Beadle's Dime Library No. 316 — page 14: what you’re looking at

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

14 my opportunity and see you, if I had to let the brig sail without me, which | intend to do any- how unless you go on board with me. I was happy to see you get into the cutter, but I didn’t like to recognize an old shipmate before so many, you know, and so | waited for this oppor- tunity, and now we are met and are alone, we can talk over old times without interruption.” Theodore could with difficulty conceal his disgust for this evil man and bis tamiliar free- dom of looks and speech. He, however, felt that it was policy to deal with bim mildly and with forbearance; His mortification and chagrin at meeting agaia one of his former companions were indescribable. ‘‘T recognize you fully, Elliot,” said Theodore, “Bat in God’s name what hath brought you hither?’ ‘* As [ just said, to see you.” ‘‘ And what do you want with me?” ‘* Not so quick, good Master Toeodore; [ am quite as good as youatany time, and better, too, tor that matter; for I kaow who my father was, which I toink it would puzzle you to make out for yourself, unless it was Father Neptune,” said the man, coarsely. Theodore felt like taking the man by the throat and hurling him into the open grave by which they stood. But he saw that he was in the man’s power, and that it was alone the consciousness of this that armed the pirate with insolence, Without making any reply to this insult, he said: ‘“You say you heard in Havana that I was here. Who told you?’ | “ Ricardo, Lafitte’s lieutenant,” * And does be still live?’ exclaimed Theodore, ‘* Yes—and at the old trade.” ‘‘He was not pardoned—l remember. The ardon of the President extended only to Amer- icans by birth.” ‘*And were you pardoned, Monsieur Theo- dore?” Véathr « | ‘*Can you prove that you are an American?” Theodore at once saw the drift of the pirate’s first question. He shuddered at the reflection that ne was not; indeed; that be could not Lave been ineluded in the pardon extended to Lafitte and others by the President’s proclamation. He turaed away his fave and hid it in bis cloak, while a deep sigh burst from bim, It could not be concealed from his self-conviction. He was still outlawed. The only pardon that had been extended to him was that of the count, his benefactor. To the laws of the land, and of every land, be was still a piratce—an outlaw! Elliot gazed upon bim with bis evil countenance exvressive of hellish maliznitv; for he plainly saw what the young man’s reflections were, ‘* Well, what bave you further to say?” asked Theodore, turning abruptly to him and speaking in a voice hoarse with emotion. ‘‘That you must be one of Us!” answered El- liot, with peculiar emphasis upon the last pro- noun. ‘* What!” cried the young man, starting back a step and surveying by the broad moonbeams the face of the buccaneer. ‘‘ Is it possible that you »re still a freebooter?” ‘‘ Nothing more possible, good Master Theo- dore. I, being an Englishman, could not _ben- efit by the pardon, and so followed my old ca- reer. Besides, I love it so well that if I had had the benefit of the President’s pardon, I should still have carried my pardon in one pocket, and my free commission of the sea in the other.” ‘‘And you unblushingly confess this trade? Do you not know that you place your life in jeopardy in thus coming bere? One word from me would hang you from the yard-arm of the English brig-9?-war.” ‘*Give the word, good master, and you put your neck in the same noose, Threats never’ll do witb me.” ‘*Whatis it you want with me? Be brief in words, for I would follow the party.” ‘“T shall take my owntime. Your haughti- ness bas given me offense, or | would have paid you from the first the deference due to you as an officer and due to your courage; so, if L lack in respect you must thank yourself.” There was more civility in the man’s tone than he bad yet shown, and Theodore, feeling bimself, his character, his penepeste for the fu- ture, in some degree in the fellow’s power, he assumed a more polite bearing. ‘* Well, Elliot, I meant no offense. I must confess your presence here surprised me not a little. It is five years since I have seen any of my old companions, and I believed myself quite forgotten by them.” ‘*No doubt your nest is so well feathered, Master Theodore, you would still heve liked to remain forgotten, But we all haven’t been so fortunate as yourself. After we were broke up we scattered to the four winds. Some of us got alugger and prowled awhile about the old haunts at Barrataria, but we didn’t do much and went to Mexico. Some turned river-rob- bers in New Orleans, and degraded their profes- sion in thieving from vessels at anchor andmak- ing forays ashore into gardens and hev-roosts. Some two or three went to Havana: Ricardo was one of these, where [ found bjm'Jdst sum- mer, after baying mace every other place Lafitte’s Lieutenant. about the Gulf too hot to hold me, I found bim ashore at the head of a pretty crew of twenty men, but he bad no vessel and no mon- ey, and they kept themselves in employment as well as toey could by robbing till they could seize some craft, Well, one day, about four, ascore of us—nearly all of the old stamp and your friends, Master Theodore—were carousing in the old vault south of the Alameda, near where Lafitte was buried. ‘Ricardo came in hot haste, followed by a stout negro, a stranger. ‘** News, my friends,’ said he. ‘ Wesball not be long without a deck beneath us!’ ‘We all rose to our feet excited by his words, and looked at him for an explanation, He then took his seat at the head of our board and filling his glass, cried, ‘ Let us drink to the health of ‘ El Mino del mar!” ‘You start; and so did two-thirds of us; for we knew tbat by that appellation, ‘the child of the sea,’ was meant ‘ Lafitte’s Middy ’"—no other personage than yourself, master! We had not heard of you since his death, but had often spoken of you; and as your character and courage was so like Lafitte’s we had more than once been wondering what had become of you, and wished that we had you forour chief! It would be Jike old times again, we said.” Theodore stood immovable as a statue. A ray of the moon fell upon bis pale features on which was stamped an expression of the most painful interest, His emotion—kis surprise— his unbounded astonishment, were too great for manifestation by outward signs, His features were as motionless as if chiseled in stone, His emotion was only betrayed by their deathlike ges Elliot did not seem to regard the effect e had produced, but, folding bis arms across bis breast, he continued: ‘* We all rose and drank it with a loud cheer, and then sat down. You see tbat you were kindly remembered, Master Theodore,” ‘Go on!” said Theodore, making an impatient gesture with his hand, while the blood almost spouted from his lip with its compression, ‘* After we had taken our seats again, Ricar- do spoke. Said he, ‘Comrades, I have given you this toast to feel your pulse touching Senor heodore! You all, I see, remember him and with liking. You know he was a favorite of mine. I never saw a braver youth; though perbaps his heart was a little too tender where the senoritas were concerned, I-don’t think he had an enemy in the schooner, unless it is Red Knife here, who perbaps has by this time got over his wrath for being wounded in his right arm by him when he rescued the maiden Con- stanza from a grasp he laid upon her.’ ““That’s what hesaid, Master Theodore! and there is the scar of your dirk,” added Elliot bar: ing his left armin the moonlight. ‘I bave not forgotten it nor forgiven if,” said he with a sin- ister smile; “but if you are not false to usin this matter we can yet be friends, master.” “Go on—let me know the whole ex’ent of this matter. I pray you be brief of words,” **T told him I had no grudge against you and would be willing to show I hadn’t if you was living by fighting out our quarrel in fair fight with knives.” ** And for this then you have sought me.” said Theodore, ina tone of contemptuous defiance. “If +0, assassin, your wish sball be granted, I thank Heaven that gives me an opportunity of punishing a man so full of dark crimes and rid- ding the earth of a monster. Let this grave di- vide us and receive into its yawning jaws him who falls,” And the young man, drawing a dagger from his bosom, placed himself in an attitude of com- bat one side of the grave. ‘“Not so fast, Master Theodore! You get ahead of my story,” said Elliot, with provoking coolness, ‘‘I have no wish to destroy a good project by killing you or of not participating in it by being killed myself. I did not come from Havana here to fight out old grievances,” ‘*Then what is your project?” ‘lf you wil! be patient, master, you shall learn,” said E!lict, who bad not moved from his position or even unfolded bis arms, If this man had wished to resent his old injury, be was too wary to meet Theodore in open contest, who was now no longer a boy of seventeen, but a young man of six feet in hight and muscular Pk 3. ey and with a frame in- dicsting great strength, and possessing as he well knew, a spirit witbal of determined cour- age tbat knew no physical fear, CHAPTER XI, THE PIRATES DEMAND. THEODORE with an effort suppressed his feel- ings, and replacing bis dagger in bis bosom, prepared to Jisten to a relation of events, what- ever they were, in which he found himself so unexpectedly and dangerously involved, ‘* Says Ricardo to us, ‘I suppose you will want to know what I mean by bringing up the re- membranes of our “ Child of the Sea,” and what the toast L have given has to do with our bav- ing a déck beneath onr feet.’ We all listened attentively, which I am very glad to see youare ne ee doing, master! ‘This youth, Theodore,’ savs he, ‘is now living, and jis grown to be a tall, fine fellow, of twenty-one or thereabouts. Jf have just Jearned the fact from this negro, who ran away from tbe estate on which he lives—a man I] once knew asa slave in New Ocleans,’ “That slave’s name?’ demanded Theodore, quickly. ‘* Antonio—a fellow with tbe shoulder and breast of a bullock,” answered Eiliot. “1 know bim—the villain!” said Theodore! ‘He was flogged for insubordination a month since and fled. Well, proceed!” ‘**This negro,’ continued Ricardo, ‘informs me that our old friend Theodore is living with his master. Count D’Oyley, you will remember, commanded the frigate LE SULTAN, which cap- tured us after we grounded and slew Lafitte, we escaping to the shore. He took Theodore, it seems, from some fancy or otber, and adopted him instead of giving himto the yard-arm, He bas been living with bim ever since Jike a son, says the negro.’” *And bow did this slave, Antonio, identify me? How did he know I bad ever been with Lafitte?’ eagerly demanded Theodore, ‘“‘This Ricardo explained. He said the slave bad often been to Barrataria to sell fruit to the outlaws, and bad seen you there; and that when he came into Count D’Oyley’s premises three or four months ago, by. purchase from his former master, he at once recognized you.” ‘*T can now understand some occurrences in his behavior that perplexed me,” said Theodore, musingly. ‘“‘I remember I saw him after he was punished, and he ground his teeth at me and said that for this the count and his family and I sbould yet suffer, though I knew nothing of bis punishment till be had received it at the bands of the count’s agent. 1 see now he meant to denounce me!” ‘“*He found means to escape in a Spanish brig bound to Havana, four weeks ago,’ said Elliot. ‘** He knew he could find some free rovers there, if anywhere, who would be very willing to pay a visit to your estate,” “ The fiend !”’ ‘* Ricardo,” continued Elliot, ‘‘ then went on to say that, as you were foun] and were living in such prosperity, it was but fair and just that you should help your old friends in need, He asked our opinion, and we all gave our unanimous assent. Well, says he, I have formed a plan. We are now, in all, twenty-four good men and true, and two-thirds of us have served under the brave Lafitte, prince of bucca- neers, whose like we shall never see again, un- less his protege will take theocean again, If he would, we could want no be'trleader. Trained under the immediate eye of Lafitte; he would make an excellent captain for us,” ‘* Does this miscreant think me as depraved as himse)f?” muttered Theodore. ‘ He is deceived, Elliot.” ‘* That will be as it turns out.” ‘* But supposing I should consent to join you —‘there is infamy in the mere thought—but suppose I should consent, what motive could Ricardo have for resigning bis authority into my hands, By the holy mass!” he added with bitter sarcasm, ‘‘ he is better fitted than for being the leader of such a set of cut- throats!’ ‘‘T will explain, if you will give me time, master. Ricardo went ou to say that you must be sought out by some trusty member of the band and sounded, Anc—” ‘*And you ere this trusty person, selected by this junto of pirates to wait on me in my retire- ment,” observed Theodore, with baughty scorn, surveying Elljiot with a loox of mingled con- tempt and disgust, ‘In two words, I am!” answered Elliot, drawing back a balf-step, for be did not like the flashing eye and threatening attitude of the indignant youth, who, seeking in retirement and in the friendship of the count and his fam- ily to forget the past, now found bis sacred ge- clusion invaded, and become the object of some dark couspiracy of the bandits with whom bis destiny bad formerly connected him, ‘IT know not bow to treat this daring insult upon my feelings and hovor,” he said with severity and menace. ‘‘My impulse is to harl yon into this grave and beap the dark dead nam upon your living body till you perish. Nay—lI know not what restrains me from taking your life on the spoo.” The pirate drew back, and displayed a long knife, which Theodore recognized as the saine which had given him bis sobriquet of “ Red Knife.” ‘Put up your weapon,” said Theodore; “I shall not stain my hands and conscience with pa! worthless life. You have seen me—vyou snow my views—my present feelings. What have you more to say? You would sound me! Know then that I am no pirate! Circum- stances known to you as well as Ricardo and his base crew threw me into the care of Cap: tain Lafitte, who became my benefactor and frien’. Edueated by him, I was not depraved by his example; nor did he seek to stain my soul by leading me to commit crimes; but on the contrary be strove to keep me pure amid contamination! For this, and his uxchanging Eomichbooks:co ; ir) it : t ; . a i Re OT og ig |