notice. Get out all the mattresses and lumber you can, to make a barricade round the boat. We may have to fight yet.” Then be went over the side into the white canoe, and Julian and the doctor followed in another one that they had brought with them from the North, when al] three paddled slowly toward tbe bateaux of Peyton. As they came closer, they heard the general give the orders “Oars! Down! Give way!” when all three bateaux moved off in a pro- cession to the very island where Julian had first seen Clara Peyton and her brother, and where now the old battle-flag was flying, with This is the wild- se Is ‘*T accept (E(©) mG I00 S Moreover, he has two cbildren who~ - + 7 7