Beadle's Dime Library No. 364 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

ee " wooine” ee ‘*Well, I’m delighted,” said Gaspard with asigh of relief; and he was delighted, for now he could get his blood-money. ‘Miss Madge,” he said in a whisper, lancing around to see that the crew of the Siadicap had gotten all of the men of the Blue Bell off to one side, all but Silly Sam and Tom, and they were standing amidships, talking together, ‘* Well, Gaspard?” ‘Do you know that ten thousand dollars reward is offered for the lieutenant, dead or alive?” ‘“Yes, Gaspard, and what of it?” to have the lieutenant, dead or alive, so come on lads, and take him!” The words were uttered by Gaspard, and a cheer answered them. ‘‘T warn you back!” cried Madge; but her voice was lost in the cheer and rush, and then came a shot, another, a third, the clash of steel against steel, and in a mo- ment the desperate mutineers had swept up- on the little band of defenders, and the af- fair was over. Tom had been bodily seized and hurled down the companionway, Silly Sam had been knocked senseless, but not until he had The answer and question came so abruptly | severely punished his enemies, and by sheer that it quite nonplused the man. force of numbers Noel Brandon had been ‘Well, nothing much of it, only that the | driven into the cabin, where Madge was men are talking of it,””* | seized and borne. Both Madge and Noel Brandon had fired a “What men?” *‘The crew of the Madcap.” upon the mutineers, and their number had *““Ah! how did they know it?” been depleted by Noel, but on they pressed “Captain Maynard told them.” and it was not strange that a moment's time ‘‘Well; what of it?” ended the unequal conflict, ‘They seem to think, as they could get a Hurled back though he was, off from his fortune for giving the leftenant up to the | crutches, Noel Brandon had retained the Government to hang, that he should be will- | grasp upon his sword, and backing up ina ing to pay liberally not to hang.” corner of the cabin, prepared to defend his “Gaspard, Mr. Brandon is a most gener- | life at any cost. ous man, and he has already urged upon we | But he could not get a sweep for his blade a large sum with which to reward you all, | in the small cabin, and rushing bodily upon but I took only a small sum for each man, | him, the mutineers soon had him securely and that ends it.” bound. ‘« Tlow ends it?” ‘He is ours, and three less to divide the ‘If the men are not satisfied, they can get | thousands with, so that I will come in fora a berth elsewhere.” larger share. ‘But how much is the sum they are to re- * But how he did fight, and that girl too. ceive?” “Why, she’s a deadly foe when aroused, ‘You and Melmer are to get a month’s | and but for surprising them, they would not pay as officers, and the men as much each as | have been so easily taken. a seaman’s wages.” ‘* But the prisoner is mine, and the gold I ‘*It is not enough.” will have before long. ‘It will have to be, for I shall not allow ‘*Now to let Madge Vernon take the Blue Mr. Brandon to pay more.” Bell and with that idiot and drunkard, go ‘“There will be trouble, I fear, miss.” home, while we take our prize to find the ‘‘Then wait until it begins before you | Scorpion, which I am sure cannot be many croak, Gaspard, and now get your men, re- | leagues away, as I sighted her yesterday in- move Mr. Brandon on board the Madcap, and | shore toward the Kennebec.” And, having arranged his plan, Gaspard then take your crew and set sail at once in the Blue Bell for Vernon’s Haven, telling my | soon carried it out, excepting when he told Melmer to take the men on the Madcap and father I shall soon return, and am safe and get up sail. well,” ‘‘And the prisoner?” “I go with the Blue Bell, Gaspard,” was ‘He goes with me.” the quiet reply. “‘Well, V'll see what can be done, and let “What do you mean, Melmer, that we you talk with some of the men, miss?” shall take the Blue Bell instead of the smaller ‘T donot wish to talk with them, Gaspard, | sloop?” and so tell them, for they do not wish to ‘No, I mean that I want no blood-money, cause trouble. and I shall go with the little sloop and Cap- tain Madge.” ‘‘Now, do as I bid you!” ; Gaspard went forward, and Madge saw him fe — you go with the Lady Captain?” ce oO. ? talking carnestly with the crews of the two vessels, for all vere now congregated in one ‘* Well, it leaves that much more gold to compact group. go around, so I do not care. Then she saw them start to come on board ** Get the Madcap under sail, lads, while I the sloop, for the Madcap lay alongside of a | bring this Tartar lieutenant on board and bank. clap the irons on him, for I know where “They mean mischief, I fear. Skipper Vernon keeps his steel bracelets.” ‘‘ Here, Sam, you and Mr. Fletcher come Then he went below and soon returned with handcuffs and chains, and Noel Bran- aft quick, and arm yourselves,” she said, in a loud whisper. don was securely ironed and taken on board the Madeap. Her words reached the ears of Noel Bran- don, and rising, he seized his crutches, grasp- **Good-by, Miss Madge, and feel that I appreciate all that you have done for me,” ed a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other, and began to go up the companion- | called out Noel Brandon, as they bore him way, just as Tom stepped inand took several | from the Blue Bell to the deck of the Mad- weapons out of a locker. ‘‘What is up, Tom?” calmly asked Noel Brandon. ‘*The men are ina nasty humor, sir, and mean mischief.” ‘‘T guess they wish to give me up for the reward offered; but they will find I am not one to submit tamely,” and Noel Brandon continued on his painful way up to the deck. The crew had now come upon the Blue ne in a mass and Gaspard was at their 1ead, . There was but one that appeared absent out of the thirteen, and that one was Mel- mer, a quiet, determined man, who had lit- tle to say, yet was withal a fine seaman. ‘‘Lady Captain, I’ve had a talk with the men, and they say that the Jeftenant must surrender himself.” ‘‘T will do so, if it will save trouble for this lady, for I see that you brutes mean mischief,” said Noel Brandon, speaking in a calm, distinct voice. “They mean deviltry—that I will not submit to, and I warn them not to press me,” sternly responded Madge. ‘*We mean business, and we are going NE EEE cap. Maciin made no reply, but waved her hand, while Sam and Tom stood near, and Melmer walked up and joined them, saying: ‘*This is an infamous shame, and all the work of that gold-mad Gaspard; but I go with you, lady.” **T shall be glad to have you, for you have proven yourself a true man,” answered the young girl in a choking voice. Poor Master Noel will go to the yard- arm,” said Silly Sam, who stood near, the blood streaming down his face from a gash in the head. ‘Poor fellow; it is better that one like me should die than such a man,” muttered Tom half-aloud. ‘*Or a fool like me,” added Sam. ‘* He must not die,” was the sudden re- mark of Madge, and she added quickly: ‘*Come! get sail on the Blue Bell and he may yet be saved.” ardly had the Madcap gotten under way, when the Blue Bell’s sails went up, like magic, and taking the helm, Madge headed her seaward. The hight of her topsail caught the wind en ones os LL Tl i 25 over the —_ tops sooner and stronger than did the Madcap, and she glided past the lit- tle sloop, darting out into open water a cable’s length ahead of her. ‘*Now for home!” said Madge, and away flew the large sloop, while the Madcap went at a slower pace shoreward, for Gaspard was sure he would find the Scorpion within a couple of leagues of the coast, and, that he might be sighted by the cutter, if near, he had lights run up to the mast-head, for he now felt sorry that he had allowed the Blue Bell to go, as he did not doubt but that Madge meant mischief, from the way she sped away from the island under all that the sloop could carry, and he had reason to know that the brave girl was one to be dreaded and avoided. _ “Curses on the luck!” he muttered, add- ing: ‘‘ But it is done, and my only hope now is to find the Scorpion, and that done my for- tune is made, and I seek other scenes in this fleet little craft, and before long will tread the deck of my own vessel, and thus reach the dream of my life.” CHAPTER XXXYVII. TAKEN, THERE was no denying it that Gaspard was uneasy, and the cause of his uneasiness was Madcap Madge. He cursed himself over and over again for allowing her to go free until he had gone out and hunted up the Scorpion. She had not ranted, nor flown into a tem- per, she had not threatened, but simply took matters as though there was no help for it. She certainly had not been unnerved, for she had fired coolly, and with a deadly aim, when they had rushed upon her, and the idea filled his mind that she had leveled her pistol at him, for the bullet just grazed his cheek and sunk into the brain of the man immedi- ately behind him. Tle shuddered to feel how near he had been to death. She had so quietly slipped away, and yet with such speed, that he felt that her fertile brain had hit upon some plan to rescue his prisoner, He knew that her father could collect a score of iron-hearted seamen along the coast within half a day’s time, and these upon the Blue Bell, thoroughly armed, would be more than a match for his crew on the Madéap. Then there was anothing thing to look to, and that was that the Blue Bell could outrun the Madcap, either in a light or heavy breeze, and the chances to escape were thin, So Gaspard already began to suffer under the weight of the load he carried. But he could do but one thing and he did it. That was to cruise slowly along the coast, hoping to find the Scorpion. f he should not do so, and he caught sight of the Blue Bell coming in pursuit of him the next afternoon, he would crowd on all sail for Portland and deliver his prisoner up there to some vessel-of-war, trusting to get his reward at a later day. So Gaspard kept every man on board on the lookout for the Scorpion, through the re- mainder of the night, and, as the daylight appeared all were in hopes of seeing the longed-for vessel-of-war. But the Gay wore away, and, pa along the coast, the Madcap was off the mout of the Kennebec, and a couple of leagues offshore, when a sail was sighted over an island top. A cheer was given, for it was seen not to be the Blue Bell, and soon after the Scorpion shot into view. Then a wild cheer broke from those on the deck of the Madcap, and the little vessel was headed to meet the Jarger one, a signal at once being run up to the mast-head. It looked very much, by the way that Mayo Maynard haunted the vicinity of the Kennebec in his vessel, that he had an idea that he might yet find Noel Brandon some-— where there, As he saw the Madcap he determined to at once give chase, for he recognized her, wondered what she was doing coming from a point beyond her destination, the Kennebec river. Anyhow he meant to have another inter- view with her skipper and see if he could not engage him as a coast pilot for awhile, CONMIC NOOK ; én et ee CAT