Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 255 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

» f 26 ‘‘No, Captain Chester, your duty is here, and I will go,” said Thornton, | ‘**As you please, Thornton, only start at once, for it will be daybreak soon.” ‘¢ [’ll go now, sir, and I hope to bring you good news,” and shortly after the pirate lieu- tenant was on his way to find out what the strange vessel was that had anchored in the inlet below, CHAPTER LILI. AN UNWELCOME DISCOVERY, THORNTON, the pirate lieutenant was thirst- ing for distinction, in the newand sinful career he had chosen, and he thought as his boat moved slowly along, that if the schooner hap- pened to be the smuggler, and he could cap- ture her and run her up to Captain Chester as a priza, it would be a great triumph for him, He had brought with him but half a dozen men; but they were all well armed, and if the schooner was the smuggler, sailing a merechant- man, shecertainly would not carry, be thought, more than that number as a crew, and taking them by surprise would be half the battle. But, unfortunately for the buccaneer officer he was thinking, and not looking, and took the wrong channel, which led him off his course, When at length he got right once more it was daybreak. But he held on his way and soon came in sight of the schooner, i. She was certainly anchored in a place where it looked as though she sought to bide away. Then she looked very peaceable, too. No one was visible upon her decks, and there was nu way of getting a look over her high bulwarks to seo if she was armed. But her sides did not seem to be pierced for ports, and after a talk with his men, Thornton came to the conclusion thatit was the arxiously looked-for smuggler, and his men backed up this opinion, **Pull out from this cover, lads, and see if we make any one notice us,” he ordered. But no sign of life showed itself on board the mysterious vessel, and the pirates kept edging their boats nearer and nearer, At last the boat reached a position where it must either go on and face the consequences, or retreat, _ “Bah! they think they are in perfect safety, ‘and the watch are all asleep. “Tt certainly is the smuggler,” said Thorn- ton. The men thought as he did, and then he decided to pull for the schooner. Slowly the boat moved through the waters, and as noiselessly as possible, and yet no one was visible upon the schooner, Nearer and nearer, until but a few rods separated them from the coveted prize, and yet no man had been seen peering over her high bulwarks, Was it a trap? Were all on board asleep? Was it the smuggler? These questions were asked; but no satisfac- tory answer could be returned. “Men, we have gone too far to go back now, ““Give way!” The boat’s crew obeyed with a will, and they shot forward through the water toward the silent craft. The sun was just rising as tbe boat ranged alongside, and the black hull, spars, and furled sails stood out in bold relief, ‘‘ Boarders ahoy! * Follow me!” With his words, Thornton leaped up the side ef the schooner, and over upon her deck, his sword in one hand, his pistol in the other. Behind him came his men, also armed to the teeth. With cheers they rushed along the deck toward the stern, and not a man yet met them to offer the slightest opposition. “Come, lads, the prize is ours,” shouted Thornton, wildly, as he sprung toward the eabin. But his joy was short-lived, for suddenly out ef the cabin companionway bounded a tall form, and one that spread terror to the hearts of the boarders. In one hand he held a cutlass, in the other was upraised a large cross, while he was dressed in the garb of a priest. Halting before the pirates, who shrunk back _in horror, he cried in trumpet tones: “Off of this craft, I command you, or remain and die!” | The Pirate Priest. . _ ee Then came from the lips of Thornton, in almost a shriek: “It is the Pirate Priest | * Back, men, for the love of God!” They needed no second bidding; but turned in terror, and threw themselves into their boat. Seizing their oars, they shot away across the waters, and never paused until they had reached the shelter of the land. Then, to their surprise, they saw the schooner set her sails, and under pressure of a fair breeze, stand out of the inlet toward the sea. Then they pulled back to their own vessel to tell the strange story. CHAPTER LIV. THE PIRATE’S THREAT. WueEN Thornton returned to the schooner, and reported to his comrades the mysterious conduct of the strange vessel, no one was able to find a solution to it. The Pirate Priest certainly had the power, as was afterward shown, to have cut the pirates down upon his deck, or to have sunk their boat upon returning. Thornton had noticed that there were guns on the schooner; in fact she seemed thorough- ly armed, and that she was manned was very evident by the men he had seen setting sail. Yet she had made no hostile demonstration toward them, and other than the fact that the priest had so suddenly appeared before them and his words had been threatening, they had not met with opposition. The more he thought over the matter, as he rowed back to the schooner, Thornton felt that he had been frightened off by a threat, and cursed himself for not having run the priest through, and, while his men were below decks, to have taken the vessel, Thus thinking and regretting, he was pre- pared for the question from Captain Chester: ** Why did you run off, Thornton?” ‘That is a question I now am trying to an- swer for myself, sir.” “You are no coward certainly.” “T have not suffered under that imputa- tion.” “IT know that, and you possess nerve,” ‘‘T’m confident of that, having been tried.” “Tt is remarkable.” “Tt is, I admit: but the truth is, as far as I can solve it, | was confident that it was the smuggler, and assured of capturing ber, it was like an apparition to see that tall priest, armed with cross and cutlass, suddenly ap- pear before me. ** The stories I had heard of him flashed up- on me, and seeing that the men were as anx- ious as I was to get away, I got demoralized, obeyed his stern orders to the letter, and got off his deck with a precipitancy that was amusing, to remember it now when it is over.” ‘““You should have run the Pirate Priest through and seized the vessel.” “ That is just what I should have done, Cap- tain Chester. ‘* But I did rot do it.” “* Well, the thought comes upon me that we could not do better than to capture that man,” “Capture him, sir?’ asked both of the pirate lieutenants in a breath. ‘f Yes.” “ But how, sir?” ‘Every vessel runs from him?” “Yes, sir.” ‘We will run after him.” “But he is said to be unconquerable.” ** We will test that.” “And his vessel, they say, sails like tho wind.” ** So does this schooner.” ** She carries eight guns, sir.” “ And we carry seven.” ‘‘ But his are of larger caliber.” ‘Then we must fight him at closer quarters, Thornton.” ‘TI see you are determined, captain,” 4 es Tam.” ““It may be a good idea, sir.” ‘¢T am sure that it will be.” “The stories tell of how he has boundless treasure and carries it upon his schooner.” *¢ That is just what prompts me to hunt him down, for, by capturing his vessel, we can enrich ourselves at one blow, and take our necks out of the noose they are in now,” “You lead, sir, I follow.” “ And I, Captain Chester,” said the amateur lieutenants. ‘‘ But we must first capture the smuggler.” ‘ ‘‘ The Pirate Priest may escape, if we delay, sir.” “‘ He can be easily found, too easily for most vessels I guess,” ‘*Oh, yes, we can find him, or he will us,” laughed Thornton, while Sykes added: ‘‘Then for the smuggler we wait.” And for the smuggler the pirate schooner did lie in wait, and when she entered the inlet, a large, stanch brig, loaded with a cargo of rare value to be smuggled into Mexico, Thorn- ton redeemed himself after his former fiasco by capturing her at the point of the cutlass, Having dispatched the prize to an agent who would handle her cargo for bim, giving him the largest price for it, Captain Chester, true to bis word, set sail in search of the Pirate Priest. A score or more stories had they heard, while visiting a small fort by night, of the doings of this remarkable man who was cruising the seas in the garb of a padre, and with a sword drawn against every man, and it rendered all on board the schooner but the more anxious te capture him. Though a certain superstitious dread of this priest of the sea was felt by the crew, Captain Chester did not doubt, when the guns began to roar and bis men smelt powder, but that they would render a good account of them- selves, So it was settled that the Pirate Priest should be hunted down, and the pretty vessel, stolen from Uncle Sam’s service by her reckless com- mander and crew, turned her prow over the blue waters to follow the wake of the mysteri-~ ous vesset whose commander was a padre, CHAPTER LV. RUN DOWN. For some months did the schooner under the amateur pirates search the seas for the Priest of the Sea, as the buccaneer padre was fre- quently called. Her commander heard of the Pirate Priest, as being here, there, and seemingly every- where, yet could not come up with him. He cruised in the Caribbean Sea, among the West Indies, and about the Gulf, following the coast from Vera Cruz to Florida, yet seem- ingly never getting any nearer to carrying out his threat to hunt the Pirate Priest from the seas. One afternoon Captain Chester stood on his: quarter-deck, while his schooner was slowly gliding along the blue waters of Mississippi Sound. ‘You seem sad, captain,’ said Thornton, his lieutenant, approaching him, ‘‘T am sad, Thornton.” ‘‘Doubtless you are sadly disappointed at: not having yet come up with the Pirate Priest?” ‘‘Tam disappointed, Thornton, though my thoughts were not just then upon the padre we have been so anxious to find, and I cannot complain if we have not come up with him, for we have been very successful in capturing val- uable prizes.” ‘‘ So we have, sir; but is not that a lovely shore to dwell upon?’ and Thornton pointed to the coast line, where were visible here and there pleasant homes. “Tt is, indeed, as I know well, for I have spent some happy, ay, and unbappy hours. there.” ** Indeed?” ‘Do you see that grand old building half- sheltered in the live-oaks about it?” ac Yes. ” “Tt has a harbor of its own, as you see, ang is very old, having been built long years ago by a Don. ‘* At one time it was deserted for years, and became the resort of a band of buccaneers; but an enterprising fellow took it, added to it, and turned it into a summer retreat for the wealthy planters and the merchants of New Orleans. “‘ Now it is known as the Blue Anchor Inn, and I see that it is open for guests.” ‘‘-Yes, my glass shows me several ladies walking on the lawn, and others are upon the piazza. ‘‘ But will you sail in nearer?” ‘Yes, I see a fisherman yonder, and I will hail him to see if he can give us any news.” ‘‘He does not run away from I see, sir, as with our Stars and Stripes flying, and being ‘in these waters, he doubtless takes us for one of Uncle Sam’s cruisers.” <S ~~ Gomircboo CO SD. * i>) ae —— omy