Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 346 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

a Ocean Guerrillas. 15 supernatural amounted to horror, and she | that carried truth with it, and the skeleton “Spring ashore, sir, and remember, you a would have sought some other way to save , helmsman answered: are a prisoner. him. “You have come to a strange place for | ‘‘ Attempt to escape, and the bloodhounds | But the mutiny precipitated matters, and | life, peuns man.” | will be set on your track,” was the remark once free, Irving had acted for himself. | ‘‘ | have come to take my chancesand face | of the mysterious boatman, as he lowered Then followed the coffin craft with its , the worst, be it what it may,” was the bold | his crimson sail. weird light, seeming to suddenly come from | response. | out of the waters, and give chase to the ‘You are a brave boy, for I noticed how CHAPTER XXIII. lugger. | you kept your nerve in the water, when com- When he arose from his dive from the lug- | ing toward me.” ger’s deck, Irving struck out manfully for | ‘I nerved myself to meet the worst.” Ir Irving Brandt entertained any idea of the island, and then it was that he, too, be- ‘“‘And what have you met?” escaping from the island, it was quickly dis- held the ghastly craft and its skeleton helms- “A coffin-shaped boat with a red sail, | pelled as the man who had rescued him gtep- / man. marked with hideous emblems, and a helms- | ped to his side, and laying his hand heavily Fora moment he seemed dazed, and re- | man whom [| at first feared was a skeleton.” | upon his shoulder, said simply: THE BLOODHOUND KEEPERS, mained stationary in the water. ‘‘And what think you now?” “Come!” The thought was upon him to attempt to; ‘‘I know you to be live flesh and blood, Glancing earnestly at his captor as he regain the lugger. | dressed in black, and with the white bones | walked along the beach, Irving beheld a hen he saw the uselessness of that, andhe | painted upon your body and arms, and a man fully seven feet in hight, and dressed concluded to swim for the island, giving the | mask representing a skull.” from head to feet in black, with the white death craft a wide berth. | ‘* You have keen eyes.” bones that form the human skeleton painted But if it came from the island, such would ‘*T have taken in the situation as it is.” upon his body and limbs, and wearing a te be the nature of what he would meet there, “* And what do you think I am?” mask that enveloped the head, and had the | and he made up his mind to. face the worst, ‘Some dweller upon the island who mas- | appearance of a skull. | and at once. querades to frighten superstitious seamen.” He was also a man of powerful build, his | Death could come to him but once, and ‘* Why should J?” any fate was better than this fearful uncer- ‘* That I do not know; but tell me, was any tainty. | of the crew of a large vessel, wrecked on So with a bold stroke he struck out direct- | this island some nights ago, saved?” ly for the skeleton-guided craft. ‘Why do you ask?” As he drew rapidly nearer, for it was sail- ‘* Because | wish to know.” ing toward him too, it will be remembered, ‘“What do you know of that vessel?” he took in the entire horror of the sight, ‘*T was on her.” from the weird light at the mast-head to the You?” coffin hull. ‘Yes; 1 was a passenger upon her, She . Then he noticed the red sail, its ghostly | was the Vulture, bound from New Orleans | emblems, and, last, the skeleton at the helm. | to Mobile.” Upon the latter his gaze became riveted ‘** Yes; so I know.” whenever the weird boat or himself rose on ‘‘And the Smuggler Queen was also on the top of a wave, board of her; the crew mutinied, sought to Once or twice he glanced over his shoulder | rob the Lady Captain of her jewels, and not ) to see the lugger flying rapidly away, those | watching their course, they ran the vessel on on her decks seeming to stand in spellbound | the reef. horror, as they appeared to him in the uncer- ‘‘All went overboard, excepting myself, tain tight. the Lady Captain having previously sprung Again he bent his eyes upon the craft now | into the sea, and seeing her, I saved her so near him, and for a moment ceased swim- | life.” ming and riveted his attention upon the ‘‘ And still she sought revenge?” voice was deep and sonorous, and his move- ments quick. : | He seemed to carry no arms, and if he did, they were concealed somewhere in his tight-fitting suit. The cove in which the strange craft had landed was in another part of the island from that where the Vulture had been wrecked, and cliffs surrounding it hid from view the mast from any passing vessel. Following along the sandy beach after a walk of some minutes the captor of Irvin turned into a ravine, still keeping his hol upon the shoulder of the youth. This ravine Irving at once recognized as the one which he had turned into, and so Lf shortly fled out of at his utmost speed. | He knew that the dismal and fearful cave, | | with its fresco of human bones lay not far a ahead. | Suddenly the deep bay of a hound was heard, and instantly others took up the ¢ until a dozen of the savage brutes were howl- ? * helmsman. ‘“*Oh, yes; but was any one saved from the | ing in chorus, a Then he hailed: vessel?” ‘*The dogs catch your scent, young man, | ‘“*Ho, Skeleton Helmsman, ahoy!” ‘“* What did you do then?” asked the strange | and woe be unto. you if I were not along,” * 4 He saw the strange bony form start, glance | helmsman, as though not hearing the ques- said the huge guide. out over the waters, and let his bows fall off | tion. Then he added: Mg i q a point or two. ‘*T built a raft and we came ashore, when ‘‘ Here they come!” So again he hailed: I went on a voyage of discovery, was track- And here they did come, as Irving dis- a ‘“‘Ho, the floating coffin, ahoy!” ed by bloodhounds, and we barely escaped | tinctly saw in the starlight a dozen or more od ‘“* Ahoy! who hails?” came in a deep, sepul- | in a boat we found lying in a small cove.” of the savage brutes come rushing down the = chral voice from the boat. ‘*Boy, you are truthful, and your story | ravine with the speed of the wind. . ‘‘A human voice at least; now to see just | accounts for much that I could not fathom. ‘‘Down! Blood, Bones, Wretch, Death, 3 what I have to meet,’ muttered the brave ‘Yes; there were several men from the Fangs!” cried the man, calling the hideous t | a a eR hi z | boy, and he responded ; vessel washed ashore.” brutes by their equally hideous names as Y | ‘One hails who, in revenge, was thrown | ‘‘ And where are they?’ they drew near. ? a. \ from yonder lugger, and seeks aid from **One of them is on the island.” Instantly their career was checked, and | you.” ‘* And the others?” they came whining about him, some of them i ' A moment of silence, and then, in the ‘‘ Are here, too, only they are not living.” | growling about Irving’s heels, as though vs i same deep tones came the reply: ‘* Ah! and that one?” wishing to tear him to atoms, yet making no ae ‘Ay, ay, swim to the bows of my boat, ‘Ts a prisoner.” effort to do so. re and grasp the stern as I go by.” “Describe him, please.” “i an ate up your shipmates on the Vul- " ‘That sounds real,” muttered the midship- ‘““A young man, with a dark, handsome | ture, and think you are another morsel for | ti man, and then aloud he called out: face, and he calls himself Perdido ” them,” explained the strange mantoTrving — | ‘Ay, ay, Captain Death!” ‘*Ha! he is the one who led the mutiny, | as they continued on up the ravine. And he did as directed, for as the ghastly | killed the captain, and drove the Smuggler The midshipman shuddered at the words, | | craft mounted upon a huge wave he grasped | Queen into the sea.” for he knew what a fate had been that of the eS the gunwale aft, and just then the light at | ** Well, he is a prisoner now.” mutineers. a the mast-head went out and all was darkness. ‘You hold him prisoner, do you?” | But why had the leader, Perdido, been 4 But before the young midshipman had an ** Yes.” ; spared, he wondered, and, more, what was | ; instant to consider the strange situation he ‘‘And, as a shipwrecked man, you treat | to be his own fate? oe found himself in, a strong hand grasped his | him thus?” It was, therefore, with feelingsof deep fore- = arm and he was dragged into the ghastly Tre’ boding that he came in sight of the Death | boat, while the one who had thus drawn him ‘And I?” Cavern in the side of the cliff. iy. 4 out of the sea, and with apparent ease, said, | _‘‘ Will be a prisoner also until the Witch | Leading him by this, the hounds trotting ; sternly: of the Isle decides what shall be your | about his heels, his captor carried him fur- Said , ‘“ Who are you?” fate.” ther on up the ravine to-where was visible, ¥ a ‘‘A midshipman in the American navy; “The Witch?” and Irving’s voice faltered, | by the light of a log-fire, séveral other a by name, Irving Brandt,” answered the | for the man had been proven so thoroughly | caverns, smaller, yet fullyas revolting inap- } rare bo! striving to get a look at the strange | human he had hoped that the island held no | pearance as the larger one. 2 elmsman by the starlight. weird creatures, Into one of these the guide led the” youth, oF ‘* What are you doing here?” ‘Yes, for this island is owned by Zulah, | and taking up a fagot of pine, lighted it at ~ | ‘“‘T was thrown overboard from yonder | the Witch, and it was her retreat you ran | the fire near, and said: a . \ugger.” upon when the hounds gave chase to you. ‘*T will give you a glance into your quar- ra r “Why?” ‘Others of your crew were in hiding at | ters.” ve : “It is one of the smuggling fleet of the | that very time, and upon them the blood-| Irving glanced about him with ashudder, - Sea Owl, whom I killed some time ago, and | hounds sprung and tore them 'to pieces, all | for his cot was made of human bones and " whose band I broke up, excepting yonder | but one, and he is, as 1 said, a prisoner.” pieces of wood from wrecks, andthe walls | t craft and those on board, who are under | ‘ Now I understand the cause of those wild | were adorned with hideous emblems of ZT command of the Lady Captain, as they call- | shrieks. Oh! what a fearful death they met,” | death. ae . ed the outlaw’s daughter. and Irving shuddered. ‘‘Here, sir, you will rest, and I will leave = ‘‘She was present at her father’s death, ‘Yes, and all who come to this island meet | you free to move about, but do not step out- | and avenged him by throwing me into the | a fearful death, young man,” was the stern side of the entrance, for you will be torn toy | sea where the Witches’ Isle would be my |! response of the strange helmsman, as he ran pieces. | ie De only chance of succor.”’ his boat into a small cove and the bow grated | ‘‘ Here, Fang and Terror, you are to guard : ef | | S _ Irving spoke with a frankness of manner upon the sands. | ' this gentleman,” and he turned to two of the . Be Yay comicbooks.com