Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 259 — page 7: what you’re looking at

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

, wo + Cutlass and Cross. a — -——— his daughter, and the three went into the cabin together. ‘I congratulate you upon your success, Cap- tain Restel, for the schooner seems to be a ns Irving Brandt stood like a statue while his father read this letter. His face was deadly pale and bis lips were set, while his eyes burned with intense bright- ness. | beauty,” said Barton Keys seobart b ‘‘ Has my sister seen this letter, sir?” he asked “She is a beauty, sir, and sails like a witch. hoarsely. ‘‘T bad hard work to get her, but succeeded by paying her price to her builder, who then allowed me to cut ber out from her anchorage, the day before she was to be delivered to the Government for which she was built. “You can do well in her, Captain Barto.” ““T hope so, I feel so; but about officers?” “That is all arranged, and you have but to go on board and assume your position as captain.” **T thank you from my heart, captain; but now let us go on board and see her.” ‘‘ You still trust Bradford Carr, though con- ‘‘One minute, Captain Barto, for I have a demned by his own hand?’ | little compact to arrange with you first.” ‘J still trust him, father, for I do not believe | we compact?” Bey bbe oF he wrote that letter.” ‘Bah! it is his writing.” “You mean as regards the disposal of my . . x . I 9 — 00ty, ** So it looks, sir.” ) ** And you think it is a forgery?” ‘No, for we talked over that; but it is upon ‘“‘T hope that it is, sir; but though every line | another subject.” of it seems to have been penned by Mr, Carr, I ** Pray explain,” still believe him true, and I shall go and cheer ‘““T have gotten this vessel for you, as you up sis with this hope,” and, like one drowning, | know?” catching at a straw Maud Brandt caught atthis| ‘‘ Yes.” straw of hope held out to her by her brother, | ‘‘She is as fine a craft as floats, fleet, and and cried: fully manned and armed.” “Irving, my noble brother, I, too, shall be- ‘*So you said before.” lieve in Bradford Carr, until his own lips tell “*T spent your money for her.” me that he is guilty,” **S> T expected you to do,” * And I told you I[ would tell you what my CHAPTER X, pay should be when I had the vessel.” THE PIRATES’ COMPACT. ef THE scene again changes, and from the lordly home of the Brandts to the dark-watered, for- est-walled basin where lay at anchor the lugger ef Restel, the Sea Owl. It is night, and two vessels lie at anchor in the seeret harbor, One of them is the lugger before seen there by the reader, and the home of the smuggler chief, The other is the Lady Maud, so cleverly cut ros from her honest barborage some time be- ore, Upon the deck of the latter a man walks to and fro, with the air of one buried in deep thought. No one else is visible upon the deck, but lights limmer from the cabin and forecastle, and the 1um of voices is beard in the latter. A cable’s length away lies the lugger, dark and silent. Suddenly the man halts in his walk, and after thus standing an instant, goes to the side of the vessel, where a small boat is visible. Springing into it, he seizes an oar, and sculls swiftly toward the lugger. As he touched the side, a voice said: ‘*T am glad you have come, for I am very lonesome to night.” He went up over the side, grasped the hand extended to him by the speaker, and descended into the lugger’s cabin, Then the light fell upon the two, revealing who they were. The one was Barton Keys. The other Rita Restel, the smuggler’s daugh- ter. The face of the former had changed, even in the short time that had passed since his coming = Mg ib the lugger unconscious and nearly ead, He had thrown off the mask of honesty he had worn, and become stern and reckless, “Well, it is about time to hear from your father, Rita, is it not?” he asked, ** Yes, he should be here now,” “T am tired of being cooped up here, and ‘Yes, and | feared it would break her heart, as I told you.” ** She believes it then?” ** How could she doubt it?” *‘ Let me see it, sir, please.” The colonel banded his son the letter, and he | looked at it searchingly. ‘* Well, Irving, are you satisfied?’ asked his father, ‘*T am not, sir.” ‘** Now I will tell you.” ‘*T am certainly most anxious to learn,” ** First, let me say that you have made a cap- ture since I left?” ‘Yes, it is the yacht Lady Maud, and she lies at anchor near us,” ‘*So I know, and you also captured a pris- oner?” **How know you this?” Tam no fool, Captain Barto, to run into a trap, so I sent my spy, the Indian, into the basin to see if all was right before I came up with the schooner, ** He saw one of the men and learned all.” ‘Yes, I captured a prisoner, my worst foe,” ‘* Have you killed him?” se No.” “Well, sir?” “‘T intend to make him captain of that schooner, while I serve as his first luff.” ‘* You will do this when he is Mi enemy ?” ‘*'Yes, for in doing so I will have my re- venge.” “You can do as you like, Captain Barto, as soon as the vessel is oP Ast hands, which will be when you have agreed to my compact, ‘Bub what about the yacht?” ‘1 willlet you have her to run our booty into pane in, appointing certain rendezvous to meet ier,” ** A good idea; but now to my terms.” ** Nam: them, Captain Restel.” ‘You are nota married man, I believe?” Barton Keys’s face flushed crimson at this, and then again paled, while he answered after an instant of hesitation; **T am not,” ‘Then, Captain Barto, my terms for services rendered are that ra shall marry.” ‘Marry! and whom?’ ‘*My child,” was the calm response, while Rita Restel dropped her head in her bands, and sat thus, trembling violently. “Great God! would you wed your daughter to a pirate?” ** Yes, for her father is one,” was the cool long to be upon the seas.” response, "And I will be sorry when you are gone,” ‘“ But—” she said, nen): “T wish an answer, Captain Barto, and no He saw that he had hurt her, and was about | argument. : to makea reply, when there rung out over the waters, coming from the lipsof some one on the deck: ‘Schooner ahoy !” Instantly the two dashed upon the deck, and os they reached it, heard the answer to the ail: *“ Ay, ay! the Sea Owl! “Lam your chief.” Dazzled by the light of the cabin, the man and maiden could not at first see distinctly. But, becoming accustomed to the darkness, they beleld a large schooner close upon them, and drifting alongside, “Ho, Captain Restel, I welcome you!” cried Barton Keys, springing on board the schooner as she came alongside, and seizing the hand of the smuggler. e “AndI am glad to return, Captain Barto, for I have been successful, as you will see; for this is a splendid vessel, armed and equipped throughout, and managed by a crew that you will be proud of, for a harder lot of villains, Pl vouch for it, do not sail the seas.” | ** But come, let me greet my child, and after a chat in the lugger’s cabin, I will show you your vessel,”? He led the way back upon the lugger, as he spoke, where he was greeted affectionately by ‘My child loves you, and I seek her happi- ness m Bes and will have it at any cost. ‘*What you areshe overlooks in her love of you, and my terms are that you marry her. “Tf you agree, [have a priest whom [ brought from his parish on the coast, landing and cap- turing him for the purpose, and he will unite you at once. “Tf you refuse, then you can go your way, and I will take the schooner, and hoist the black flag myself.” **How long will you give me to consider?” asked the amazed man. *‘ Five minutes.” What!” “I will give you but five minutes, and I ex- pect your answer in that time,” was the firm response, Barton Keys saw that the smuggler was in deadly earnest, and springing to his feet, he crossed the cabin several times, his face full of emotion, Then he halted by the maiden, and said “Rita, will you become my wife?” ** Yes,” was the low response. “Now?” sigh ‘Tam a pirate, as it were.” ‘I do not care, for I love you.” Se i a mm a en ee 7’ Nee ml ‘Enough! I will marry her, Restel.” ‘So be it, and this very night you can sai} in your vessel.” Leaving the cabin, Captain Restel was absent a few minutes, and then returning, said: “The padre will soon be in, and as you are known to bim, put on this disguise, and re- member that you are Captain Barto, the Bucea- neer,” ‘‘ Who is the priest?” ‘Father Homer, of the village you fled from,” “Ah! well, he will not know me in this dis- | guise,” and Barton Keys placed upon his face a false beard, and then over bis dark locks a wig of long golden hair, which completely changed his appearance, CHAPTER XI. CAPTAIN PALAFOX, SCENES upon the Gulf shores now the planta- tions of wealthy Southerners, were, at the time of which I write the secret haunts of the bold smugglers and buccaneers of those waters. With aninfant navy as we then had, and a sparsely settled region, it was difficult indeed to ferret out the abiding-places of these reckless sea rovers, and the Gulf of Mexico presenting a rich field for their lawless deeds, along itsshores was the theater of action for them, and many an inlet, bayou, and creek was the abiding- place of pirates even until more than a score of years of the Die a century had passed away, Here and there were the homes of the rich, and these were seldom molested by the bucca- neers, who seemed to feel that they must no commit depredations so near home, Thus had Brandt Manor, and innumerable other estates escaped a pillaging visit from these rovers, Among those better known in the Gulf wasa man sailing under the name of Captain Pala- fox, and also called the Sea Fox, This pirate was known to protect the honest dwellers along the coast, from those of bis kind who would gladly have made the rich homes a visit to secure booty. Time and again Captain Palafox had been chased to his lair, yet never could be taken, and he had become as a pirate, what Restel the Sea Ow] was as a smu oh Not very many leagues from Brandt Planta- tion was a heavily wooded district, intersected with bayous, or inlets, and here was the lair of Palafox, the Sea Fox, And toward the mouth of a narrow bayou, penetrating the recesses of this dark forest, a small sail-boat was heading, some days after the return of Irving Brandt to his home with the lugger. The craft was a sea skiff, and bounded along ~ over the waters, under pressure of a small leg- of-mutton sail sbe carried. In the stern, a hand upon the tiller, sat the only occupant of the little vessel, and a glance was sufficient to show that it was Irving Brandt, The sun was nearing the horizon, and its light fell upon the handsome, daring face of the youth, tinging it with a rosy hue that looked ike a maiden’s blush, Straight in toward the creek’s mouth he held. his way, and soon the skiff was in the shadow of the forest, and a few moments after the wind’ — no longer filled the sail. Lowering the sail Irving seized a pair of oars, and sent the skiff flying along up the bayou. He rowed with no hesitancy, as thou doubtful of his course, but with a long, steady sweep that urged the skiff rapidly on. ; The forest was draped with moss, the foliage was dense, and the darkness was almost as rreat then as though the sun had set, for the ranches of the trees almost interlaced across the stream. o - - After a row of some distance, a light glim- ; mered in front, and soon after, as the turned and looked over the course ahead, he be- beld a gr up of men standing about a fire built upon a point of land, | hey. were evidently cooking their evening meal, : In the stream at anchor was ean armed schooner of a bundred tons, and it did not take asailor’s eve to detect that she was a very beautiful craft in build and rig. A sloop, a lugger, a sail-boat, and several row-boats close inshore were also visibl while a cabin stood back upon the point of | where the men were gathered about the fire. Straight up to the landing rowed Irving Brandt, his coming seemingly not observed by é sa | one. and dragged it up to a place of security. Then he walked bol cabin. This led him by the fireand the group of men, - who hardly glanced at him as he approached, They were a wild-looking set of men, dressed in sailor costume, and evidently formed the crew of the schooner anchored in the stream, tain Palafox?’ asked Irving pleasantly, One of the men saluted politely and am- swered: ** Ay, ay, sir; be isin the cabin.” EONMIE DOOKS » , outh | dly up tbe path to the - a ae - > — ‘Lads, can you tell me where I will findCap- ‘ & > we 2 e .! ba Hee 7 . ‘ . « ’ Tbe ae oh s his skiff touched the bank he sprung out | ‘ - e # ‘eo =