Beadle's Dime Library No. 307 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

te alla , The Phantom Pirate ; The Water Wolves of the Bahamas, A Romance of Sea Mysteries in the Last Century. BY COL. PRENTISS INGRAHAM, AUTHOR OF “‘MERLE, THE MUTINEER,” “* MON- TEZUMA, THE MERCILESS,” ETC., ETC., CHAPTER L. THE PHANTOM PIRATE. ‘We are doomed! doomed ! for behold the P antom Pirate!” The words broke in almost a shriek from the lips of a man, and he shrunk away from the helm of a small vessel that he had been holding ‘upon her course through storm and wildly-toss- ing waters. : he craft was driving along at a terrific speed, though mainsail and jib were reefed own to their highest row of nettles, and the wind was over her stern quarter, causing her now to lurch far over, then to bury her bows deep, and again to dart overa wave as though her canvas served as wings to aid her in her flight. Toon ber deck, clinging to the main and fore- masts, were her crew, four in number, while the one who uttered the wild cry that opens this story, had been at the helm, and near him, clinging to the weather bulwark, was a woman. A woman, dressed in deepest black, even her hands being bidden, and her face, for she wore a mask, beneath the sable covering. As tbe-man left the belm, seemingly un- nerved, the woman sprung to it, caught the cTaft ere it could luff in that wild sea, and cried: ‘Fool! would you send us to the bottom by your accursed cowardice?” ‘‘But see! yonder is the Phantom Pirate, and we are doomed !” As he uttered the words, in seeming horror, he pointed with a band that shook as though palsied, dead ahead to an object out over the tempest-swept waters. The night was a dark one, and yet the sea in its wild’ | ig, emitted acertain lurid glare, often seen in southern latitudes, that made ob- jects distinct at some little away. With the first words of the helmsman, the crew of four men had started, and swept their "Ne Scr tier gnuet in the direction in which ow, as they gazed in the direction in whic the | elmsman’s trembling hand pointed, they _ a strange sight, for a vessel, and yet gly, only the ghost of a vessel was visible Jong on acourse that must cross their amations of horror, the men rushed the Ph voice: = “ Bo is the - from before that Pyare e-clad form and masked face, as though they feared the woman almost as much as t ghostly craft; but their eyes again me riv upon the shadowy vessel with a look that seemed one of fascination. The Phantom Pirate, as they called th strange vessel, was a schooner, and under f il, in spite of the howling wind. She seemed to glide along without being tossed the top of the waters. The sinergees part of it was that she was shadow ghost—that is a black sc , for hull, spars, rigging and sails were the hue of ‘at g Her crew, visible upon her deck, by a weird light that seemed to attend her, were clothed in black, and their faces were either dark, or covered with sable masks. Listlessly they stood at their posts, though evidently seeing the little vessel near, yet seem- ingly not caring for her presence. the two vessels, the little schooner and the shadow craft, drew nearer to each other, and it was evident that one or the other must change their course, the man vw. ho had just dis- covered the weird stranger turned anxiously to the woman and said: ‘¢ T will take the helm again.” ‘‘No, I shall keep the helm of this vessel myself,” was the stern oe oe r words were distinctly heard by the four —~—=. men who composed the crew, and with one ac- cord they seemed bent on some fell purpose, for they moved toward her, while one cri out: | Come, lads! that woman is a witch, and we'll burl her into the sea and rid the craft of the spa she has east upon it!” “ Ay, ay, lads! that we will! _ed craft!” was the Phantom Pirate! We are oice that arose above the wailing upon the waves, as though skimming - The Phantom Pirate. ‘‘Overboard with the old witch with her masked face!” was the echoing cry of the others, and they moved Once more toward the woman. But suddenly from her lips broke the one word: — ** Behoid !” One of her hands grasped the carved tiller, the other pointed ahead, and as the eyes of all fell upon the sight revealed, the men cowered as though face to face with an awful doom, Out of the sea had seemingly just arisen, for it was not visible before, or at least had not been sighted by any one on the little vessel, an island of rugged rocks and bigh cliffs. The course of the vessel was directly upon it, | and it seemed not very far distant, while the roar of the tempest-hurled breakers, driving upon it, were now distinetly heard. Buo it was not this rocky island in their course that appalled the crew of the little ves-. sel, 80 much as what they beheld upor it. Momentarily the Phantom Pirate was forgot- ten, and their eyes were riveted upon a new sight of horror. alf-way up the cliff of rock, had suddenly burst forth aaa eyes, or beacons, sending lurid rays out over the foaming waters. t was a brilliant light, one that would bave gladdened a sailor's heart as.a friendly beacon, under different cireumstances, and away from those dangerous waters of the Bahamas; but now it seemed to palsy the heart of those who beheld it. ‘‘ The Skull Beacon !” cried the woman at the helm, aS the appalled men hid their faces from the sight and moaned: ‘* Doomed! doomed!” And a strange, ghastly beacon it was, forit was a buge skull serving the place of a light- house lamp, with the fiery glare cast from the eye-sockets, in two streams of brillianey over the sea, and yet shedding around it a halo that lit it np in all its deathlike splendor. ‘Witch of Hades, you are rushing us to our doom! ‘‘Put about, or we hurl you into the sea!” shouted one of the crew, and once more the men sprung toward the woman. ‘Back! you mad devils! for, if witch I be with yonder Phantom Pirate and Death Head Beacon near, I am in fit company on this doom- ringing response of the woman in black. CHAPTER If. THE BLACK WITCH AT THE HELM. Ar the cry of the masked woman pilot, the crew again shrunk back, to once more gain courage as they beheld how swiftly they were dashing upon the rocky island, from whose cliff came the baleful glare from the Death’s Head Beacon. ; Then they once more started toward the ppear- again be checked by her cry: at th all glanced off over the waters, to see woman, to ** Behold! the Pirate Phantom e words of the woman were true—the Pirate had suddenly vanished, ig J her masses of canvas run her under? — not, how bad she so mysteriously dropped out of —_" as mysteriously as she had come before their view. They stood in awe and silence, but their thoughts were busy. Was the woman indeeda witch? Were they viewing one who was allied to the supernatural? eirs had been an honest craft, a coaster along the Gulf shores, and they had chartered her for a voyage, they knew not where, to the man who had shrunk from the helm when the Phantom Pirate appeared. He bad come on board by night, and with him had come that masked woman in black. Who she was they knew not, and from the night of sailing, they had stood in awe of her. he took her trick at the belm with the rest of them, and she certainly had proven herself elanannl of a thorough knowledge of a vessel and how to manage it. ‘The young man with her had a handsome face, a little marked by dissipation, and marred with civil, yet an attractive one withal. He too had shown himself the Foun sailor, but he seemed to treat the masked woman with a certain respect amounting to fear of her. Where the craft was bound the crew knew not, They had been paid with extravagant liber- ality for their voyage, and had asked no ques- tions after sailing from the port of Pensacola. Now, after a week at sea they found them- selves among the Babamas, in a locality most dangerous, on account of reefs and islands, and where many a strange story had been told of seeing a Phantom Pirate in those waters, and for an honest craft. to sée which was to doom the vessel and her crew to death, Sailor yarns had it that a famous pirate had a him, and his vessel, if he failed to cap _certain Spanish galleon freighted with gold. Failing to take the ooveted prize, the pirate vessel a become accursed, dud was adoniea to sail the seas over with no haven, no bope, and no power to capture a vessel, but dooming all that might cross its course to certain destruc- tion and the crews to death. This weird story all seamen of that age religi- ously believed, for forecastle and quarter-deck alike were ruled by superstitious fears a cen- tury agone, and even vow Jack tars are be- lievers, many of them, in the supernatural, while *‘ signs” govern them most strangely for good or for evil. ‘Lads, she isa witch, and she has brought that Phantom Pirate before our eyes, ‘“We dare not touch her,” whispered one of the little vessel’s crew, as their craft drove on like the wind, the Black Phantom no longer in sight, but the Skull Beacon still glaring down upon them with its lurid eyes. ‘* For God’s sake put about, or we are lost,” cried the young man, stepping nearer to the woman, and speaking in a boarse, entreating voice, ‘* Silence!” was the stern response from the hidden lips, and the woman still held on her course, which was as straight for the Death Head Beacon as a bird could fly. The crew heard what passed, and, when the woman refused to listen to her companion, they knew it was useless for them to speak, aud they clung to the mast and bulwarks in awe, their eyes fastened upon the beacon in the side of the cliff, which was now not very far distant from the little vessel. ‘‘ Take thehelm and hold her as she is,” sud- denly said the woman, and she relinquished the tiller to her companion, while she glided for- ward, seemingly not affected by the pitching of the vessel, for she walked with remarkable steadiness, For a moment or more she stood gazing with a night-glass dead ahead of the vessel, and then hastily returned to the stern, to suddenly dis- cover the crew in possession of the helm, ber companion having retreated before their threatening advance. ‘‘ Now lads, we’ve got thecraft, and we'll do what we can to keep her off yonder breakers, ‘Ready all to go about!” It was one of the four men who spoke the words, and his comrades were about to obey, when the woman almost sbrieked: ‘‘ Hold! Away from that helm, or I will put - me upon you that will lead you to perdi- on In dismay the men shrunk back, and the masked woman poh to the tiller, caught the little schooner before she cculd luff, and held her on her course as before, the men flying amidships as though fearing to be near her. Just at that moment the cliff suddenly became dark, the lights went out in the Death’s Head eye-sockets, and a gloom that was tangible fell upon the sea, while a pleading voice came from forward: ‘ «For the love of God, spare us!” It was the utterance of one of the four seamen, appealing to the masked woman, whom they now felt confident had some supernatural powers which a witch or wizard alone could possess, ‘‘ Breakers abead!” cried the young man, clin to the weather bulwark, as he beheld a wall of foam almost under the bows of the little schooner. But the helmswoman never moved the tiller an iota, although she too saw the line of foam. On dashed the schooner, the eyes of the woman seemingly fixed upon vacancy, for. the darkness vas now intense, and the next instant the seetb- ing waters seemed about to ingulf her, while a cry broke from the lips of the crew as they ex- pected to hear her strike and be shivered to atoms. But, encore a surging, sinking, tottering motion, she held on, and the next moment was in smoother water, with the cliffs of the island towering far above her decks. CHAPTER III. 4 BOY’S REVENGE. A MAN stood a’one ina room on the ground floor of a vast, rambling, and ancient mansion, that had long borve the name of the “‘ Heunted Manor.” In years gone by it bad been a villa, built and owned by some Spanish Don; but dark deeds had transpired within its walls, and no beir claiming it, the place had been sold for a song and the purchaser was a shrewd man who made his living out of the necessities and miseries of others, for he was a lender of money, where the security was five fold the amount loaned, and the interest usurious, Of his antecedents nothing was known; but he was said to possess vast wealth, and there were hints that he was the salesman of piratical and smuggled booty, and that he could and would, for gold in A aang enough to take the risks, furnish anything demanded of him, from an assassin to a vessel and crew to sail under the black flag of the buccaneer. His shop, his private office and ens BAe were the onl chambers occupied in the old structure, and there he remained at night the sole occupant, saving a boy of eighteen, who was bis confidential factotum, and who was wont to te'! his fellow clerks, who served in the F f Eomicboo Cc S) * er, p * ’ . o43 , te 4 oe 24 7