Beadle's Dime Library No. 341 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

~ The Sea Desperado. 9 —_———— turned away, when he heard angry voices and the words: ‘Great God! man, do you intend to kill me?” A shot followed, the old seaman said, and he turned back in time to see Louis Vale fall and Frank Shields throw his pistol away. Such was his testimony, and the two hun- ters reported hiving heard the same cry in the voice of Louis Vale, and heard his dying words that Frank Shields had killed him. More testimony was not needed, and no one who heard doubted that Frank Shields was guilty of a vile murder. As to the old seaman, he was told that he must be on hand as a witness for the trial, and would have to remain in jail until that event unless he could give bail to appear, for he was unknown in the town. ‘*T can get a shipmate to vouch for me,” said the old sailor. “Who is this shipmate?” asked the cor- oner. ‘* We call him Captain Tom.” ‘“Ah, yes; of the Messmates’ Anchorage?” * Oe Bae ‘‘T will send for him and see,” was the an- swer, and Captain Tom soon afte: appeared. ‘‘Do you know this man?” asked the cor- oner. “1 do.” ‘‘ He is witness in this murder case, and it is necessary that he be on hand at the trial. ‘‘T do not wish to commit him, but as he was a stranger | must do so unless he can give bail to appear.” ‘You'll go surety for me, Captain Tom, won't you?” said the old sailor, somewhat anxiously. ‘‘Oh, yes, Mr. Coroner, for I have known Sailor Sam for a number of years, and ‘ll go bail for him if you think I'm good.” “Oh, you'll do, Captain Tom, so, my man, you can go,”’ The two men left the coroner’s office to- ether and were soon after seated in Captain om’s private room at his inn, ‘‘Well, captain, how did you get mixed up in all this?” asked Captain Tom, quietly. ‘‘T mixed myself up in it on purpose, Tom, and matters turned out better than I hoped,” was the answer in a very different voice from that in which the old sailor had spoken when adcressing strangers. ‘You are up to some game, Captain Morte.” ‘Yes; and I'll win it.” “T hope so, for your sake; but I was on needles to-day for fear your disguise would be penetrated, for I saw faults in it, if close- ly observed, for that beard don’t fit you as it should, and I'll try and improve on it before you go out upon the street again ; but you did not tell me about this affair.” “ Oh, 1 wanted my two rivals for the hand of Helen Hayward out of the way, so made one shoot the other, you know, and the other gets hanged for the murder. With them out of my path, Helen will be won back to her old way of thinking and will be willing to run off with me.” ‘If she does not prove willing?” ‘‘Then she must go anyhow for I have sworn to make her my wife.” ‘* But you dare not appear at this trial, for when you are brought before the gaze of so many eyes some one will penetrate your dis- guise.” ‘True; and we must concoct some plan between us to get me out of it.” ‘‘T pledged my word for your reapnear- ance in a thousand dollars’ bail.” *T’ll pay the money to you and let it be forfeited.” “Tt is better that way than have you recognized; but— Ah! I have it,” * Well?” ‘You remember that I told you when I rigged you up in your disguise that you were the image of ar old seaman, Sailor Pamowhe visits me once every year or so?” se es, ”» ‘‘Well, Sailor Sam came into port this morning, and landed from a coasting schoon- er very sick, ‘I put him to bed and doctored him; but I feel confident that he will make a die of it.” ‘* What then?” ‘‘Tf he should not, I’ll post him as a wit- ness, and he can appear at the trial to repre- sent you.” / ee ee a eee | ward, that the West Indian pirate captured her topmasts higher, and her rigging gener- ally appears more trim than that on the she was reported as being the pirate’s prize?” a shot across our bows, so he really means for us to come to.” wishes to have a closer view of us, and it is ' ! ‘But will they not discover the differ- | but natural that he should be suspicious with ence?” the rumors of pirates along the coast,” and ‘*No, indeed; for I can hard] the captain gave orders to lay the schooner apart myself, only that he is oar to, while the cruiser came dashing swiftl are made up.” toward her, and all eyes were turned in ad- ‘* And will he act for me?” miration upon her beautiful proportions, her ‘*Oh, yes: for he will do as I say.” rakish rig, and her speed. ‘*But suppose he should die?” A short half-hour, and the cruiser luffed ‘* 1 have an idea in that case too.” up sharp, and instead of running astern and ** What is it?” laying to, as all had expected, she was skill ‘‘T shall simply send for the coroner, | fully laid alongside the schooner, upon v. hose a, him off for you, and in that case when | decks sprung a tall form in uniform. Yeath steps in a court cannot claim a for- One glance into his face, and Helen Hay- feit.” ward gave a shriek, which was echoed by “Tom, you are a born schemer, and I | others. leave all in your hands,” was the enthusiastic | ‘‘ Oh, God! it is not an American cruiset, reply of the pirate captain, for such he was | for that man is the Sea Desperado,” came in as the reader now knows. | piercing tones from the pallid lips of Helen Then, after a moment, he added: | Hayward. ‘* Well, as I am supposed to be ill, you | must fix me up some other disguise, Tom, for I must be able to go about free from dis- covery.” So astounding was the surprise of all on “Tcan arrange it for you, captain,” was board the pleasure schooner, at the sudden Captain Torm’s response, and the two sat | laying alongside of the vessel they had be- down to dinner and ate with the appetite of | lieved to be a cruiser, and the appearance of men whose consciences were blunted by long | Rupert Mortimer, as many there knew him familiarity with crime. to be, that, from the captain down, they stood in dumb amazement. CHAPTER XY. The schooner’s crew numbered but half a IN THE CLAWS OF A SEA TIGER. score, and there were as many male passen- SEVERAL weeks dragged their length | gers on board; but what could these do along, and in that time changes had come to | against the brig, armed most thoroughly, and those who have thus far figured in my story. | with her decks crowded with men? Louis Vale had been laid in his grave over | _ Resistance would be madness, and so in in the churchyard, and Frank Shields, the dumb horror all stood, while Captain Morte, most promising and popular student of the | with a smile upon his handsome but sinister University, had been proven guilty of mur- | face, advanced toward the frightened pas- der, and sentenced to die upon the gallows. | sengers. He had told his story, as it was, atthe | His guns were run out, his crew at quar- trial, but no one had believed him, and the | ters, and a band of red-capped boarders stood two hunters had related all that they had | ready to follow him upon the schooner should seen and heard, while the testimony of Sailor | he give the word, so he held the prize at his Sam was read, for the old seaman had sud- | mercy. denly taken sick and died, it was said by his Raising his cap politely as he advanced, he bondsman, Captain Tom. said pleasantly: The result was of course the finding of | ‘* Miss Hayward, I greet you, and I assure Frank Shields guilty, and his sentence to | you this is an unexpected pleasure. Ah! I death on the gallows, see many faces here that I remember, and if He had received his sentence without a _ I mistake not, one who sat on the jury that quiver, and with a fearless face that won the | decided that I should die on the gallows. admiration of all, and had then gone back to | That was some years ago, Pierce Sanford, his cell a doomed man, with every hope in | and you see that lam not yet dead, while life cut out of his heart, and the thought of | you will find that I outlive you.” soon going down into an ignominious grave The man to whom he spoke, and one who alone before him, had indeed been one of the jurymen upon After the sentence of Frank Shields, to the | his trial for murder, turned deadly pale at surprise of many who knew her, Helen Hay- | this; but unheeding him more, Captain ward became quite gay again, and joined a | Morte again turned to Helen, who was now arty who were to run down the coast to | calm, though as white as a corpse: oston on a short stay. ‘‘Have you no greeting for an old friend; A pleasure craft had been selected for the | Miss Hayward?” he asked, in a low, earnest voyage, and, as she was a fleet-sailing | tone. schooner, so small that she could run into any “Il acknowledge no friendship with pi- of the havens along the ccast, there was no | rates, sir,” was the haughty reply. dread felt of the free rovers often seen along “Take care, my proud beauty, and do not shore. anger me, for upon you depends the safety It was a gay party, some twenty in num- | of all on board,” was the reply of the sea ber, and Mr. Hayward and Helen were rover. tell you | and you CHAPTER XVI. THE PIRATE’S DEMAND. f i j among them, ‘Upon me? Pray explain, Sir Outlaw.” The jleasure schooner set sail early one “You were once my promised bride, fair pleasant afternoon, and all on board seemed | Helen.” in high spirits, while jokes were made about ‘“That was years ago, when I was hardly being captured by pirates, and one or two | in my teens, and when I believed you to be romantic young ge of the party even hoped | an honorable man, Rupert Mortimer.” that they would be chased by a buccaneer. ‘* Here, sir, how dare you thus alarm and Toward sunset a sail suddenly hovein sight | worry my child,” cried Mr. Hayward, in- inshore, and at a glance Mr. Bayer pro- | dignantly, advancing toward the pirate. nounced it to be an American brig-of-war. Captain Morte laughed lightly, and said: In this assertion he was seconded by the *“*Mr. Hayward, I will have no interfer- captain of the schooner, and no effort was | ence from you, sir. You torbade me your made to give the stranger a wide berth. house once, and I have my revenge, for that As they drew nearer the cruiser fired a shot | brig is your vessel, which | cut out of her across the bows of the schooner, and set the | harbor, and I have metamorphosed her into a Stars and Stripes. buccaneer craft. Now I have this schooner ‘*{ told you so! it is the Boxer,” cried Mr. | as my prize, and all on board as my captives, Hayward, and all eyes were turned upon the | and it depends upon your daughter to say beautiful vessel. what will be the fate of all.” ‘She is strangely like your brig, Mr. Hay- ‘“‘Upon my daughter?” gasped the mer- chant. ‘‘In God’s name how?” ‘‘This craft is valuable; there is a pleas- ant party on board—all with considerable funds to spend in Boston, whither you are going, and many wear rich jewels. Alto- gether this will be a rich haul for me; but then I do not care to rob my prisoners or to slay them, if | can make terms with Miss Hayward.” ‘“Gladly will I make any terms with you that lie within my power, if I can save those on board this vessel,’ cried Helen, earnest- ly. from you,” said the captain of the schooner. ‘‘She is, indeed, only her spars are larger, ‘* You have never heard a word of her since Boxer,” was the answer. ‘‘ Not a word, captain! but see, there comes ‘* Yes, sir, he sees our rakish look and JOO com (E “S (E(o)