Beadle's Dime Library No. 307 — page 6: what you’re looking at

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

—_eaaE —_———_ —_—— - 6 The Phantom Pirate. wind, then were, and it seemed as though certain | into the haven under the Death Head Beacon uh She started with a look that seemed to burn | death must meet them if they left the anchor- | Island, acraft of the same build was cruising her very eye-lashes, and her lips were apart | age, along the Gulf coast, her course lying for Pen- with an expression of horror as she guzed Tbe masked woman, however, had said they | sacola. : through the window. were to put to sea, and be knew her nature well A pleasant breeze was blowing, and the crew Suddenly the wrecker woman raised the skull | enough to understand that she meant it, and | and passengers were all on deck, for there were so that the white forehead was just under the | would have her way if it lay in her power so to | three of the latter. swinging lamp, and the one without, staring | do. And these three were dressed in the garb of so fixedly upon every move and action, saw Turning again to the skipper, Perdido said: the church, for one wore the dress of a monk, \ bat there were red letters upon the forehead of “Say, my man, get up the anchor and set | while the other two appeared in the simple at- bone, sail, for, my word for it, our Lady Captain will | tire of nuns, though their faces were wholly Raising her mask and dashing her hands | run us safely through all dangers.” concealed beneath thick vails. bi ccross her eyes several times, as though toclear ‘* No,” The monk’s face was partially visible, and the mist of tears from them, or to drive off the ‘“* Better do it.” was that of a man who was strong in brain and dazed stare with which she’ lokoed into the ‘No; for we are safe here, snd we can wait | bold in heart, and seemed to know his power. oh cabin, the woman read the words on the fore- | until daylight, and when the storm blows over, One of the nuns was of a slovenl : bead of the skull, and read them aloud in a low | can feel our way out of this hole; but we won't | figure, and appeared to be old, while the other's tremulous voice, leave until we are certain we can get out.” form was of elegant mold, as seen even beneath ‘Tne skull of her who won what I lost, Perdido saw that the man was determined, | the attire as areligieuse, and her every move- ‘*T am avenged!” but he turned to the others, and asked: ment was graceful, . Fora moment after her words, she could find ‘‘ What say you, lads?” Her hands and feet were small and shapely, no utterance, though she tried to speak, ‘We are agreed with our skipper, sir,” was | and instead of her appearing the more respect- At last she gasped forth: the ue: ey ful to her evidently aged companion, the latter “Great God! she believes that whitened bone Perdido half turned away, and as he did so | seemed to show to the young one the greater to be my skull.” saw a dark form dart back down the cabin | respect. The terror that fell upon the masked woman | companionway. he monk would stand alone for a while, gaz- was too great for her to overcome, and, with a It was the woman, and the words of the men | ing calmly out over the waters, and then ap- groan she sunk down upon the ground, and lay | had evidently reached her ears. roach the two women and speak to them ina motionless beneath the cabin window, Upon entering the cabin, after coming on | low tone, his manner ever most respectful to For some moments she there remained, un- | board from the island, she had unrolled what | the younger one. seen by a man who walked by and entered the | appeared to be a small chart. He was tall, well formed, walked with a mili- cabin, and yet seemingly aroused by the hum his she had examined closely, the while | tary rather than a priestly air, and in spite of of voices within, motoring to herself: his garb of the church looked like one who : Sanat up she gave one glance into the ‘* Here lies the channel, and as I ran in, so I might prove dangerous if aroused. cabin, and then placing her hands over her fore- | can go out; but I must be particular to follow ‘Ts not that a sail?’ be asked, addressing the head, as though to calm her brain’s wild throb- | the course here lai down, or she will dash to | younger of the two women, bing, she fled with the speed of a deer to the | pieces and go to Davy Jones very quickly. A momentary glance at the object, and the landing. “I know the points of eerie, though, and | answer came: The man was there in the boat, and she sprung | I am confident to be able to run the gantlet out “Yes, and it is strange that we have not seen into the stern with a leap that sent it plowing | to deep water. it before; but it lies so in the sun’s wake we through the waters. “Yes, I must do it, for to fail will be to lose | failed to observe it, ‘‘ Are you pursued?” asked the man, dashing | my fortune; and after all these years of suffer- “It is an armed craft, aud is heading to- his oars into the water and pulling with all his | ing and sorrow, I must bave some joy.” ward us.” . sige “Bah! how the face of that woman comes| The woman spoke in a quiet way, and her ** Yes,” was the hoarse reply. before me! words certainly showed a knowledge of naut- “By whom?” ‘“« And the hideous skull she held in her hands, | ical matters that was remarkable for one of ber “By that which I can never forget.” and with my name upon it, cloth, | ‘Then we'll be taken?” “Well, she thinks she has her revenge, in the “ There is no chance of flight, now, should he f te hd skull before her, but I know that J shall have | prove a foe,” and the monk moved a trifle near- ! ‘How can we get away?” mine, . er, while the younger nun remarked: | ‘Run out the way we came in.” “Now, to get out of this hated spot, and I ‘Whoever, or whatever she be, our garb wil! an ‘We can never make it,” will succeed, for it is not meant for me to die | not find them our foes, though the crew may f “Then we shall go tothe bottom trying,” was | yet.” suffer.” the reckless response of the masked woman, as Again she looked fixedly over the chart for a ‘True, I had forgotten,” said the monk mus-_ “ _ She had daringly run a gantlet of danger, through the channel, which she had never passed through before, and her hand upon the tiller had never faltered. But now, as she gazed upon tbat other wo- man, she trembled like a reed shaken by the the boat now rocked in the waves outside the passage, on its wee to the vessel, which still lay at anchor where they had left it, the crew inan edited of suspense at their situation, the absence of the two whom they looked upon as allies of supernatural beings, and the strange happenings of the night. CHAPTER XI. THE FLIGHT FROM THE ISLAND, Wuen the boat touched the side of the little vessel, the crew aided the masked woman on board, glad to greet her back, and end their sus- pense in whatever way they might, ‘“Get ready to put to sea!” The order came sternly from the woman’s lips, and the men started asit fell upon their ears. To pat to sea in such a storm! To beat out against such a gale! To dare the dangers of that fearful gantlet of rocks once more! The thought filled them with consternation. They stood like statues gazing upon her, while she, unbeeding them more, passed on into the cabin, For a moment the crew stood gazing at each other in silence, and then were called to action by the words of the woman’s companion. “Come, men,get this boat swung at the davits, and up with the anchor, for we have to get out of this!” “Sy, shipmate, we'll be with rah! A Seca if we leave this hold on the bottom before the storm blows over,” said the man who was the smack’s master, or ape fey ‘*We came in here all right,” answered Per- dido, the young man, “But we dare not attempt to fly in the face of Heaven b going out,” ‘““The masked woman will pilot us out, as she ran us in.” ‘* No; she can’t do that, even if she be a witch, for we came in before the gale, and hit the channel through the reefs, but it can’t be done again, messmate,” the skipper said doggedly. Well, we must make the attempt—that is ‘* Not one foot will I stir to send my soul to Satan,” was the reply, and the crew of the skipper stepped to his side with a dogged deter- piper ion to abide by the decision of their eader, Perdido was in a quandary. He was not possessed of a high courage to meet unlooked-for dangers with a bold front, though he was a man to take big chances for life to accomplish any selfish end he had in view. He now saw trouble ahead, for the skipper and crew knew that they were safe where they few minutes, and then leaving it spread out upon the table under the lamp’s glare, she start- ed upon deck, the words upon her lips: “Why is it that I hear no sounds of getting under way?” As she reached the companionway the words of the crew came to her ears. “Ha! ch T must quell it, and at once.” With this sbe darted back down into the cabin, and hastily unlocking a small chest, took ‘out several articles. One of these she placed over her face beneath me mask, and the others in the folds of her ess, Then she glided upon deck and called out, sternly: ‘ ei a ¥ er » BY, lady. Why have my orders not been obeyed to put out of here ‘* The crew refuse to leave the anchorage.” “The crew refuse?” and she turned upon the men, who stood grouped together. “Yes, lady, we are safe here until morning, and then we can see to run out, and will start,” said the skipper, **Fools! do you think that J need daylight for my actions? ‘No, darkness, or dawn, are the same to me, so get up the anchor and I will take the helm,” and she stepped to the tiller. But the men did not move, and seeing it, the woman quickly tore aside her mask, and, stand- ing as she did where the glare from the cabin fell upon her, a cry of horror broke from the crew as they pased npon her face, for it was that of a fleshless skull, grinning teeth, and back in the eye-sockets a gleam like diamonds. “Do you obey me!” she cried in a ringing voice, But the men were appalled, and seemed hard- ly to the power to move. “Obey, and I pilot you to life and riches. ** Refuse, and Death shall be the pilot to steer you straight to Hades. ‘Up with that anchor, I command you!” Her voice had changed and become as deep- toned as a man’s, and in dismay the crew sprung to their posts, and quickly the anchor left the bottom. Then the sails were if pam and away darted the little vessel to dare deeperate dangers in her flight from tbe Death Beacon Isle, from which the woman, who so ruled others, was flying in alarm from what she had beheld there, / CHAPTER XII. A PIOUS PIRATE, Axnovut the time of the storm that swept over the Bahamas and drove the little vessel, at whose helm stood a masked woman in black, ingly, and he again turned his eyes upon the vessel, now visible to all oi te the little craft, and which was gaming rapidly toward them. It was a schooner, lying low in the water, with bows as sharp asa razor, and tall masts that raked with a most mischievous look. She was armed, that.could be plainly seen, and there were a number of men visible upon her decks, their red skull-caps giving them the look of belonging to the outlaw class, No flag was at her peaks, and the skipper of the little vessel was about to run up bis colors, the American flag, when the nun who had before spoken, said a eae in a quick, low tone to the monk, and he walked toward the sailor and rested his hand upon the bunting. “Time enough to run that up, when he showse what he is, skipper,” he said. ‘* As you please, padre,” wasthe response, and the colors were not rai But soon after a dark roll of bunting went up over the deck of the stranger, and, being shaken out to catch the breeze, revealed a black flag with a strange device in the center. This device consisted of a die of white, with red spots, and a quill pen, crossed with a red dagger, the die being in the upper crotch form- em. Hy A irate by his black field, without a doubt! but what a strange device, a cie,a pen and a dagger," said the mon “We shall soon know more of him,” was the calm response of the nun, apparently not moved by the near presence of an outlaw, any more than was her female companion, who in perfect silence and seeming indifference, ga upon the trim schooner, so rapidJy coming down upon them. / The crew, however, were different, for they turned livid as the colors floated above the schooner’s decks, and gazed most nervou ly from her to their pious passengers, as though looking to them to save them from a cruel foe. A short while more and there came a puff of smoke from the bows of the schooner, and a solid shot went flying over the deck of the little vessel, cutting thrcugh the mainsail. The crew saw that the schooner was in earn- est, and glanced from their skipper 4 the monk, while the younger nun did not. b though the elder one ducked down at the whiz- zing shot, with an alacrity that was amazing. “Lay to, skipper,” ordered the monk, who, Chenigh 8 paepniger, seemed to hold full authbori- y on : ) But ere the order was obeyed another shot. comrebooks.cot TY, joy s