Beadle's Dime Library No. 307 — page 23: what you’re looking at

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

ji a oo) ; ~ - ¢ Py * ae ‘3 * ‘*Hain’t seen none, sir.” ‘© What?” *¢ Hain't seen no Reef Pirate for days.” ‘“Was not a pirate after your fleet just before sunset?” “AN O» Ai,” ‘This is the coast-guard cruiser Sea Owl, and one of your fleet ran into San Augustine harbor a while since and reported that a Reef Pirate was destroying your vessels,” ‘It hain’t true, cap’n. ‘* Has not a smack left your fleet lately?” ‘* Yes, cap’n, one o’ our betppets chartered his craft to a gent as was willing to pay big money for it for a while, and she stood for San Augustine.”’ ‘‘By the Lord Harry! but there has been some deviltry in this, ‘Hal I remember the boat that carried off the prisoners, and the smack arrived about that time. ‘Hard! hard down your helm! “Stand ready all, lads, for back to San Augustine we go,” and away sped the yacht on her return to the port, to find, upon ar- rival, that the Sea Monster had indeed es- caped; but whither gone no one could tell. Disappointed, chagrined and swearing vengeance, Irving Brandt gave the order to again put to sea, after two days’ watch had failed to unearth the escaped prisoners, and the Sea Owl was headed for her cruise among the Bahamas, her young captain hoping to redeem his misfortune by destroy- ing some of the bands of wreckers of those islands and demolishing their false beacons. As the Sea Owl was cruising along the coast the day she left port, a sail was sighted, and pronounced to be, from its rakish ap- pearance, either a cruiser or a pirate. ‘‘What do you make her, sir?” asked one of the midshipmen, as Irving Brandt’s face showed that he had made some discovery through his glass, which he had had turned upon the stranger for some time. ‘Tt is the Sea Monster’s schooner, or I am greatly mistaken. *‘T shall soon know though,” was the answer, as the eye was kept steadily at the glass. ** What can be the reason that his schoon- er has been cruising without him?” asked Herbert. ‘That I cannot understand, unless he in- tends to get a fleet under his command and become a pirate commodore. ‘‘And intended to begin by seizing our little Sea Owl.”’ ‘*But missed it.” ** Well, whatever his motive, he did not carry it out, and he had a narrow escape from hanging, though he is free again, and his vessel is now doubtless going to some rendezyous to pick him up, for yonder schooner 7s the craft of the Sea Menster.” ‘* Well, we need have no fear of her.” ‘* No, and she does not seem desirous of a closer acquaintance with us, for, strange to say, she still holds on her course.” : “Will you hold on as we are now headed, ‘‘No, I shall run nearer and take as close a look as I dare, for with a good start and in this breeze, I do not fear the schooner, ‘Let her fall off, helmsman, so as to get a closer view of yonder stranger.” The man at the wheel quietly obeyed the order of the boy captain, an the yacht dashed swiftly along with the wind free. It was evident that the pirate had already sighted the Sea Owl, for sharp lookouts were always aloft over a buccaneer’s deck; but there was no indication whatever on board that they had done so. The large schooner held on her same course, and all seemed quiet upon her decks. She was driving swiftly along, making everything possible out of the breeze then blowing, and her speed was the admiration of all on the yacht, who, true seamen, would pee withhold. their praise even to a pirate cratt, ‘“‘T know of ‘no vessel that can sail with the Owl, excepting yonder craft,” said Irving Brandt. Then, after awhile he remarked: ‘“We are within a league’s distance of him, and still he shows no evidence of hav- ing seen us.” ** He has no flag flying.” % No, so we will set him the example. *¢Run up our colors, Mr. Herbert.” ee ES ah ss ALS See Sab ee Ei eS See - : Ong Dy Sa? De “y ¥ i a Raa aa The Phantom - Pirate. The American flag soon fluttered from the tine of the yacht, and still no response came rom the pirate. ‘He is changing his course. by Jove!” suddenly cried Irving Brandt, as the schooner was discovered to suddenly fall off, until, throwing the wind astern, he slung his sheets wing-and-wing, and went scudding along at a lively pace. A cheer greeted this act of the schooner, for it was a plain case of flight on the part of the pirate. ‘What can it mean?” asked one. “‘He certainly could whip us in ten min- utes, with his heavy armament and large crew,” remarked another of the young ofti- cers. Then Irving Brandt said: ‘The Sea Monster is not on board, you remember, gentlemen, and the officer in charge does not wish to risk a combat even with our little craft; but he need not run, for I had no idea of being so foolhardy as to fight him, and should have kept well out of his way.” All the glasses in the yacht were now turned upon the flying pirate, He had not increased his sail, but was cer- tainly anxious to get away, if he was not playing some trick. wo men were seen at the wheel, and several forms were standing near, evidently officers, Forward the crew were visible, and there seemed to be a large number of men on board. “Give him a shot from the bow gun!” suddenly called out Irving Brandt, and then added: ‘We'll see if we cannot make him show his sable flag.” The gun was quickly loaded and dis- charged, and the shot, well-aimed, struck near the stern and sent the spray in a shower upon the pirates’ cheeks. But no answering shot came. ‘The men have not gone to quarters,” said Brandt. **Nor does he show his colors,’’ said Her- bert. “Fire again, then!” Again the gun was fired, and the iron mes- senger cut through the mainsail, as it was swung out to starboard. A cheer came from the yacht’s crew. Still no response from the pirate. **Spread more sail on the yacht, lads, for as long as he runs from us we can afford to be brave,” called out the boy commander. The topsails were set, and under the in- creased sail the yacht began to gain on the schooner, where before it had simply been holding: its own. Then the pirate was seen to suddenly change his course. ‘“Stand ready, all, to about ship; he is going about, and it is our time to run,” ¢all- ed out Midshipman Brandt, and the yacht had almost gone round, as though on a pivot, when it was seen that the schooner did not intend to give chase, but had, from running dead before the wind, hauled her sheets well aft, and darted away on a starboard tack. At the same time she set every stitch of canvas that would draw, and, in spite of the speed of the Sea Owl, began to slowly gain on her, “Well, this is remarkable,”’ said Herbert. “Yes, it is a mystery I cannot under- stand,” responded Irving Brandt, as he watched the pirate, with her heavy guns and large crew, and which he was no match for in the slightest sense, slowly drop the Sea Owl astern, though very slowly, for, in spite of the rough waters,. the little yacht was hard to shake off, and when night came on, after hours spent in the chase, the buecaneer craft had not gained a mile to her credit. But with the night the vessels were no longer visible to each other, and the mystery of the pirates’ flight from him remained un- solved to Irving Brandt and his crew. CHAPTER XLIII. THE SKELETON’S WARNING. THe reader will remember that we left Lita, the Girl Wrecker, standing alone upon the Death Rock, after the departure of her adopted parents and their son, in their little vessel, ~ Sa. « 5 ea Wolves had agents in Havana Ro for the sale of the booty obtained in their murderous and nefarious practice, and these goods would be carried two or three times a year to the principal seaports and disposed of for the highest prices that could be ob- tained. The little vessels, with their cargoes, which had cost so many lives, were wont to enter port as honest coasters, the Govern- ment officials little dreaming what they car- ried beneath their outer loads of lumber, grain or merchandise, as was most conven- ient to use as a ** blind.” Receiving his pay, Wambold, the Water Wolf would return with it to his island home, and add it to the treasure he was rap- idly enlarging by his cruel work. t was upon an expedition of this kind that the little wrecker craft had sailed, when Lita was left alone. The wife had not gone before, being al- ways content to remain on shore with Lita; but she had received a nervous shock, at the sight of the ghost craft running into their port and bearing the two coffins, that caused her to feel so much dread to be parted from her husband. The duties devolving upon the Girl Wreck- er, in the absence of her companions, she well knew. She was to watch the Death's Head Bea- con closely, so that no vessel could appear in those dangerous waters, without being lured to destruction. She had, of course, to cook her own food, and to look after the chickens and cows, for there were domestic fowls and cattle on the island, which had been received alive from wrecks. After attending to these duties, Lita had the remainder of her time to herself. She was no coward and did not fear to be alone, though when the wind moaned through the pines at night, and the waves fell with ominous sound upon the beach, she threw more pent wood on the fire in the cabin and petted the cat, glad of its company at least. ‘I fear we are going to have bad weather for some days,” she said, as she retired for the night, after putting a couple of logs on the fire that its light should not desert her. In the morning she found the skies over- cast, and going to the point of lookout on the cliff started as she beheld a vessel in the offing. wag It was a.small craft and painted white, hull, spars and all. Its course lay from the Death Rock, which indicated that it had been nearer that danger- ous place. } ‘That eraft need have no fears, for it is ‘the little phantom that ran in here that night,” she muttered, recognizing the little vessel, After awhile she added: ‘*T did not expect to see a daylight; but there she is, an that same form in black at the helm. . ‘‘See! how she rounded Spear Head Reef, and avoided the Caldron Channel, as no — ——_——_..__- host craft b one but father Wambold, Leo, myself, or a ghost craft could do; for the Phantom Pirate even dares not take that channel. ‘““T wonder if the ghost craft came into the basin last night. ‘“‘T hope it did not leave coffins for Leo | meh and myself, for we are young and only the — old, it seems to me, should die. ‘*T will go down and see.” So saying the young gir ) the cliff to the beach of the basin, and she started back at what her eyes beheld there, There, just in the act of emerging from the waters, were two forms. But such forms! : They were skeletons ! ¥ White as snow, every bone in place, and there stands. 1 descended from oa ot, ‘ : fh o ' s ‘ *, « ae |} f Be * oe | “hy os &. ’ x ees | » ° e.8! S WW A 4 \ ) a ae A : v4 ee! ” “t* 1. 8s 3 “gt ee oe aly * eg eee + 4.6 A , = 4 riveted together ‘as firmly as in life with flesh, sinew and blood covering them, the =| two skeletons appeared to have halted, while yay springing from a boat to the shore.- Such was their position, while one hand. of each was outstretched and the fingers grasped a piece of paper. | Lita was fairly horrified. The appearance of the skeleton forms aoe was so lifelike, and their posture that of walking. Their sightless | upon her in spite of the e their look seemed to plead with her vagl = 7, 1 A Ce bony ave t ay a ~s % - « gaze seemed to be ikea \ reless sockets, and tq