Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 369 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

$ ’ s 4 ee ee eee The Coast Corsair. ees ‘‘Well, father, I confess that of late I directly for what appeared to be a huge have had certain suspicions, and now I will | black rock. | | try and set my mind at rest.” bi ‘Madge, you will only borrow trouble by not doing so, and I advise you to keep your | mind at rest. ‘‘ Why, if I wished to question you closely, I'll guarantee there are some questions you would not desire to answer, and at suspi- cions might be aroused too, were I lo for cause to excite them.” ‘* Father!” ‘‘T make no charges, Madge, only think you might not be so ready and willing to. be | answer as [ have been. he ‘‘There is a secret I keep from you, I admit, and one you keep from me, and which you will not admit; but each will doubtless be known if the necessity occurs, at so bide your time, as I will mine, and so let j it rest for the present.” RS Madge was staggered, and her face showed | Under most circumstances she was as cool 35) her father, she showed considerable nervous- ness, and her face flushed and paled pain- wef ithout appearing to notice her manner, if he saw it, Captain Vernon said: ‘* Now, little girl, 1 wish to borrow your little sloop.”’ ‘* Certainly, father; but the prisoners?” **T will take them with me.” “* Father!” " ‘‘Madge, remember, you are not to ques- rt | tion my actions. | ‘‘T know just what I am about.” ‘‘Take the sloop, father; but will you be long away?” ‘*No, | will return to-morrow, doubtless, and I will take Melmer with me.” Wt ‘* As you please, sir.” i! The skipper arose, drew Madge toward him “ and kissed her affectionately, and then went to the cottage. In a short while he came out, and Melmer accompanied him, carrying a chest upon his shoulders. They went down to the shore, and taking a skiff, rowed on board the sloop. Sam was there, acting as guard to the pris- oners, who were still confined in the cabin. good care of Miss Madge.” ‘* Yes, skipper.” ‘‘T’ll be back to-morrow some time.”’ "Yes, skipper; but the prisoners?” Mia ‘| will take them up the coast and give ati them over for trial, Sam.” oi ‘‘They ought to be hung.”’ i ‘‘ The tribunal will decide as to that; but ik me need not refer to our having them on — board.”’ tt i No, sir.” We ‘* Will you bring them back, skipper?” ¢ “‘T rather guess not.” f Sam gathered his traps together and rowed We ashore, while Melmer set sail and the skipper took the helm. ain’ The wind was light, but the Madcap sailed { along at an easy pace, and doubling the -- point, headed down the coast. ie With a skill that showed his perfect knowl- aM, edge of the waters, Skipper Vernon held on, x. not an instant hesitating in his course when darkness fell upon the scenes. “4 CHAPTER XXVII. THE MIDNIGHT TRIBUNAL. Creeprne slowly along through the island and rock-dotted waters of the coast, the Mad- cap held on her way, under the shadows of night, as she had done under the glare of day, the firm hand upon her tiller never wav- ering, and every danger being promptly avoided. The wind still remained light, and but a few leagues had been left astern when dark- ~ ness settled upon land and sea. The sloop had only her mainsail and jib set, carried no light, and seemed rather anx- ious to avoid attracting attention from any mig craft that might be about, or eye that * ~se — —— <--> —- = se «9 is a ; a oe > Rae 4 go et eS OP ——- . » eat. P “al . ete eee ” 72 ey eS « + t : fe a s+ ~< se - might be watching from the shore. ast the Twin Rocks the sloop glided, then leaving the Crescent Isle far to seaward, she ran close in under the shadows of Sunset Island, and in half an hour after headed ri, oking | as an icicle, but now, under the words of “Sam, you can go ashore now, and take | | But the man at the tiller knew just what he was about, and when the long bowsprit seemed about to shiver upon the rocky cliff, he put his tiller to the port, and the bows swung round, the sheet was hauled close by Melmer, and in some mysterious way the Madcap disappeared from sight. To one out upon the sea watching her, it would have seemed that she had struck the wall of rock, and sunk instantaneously and bodily. Forming nearly a circle, about this island was a chain of rock, an opening upon the coast side. To enter the rocky interior of the island, the sloop had glided through the narrow neck in the reef, half-encircled the island, to its sea side, and then gone into the mys- terious entrance, which opened to the right or left, with a center wall standing back some fathoms, giving it the appearance, at a short distance, of a solid cliff. But yet there was ample space for the sloop to enter, and her headway carried her _into a large basin, where there lay another vessel, also a sloop. ' The place was wild-looking in the extreme, /and very desolate at night. | Its shores were masses of piled-up rocks, | rising to a considerable hight, and the sloop | | and its twinkling light was a great relief to the general dreariness. | ** Ho, the sloop!” suddenly hailed a deep _voice from the vessel at anchor in the basin. | "The Kidnapper,” was the answer of |Skipper Vernon, as he held on across the _basin, the light breeze barely carrying the _.Madcap along. ln a moment or twothe Madcap ran along- side of the larger sloop, and a number of men greeted the skipper as he stepped on board, |‘ Well, captain, glad to see you back. | ‘*We saw the sloop before sunset, and _knew that it was you, as no other man could _get in among those islands as you were | doing.’ | **Leame the outward passage, Glendon, to keep from being observed too closely by pry- ing eyes ashore; but | have news for you.” ‘Yes, sir.” ‘| told you that my daughter went to Bos- | ton to get back her sloop?” ‘* Yes, sir, and the bets that she would do it are ten to one, with few takers, for we all know what Miss Madge has done.”’ o> oi Here is the sloop.” | ‘* Yes, sir, she got it.” ‘* She did.” ‘‘ And Gaspard?” ‘*T brought him along.” ‘‘Ah! she got him, too.” ‘‘She did indeed, along with Smokey and Sands.” ‘* And they are in the sloop?” “Yes, bring them out, for I must start back to-night if the wind holds.” There were fully a dozen men on the sloop, and two boats lay alongside, while lights were now visible upon the shore, or rather in a chasm of the rocks. The young sailor addressed as Glendon, went into the cabin of the Madcap, accom- Sands and Smokey, the two men who had been captured with the ringleader. The prisoners were silent, but glanced anxiously iuto the faces of their shipmates, ‘‘We'll take them ashore,’ said the skip- per, and all but one man left the schooner with them, while Melmer remained upon the Madcap at his own request. Landing on a rocky shelf, the party enter- ed a split, or chasm in the rocks, and soon came to an open space. There were a number of stunted pines there about the edges, a grass plot, a spring bubbling up out of the rocks, and a cabin built of logs, with a shanty in front, to keep off both rain and snow. | A lantern hung before the cabin, and a fire of pine knots burned brightly in a niche of the rocky wall. About the fire were a group of wild-look- ing men, eating a rude supper, while under the lantern sat others playing cards. All arose and came forward, as the skip- per entered, and saluting him politely, they turned their attention to the three prisoners, ——_———— ee i ee > ae a ee = — a > ‘‘Good-evening, lads, I have come back sooner than I expected, but you sec that I have brought company,” said the skipper, pointing to the three prisoners. ‘* Now, lads, these men were captured by my daughter, and having broken the laws of our band, you know that they are liable to punishment.” ‘* Yes, sir, that’s so,” cried several voices. ‘‘ Now, I have brought them here for you to sit in judgment upon them.” ‘* Good!” ‘“You know that our code is such, that if a man is guilty of a crime, and he is tried, a two-thirds vote sentences or clears him, so just form a semicircle here, and we will try these men without delay. ‘‘Some lanterns, please, Glendon, and pa- per, pen and ink.” A rustic table was brought, a chair for the skipper, a bench for the prisoners, and their shipmates squatted in a semicircle upon the ground. A lantern was hung soas to throw its light upon the faces of the prisoners, and two were put upon the table, along with quill pens, paper and ink. Taking his seat at the table, the skipper said: ‘‘Men, are you ready for this trial?” ‘“We are,” came in a deep chorus from twenty men. ‘“You know, in forming this secret band, Iwas most particular to get men whom I could fully trust, and I selected only those whom I believed true as steel, for our lives and much else depended upon ourselves. ‘‘We were all bound by certain oaths, which we took with our eyes open, and knowing the penalty of breaking. ‘‘Did you not?” ‘‘ We did,” came in the same deep chorus. ‘‘Of late I have observed that some of the members of the League were not acting just right. ‘They were a little lax when not under my eye, and when lying hidden on the Blue Bell, in my harbor, they got on a carousal one night. ‘‘Gaspard, the prisoner here, was the leader of the others, and the two fellow- prisoners with him, were on the sloop then. ‘*You know how my daughter sought the aid of the crew to capture an officer, accused of certain crimes, who, for the reward offer- ed for him, had been kidnapped. ‘Believing this officer innocent, pitying him because he was wounded and helpless, my daughter was anxious to set him free that he might prove his innocence. ‘* But he was kidnapped and taken to Bos- ton, Madcap Madge following in the Blue Bell and getting possession of him and her sloop. ‘Now you know what followed.”’ ‘We do.” ‘Gaspard, in command of the sloop Madcap on her return, hatched up a plot to get that reward. ‘‘He started a mutiny, attacked my daugh- ter and her allies, took the prisoner, caused blood to be shed in doing so, and sold the oflicer to the Government. ‘‘Then he ran off with the sloop, and took it to Boston, there to await until he got his panied by several of his comrades, and soon | blood-money, when it was his intention to they came out, bringing with them Gaspard, | turn irate. ‘“Now, you have all made money while with me, for there are certain perquisites you are allowed, and I venture to say all of you have a snug sum laid by. ‘‘We have done well, and we have clung close together; but one link in the chain be- ing broken, the rest of it will be useless, hence we must rivet the chain together once more, by making an example of the traitors. ‘‘Men, you know of what they are guilty, and it remains for you to say whether they shall be punished. ; ‘‘ What say you?” ‘*Punish them!” The words were deep and full of meaning, and the three prisoners quailed under the anger of their comrades, ‘‘What shall be their punishment, men?” A moment of silence, and then one voice said: ‘* Death |” ‘‘ You have heard, so now take a ballot to see if there be a two-third vote. ‘Glendon, give out the ballots.” Bits of paper were given to each man, and cS EOMMIUGC OO)