Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 277 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

as 14 fish were lazily playing on the surface of the water; showing their sides, gleaming like sil- ver in the moonlight; while the rush of the al- bicores after the flying-fish was the only sound that disturbed the stillness that reigned over land and water. Outside the harbor of Kingston, the sea was as smooth asa mirror; tbe land-breeze failing to ruffle it, and the occasional leap of a fish only served to make the smoothness more striking, when the ripple it caused had subsided. The fashionable and rich part of the popula- tion of Jamaica does not reside in the towns, when it can help itself; and the Governor of the island was no exception to the rule, At night, the Government House was apt to be given over to darkness and desolation, while the family of Lord Gowrie had retired to the cooler slopes of the hills above Kingston, and was enjoying relief from mosquitoes and warm fogs, that comes of an elevation of fifteen bhun- dred feet above the sea, even in the tropics. On the evening after the release of the pris- oners, taken by the Saucy Jane; the Govern- ment House was dark as usual, and the country house of the Governor was allalight with lamps, hung in the trees, that then took the place of our more poetical Japanese lanterns; when a boat, that pulled six oars of a side, but made no sound beyond a faint dripping from the blades of the oars into the water, glided into a little bay, around a point, below the spot on which the country house was perched, and grounded soft- ly on the beach. A man rose up out of the stern-sheets, and Said to the rowers, in a low voice: ** Take her away, out of sight, under the man- groves; but be ready to pull like the devil, if you hear the x bow Then he beckoned silently to another man, who was still sitting in the place vacated by the first; and this second man rose and followed him up the bank into a thicket of tropical vege- tation, that bordered the strip of beach, and merged in the plantations above, by impercepti- ble degrees. As the two disappeared, the men in the boat posed off again; and soon had the little vessel idden from sight in the sbade of the mangrove thickets, that overhung the water, a!l along the beach, and formed a perfect shelter from obser- vation, In two minutes after this had been done, no one, who had not seen the operation, could have possibly guessed that a boat was there at all; while the two men who had gone ashore were perfectly invisible. Say setttled down on the bay once more, hen a careful observer, who was well- acquainted with the locality, might have no- ticed an occasional waving of the bushes on the hill. A little later, the form of a man made its appearance, in an open spot, where the wild vegetation bordered on the fields of the planta- tion above, and a low voice said to some one who was following: ‘Step softly. We are getting so near, that the dogs may scent us, if we are not careful.” “All right,” was the response, out of the thicket below. ‘‘ You koow the way better tban I do; so give your orders, and I will obey them.” Out into the moobdlight came a second.man, and one might see that both wore a sort of ag uniform, of dark blue, with brass but- us. : The leader was Frank Blair, and Eaton fol- lowed him. The privateersman looked full of high spirits and fun, as he came into view. ‘‘What a high old time they wifl have in the morning,” be whispered, ‘‘ when they find who has been here. I would give half my chance of rize-money to bave a good look at the earl’s ace wben he bears the news,” ‘Don’t you think that we bad better be sure _we are going to get out of this alive, before we begin to count our chickens?” said Eaton, rather dryly. ‘‘We have not got the lady yet, and we bave got to run the gantlet of tie dogs of the plantation before we do,” Blair laughed, in a peculiar quiet way of his own. “We shall get the lady; never fear, Eaton. I wish I was as certain that we shall get out of thesé seas safely. I know all the ins and outs of this place as well as if I had been born bere. then you forget that Lady Jane is just as familiar with it as I, if not moreso. She will find a way to get out, and I shall finda way to persuade her to stop, after she is once bere.” They were at the edge of a large banana ee as he spoke, and the privateersman put is band on the top of the low fence, and scaled it with a silent caution that showed he was cope alive to the danger that encompassed em. ) The banana patch was a sufficient protection to them, as long as they stooped low and kept under cover of the broad leaves. but the moonlight outside was so bright that Eatou whispered; ‘We shall be seen, if we go any further, cap- tain. Let us keep under the fence, and get in by that outhouse | see over yonder.” The house of which he spoke was a negro oe a -_ OT OO cabin, at the end of a long row of the same kind of habitations: and it offered a shelter to the adventurers, if they could be sure no one was awake in it. ‘Never do in the world,” whispered Blair. “That is Uncle Cupid’s cabin, and, as likely as not, the old man is sitting up to make Obeah. If he spies us, we shall have to dig out or kill him; for he is a strong old scamp, and will fight like a tiger.” ‘Then how are we going to get in and see the lady?’ asked Eaton impatiently. ‘I don’t seea chance to cro:s that strip of moonlight without being seen; and if we don’t cross it, we can never get to the house.” Blair looked at the prospect before him with a perplexity that showed that he had not fully counted the cost, before he set out on his ex pedition, Me It is a puzzler, isn’t it?’ he muttered to bim- self. Then, with a more cheerful expression, he added: ‘‘We wust wait a bit! I will trust Jane to | lovers, when the find a way to get out of the house and meet us. The place is just beyond here, under the old calabash tree yonder; if we can only get there without being seen. Stay, I see a way, I think. Follow me.” : He crouched down on his hands and knees, and crawled across the patch of bananas, like a wolf on a trail, while Eaton, to whom the ex- pedition was by no means the pleasure that it seemed to be’ to Blair, followed more leisurely, keeping a bright lookout all the time, for any signs of discovery. Luckily for them, the bananas were in full bearing, and afforded an ample shelter; for the privateersman, in his eagerness, was very im- prudent, and exposed himself a great deal more than Eaton liked tosee. However, they man- aged to get to the old calabash tree in safety, and Blair uttered a sigh of relief, echoed most heartily by Eaton, as be murmured to his com- panion: “So far, so good. Now let us see if she will dare to come, as she said she would.” The great.calabash tree was a perfect protec- tion to them, now they were under its shelter. Its broad leaves were a sort of umbrella over- head, and a screen all round them; as they stood up on one of the branches, and tried to get a view of the house, which was only about ten rods cff. By climbing up a little, they could see that something was going on in the mansion of the Governor. There was a sound of music; and the soft shuffle of feet in the dance showed that a ball was probably in progress. The negro cabins were deserted, and they at the festivities, with an absorbed attention that showed Eaton how it was he and Blair bad not been discovered. “Mighty lucky for us,” said Blair to Eaton, in a delighted whisper. ‘‘ Those niggers will be so busy, looking at the ball, that they won’t in there myself, and havea bit of fun. What do you say?” ‘By all means, captain, if you are very anx- the dry reply of Eaton. “ Count me out, if you lease, am willing to take all ordinar in warfare; but I must say that 1 don’t believe in being foolhardy.” ; Blair was about to reply, when he suddenly started and clutched Eaton’s arm, whispering: “There, theref don’t you see hernow? That is herself!” The man was trembling with excitement, and was nearly falling off the branch on which he stood. ‘‘Jane, Jane,” he murmured. She is coming, as she said she would; and all the powers of Engiand can’t ae her. does love me, Eaton; she does! she must! or she wouldn’t come here, in the face of all she risks. My God! What can I do to show such a girl how [ love her? ll attack the forts! Mil fight a frigate single-handed! Wl do some- thing to make her proud of me, by the heavens above us! I must do it, I must. I can't let her think I am a mere common fellow, in love.” Eaton could hardly help Jau oti | out loud, to hear the rhapsodies of this ardent lover; but he managed to say soothingly: ‘There, there, captain, don’t tumble off the bough; or all the fat will be in the fire, and you will lose the lady. Keep cool, and see what she wants you to do.” Blair quieted down in a moment, and watched the light and supple figure of the lady, which was now plainly visible in the moonlight, strol- ling slowly along over the lawn that surrounded the large plantation house, coming gradually toward the calabash tree, She was not alone. By her side stalked Cap- tain Austin Ferris, evidently trying to explain or excuse something, from the way in which he spoke; though they could not tell what he was saying, at that distance. is gestures were those of appeal and expostu- lation, and it was also evident that the lady was teasing him unmercifully. > 29° Kaede — —<« . / tad ious to end your days in Dartmoor prison,” was | The Saucy Jane, Privateer. ee en could see the slaves a]! round the house, staring | think of looking at us. I’ve a good mind to go ment, Lady | risks | “ My Jane! | She | a At last the voices become so loud and near, that they could catch the sense, and both men smiled to hear what was going on. ** But, my dear Lady Jane,” said the captain, Peon fe ‘*What could 1 do? Tell me that, if you please.” ‘*That is not my business, captain,” responded the lady, in her most biting tone. ‘J am not supposed to know what you soldiers and sailors are to do, in time of battle. 1 can only say that if my father had yielded to a little bit of a vessel like that, in the way you did, I should be ashamed of him, and should be disposed to run away with the first handsome man that came around, just to spite him for his bad be- havior.” ‘*{ fought as well as I could, till the galley sunk under me,” the poor captain made sbift to reply. ‘‘A man is not expected to fight after his vessel] is sunk, 1s he, Lady Jane?” ‘You bave read a good deal of Greek bis- tory, I presume, captain; and will not forget what the Spartan ladies used to say to their y gave them their shields to go to war. I have heard it often. ‘ Return with it or upon it,’ was their advice. That is all changed now, isn’t it? The new advice is, to come back, with or without honor—it is a mat- ter of indifference, as long as you come back, alive. Ah, what degenerate creatures men are nowadays!” As she uttered the last words, she was right under the tree in which the two privateersmen “tito still concealed; and added, tor their bene- t: ‘“‘Tabhor a man who comes back alive, and owes his life to the mercy of a foe that we are all taught to despise, as degenerate English- men. “And so they are degenerate Englishmen,” snapped Ferris, now thoroughly enraged at the biting sarcasm of the lady, that spent itself on him without a shadow of disguise. ‘So they are degenerate Englishmen, or they would have fought me fairly, instead of standing off at long bowls, not dering to close. Oh, if I had only had one fair chance at them! one blow! I would have said nothing at my ill-luck; but now! to be taunted by you for a misfortune that any man was liable to have happen to him, I—I—I swear, Lady Jane, I don’t think it is either fair or kind in you to talk so.” And the mortified officer very nearly shed tears of anger. Lady Jane only tossed her head with still more scorn, and retorted: ‘“Oh, yes; that’s all very well for you to say; but I saw the whole thing from the windows, and I saw that you never managed to hit the schooner once, and she hit you every time. The fact is, you are not equal to fighting these Yankees, and you may as well give up the trial in despair now, as well as any other time. You don’t know how to fight in their style, and they will beat you every time you try it.” And the saucy lady laughed in such a tantal- izing way, that Ferris, in a pet, observed: ‘*T am very glad I afford you so much amuse- ane. I think it is getting damp here. Shall we go in, or do you want to have a pe laugh, “0 to yourself about me?” s you please,” was the composed reply, *T am not particular about it, captain. My only use for you, benceforth, will be as a laugh- ing-stock for my leisure hours, and your room will always be more welcome than your com- pany. Good-evening, sir.” | The words struck the poor captain like a sla in the face, and he bowed low, choking with h mortification, and muttered: ‘‘Good-evening, Lady Jane; and thank you for your frankness,” Then he stalked off, as stiff es a sentry on post; and the lady sent after bim,as a Partbian arrow, a sligbt, mocking laugh, that made Eaton, up in the tree, say to himself: ‘What a little devil that is! No more mercy than a wolf!” No sooner had the oat of Ferris fairly died away in the distance, than Blair, whose im- atience had been growing greater and greater, orge!ting all prudence at the sight of bis mis- tress, slipped down the tree and clutched the lady in bis arms. | | Maton kept his place, not daring to stir. The privateersman caught up Lady Jane asif he was going to devour her, and the lady, lately so haughty, seemed to be divided between tears and kisses. Her temper bad vanished under the influence of love. CHAPTER XV. LADY JANE. As soon as the raptures of the lovers had sub- sided somewhat, Lady Jane said penitently: ‘‘T know I was unladylike and rude, and al) the rest of it, Frank; but it was the only wa) | could get rid of him, end he is such a lecen, that Ferris! I don’t really think he was -« cowardly, dear; do you?” He Blair laughed. W pitha “Tf be bad only known you as well as I do, Jane, he would bave given you as good as you EOMICbOOKS + _ —— teense -