Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 369 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

? ; ia © me) +)’, un ¥ , 20 The Coast Corsair. = aS o<—— -o ow and you can add their price to the value of the schooner when I buy her.” This was satisfactory, the money down was paid, old Bentley dined with the skip- per at the best inn in town, and went home half-drunk voting him the best man that had ever sailed on salt water, or might sail on it. ‘‘T’'ll charge all the improvements in the bill Brandon must pay, as absolutely neces- sary, and get the thousand dollars clear; but l'll make the builder pay me a liberal per- centage too, and Brandon must give me my commission for selling the craft. ‘‘Tam doing well surely, but I won’t let Vezey into the secret, as I would have to give him something for fear he may talk! h, Vezey, how have you arranged it about the tenant on Milk street?” he asked as he saw that worthy awaiting him at the door of his house. “‘T had to give him back the six months’ rent, sir, to move, but he handed me back a hundred dollars, sir.” “T see; well, Vezey, put half of that to my credit, and keep the balance, for you area good fellow, and have done well. ‘‘ Come in and have some tea, Vezey?” ‘*No, thank you, [ must hurry away to class meeting,” and Vezey walked away, his hand fumbling the three months’ rent he had in his pocket, for he had told just half the truth, the tenant demanding only the ex- penses of moving. And into his comfortable home went mer- chant Bentley, and, putting on a weary look scolded the children for making a noise, let his wife wait on him, refused to give her a new shawl, and after having family prayers retired to bed to get rid of his guilty con- science if he could. The following morning men were set to work overhauling the schooner, and the ten- ant on Milk street moved out, so that Vezey put carpenters and painters in the house to repair it. hus ten days passed away, and with cor- rect clearance papers, the schooner sailed out of Boston harbor astern of the packet Kenne: bec Queen, and walking her deck was Skip- per Kennard, now attired in a sailor suit, and wearing a triumphant smile upon bis face, as he called out to his mate: ‘* Talbot, yonder craft is considered as fast as any in these waters, and we are picking her up rapidly. ‘«She is bound for the Kennebec, and now we have a chance to see just what this schooner will do,” and the captain watched the race with deepest interest, for old captain West, seeing a flect craft astern of his Queen of the Kennc cc, was determined to show him a clean pai. “f heels. _ But to the greac mortification of the Ken- nebec captain, when dawn broke he was sailing in the wake of the strange schooner, and with his most powerful glass was trying to decipher the name upon her stern. ‘Tt looks to me like Moonshine,” he said to his mate. ‘‘It is Moonbeam, sir, and that is the name of the schooner Doctor Brandon had built over a year ago for a privateer, and that’s the craft,” answered the mate. CHAPTER XXIX. THE MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION. Snorrwy after the sloop Madcap sailed out of Vernon’s Haven, with the skipper himself at the helm, and the prisoners below, with ~ Melmer lolling upon the’deck forward, Mad- cap Madge wert down to the cliff lookout and watched her attentively. The maiden saw that the wind was light, and observed that the sloop rounded the point and headed along the coast. ‘‘T cannot help it, but. 1 must satisfy my- self upon this matter,” she muttered. A moment after she added: ** And Iwill!” Going to the cottage, she called Sam. “Tam here, Miss Madge.” “Sam, did you prepare those things I asked you to get together?” ‘‘Yes, Miss Madge, they are all together.” ‘*Can you carry them on horseback?” ‘“Yes, miss; I guess so,” ‘Well, tie them up firmly, and I will have Philip get the horses, and you come with me.” Silly Sam wondered, but without a word ‘obeyed. Vas Soon after, mounted upon the two shagg ponies belonging to the skipper, Madge and Sam rode away from the cottage. They went along at a lope, Madge leading the way, and just ab sunset came out upon the brow of a hill overlooking the sea, The had passed Brandon Hall, going around it at a safe distance, and it was now in view upon their right, while before them stretched the ocean, with innumerable rocks, reefs and islands near the coast. Glancing down from their lookout, Madge att re to a white sail a league distant, and said: ‘*Sam, there is the sloop.” ‘* Yes, miss.” * And the hut of the Brandon Hall fisher- man lies yonder on the shore of that cove,”’ ‘Yes, Miss Madge.” ‘‘Well, we must go there, as soon as we see just what course the sloop is taking.” ‘‘T should say it was toward Sunset Rock.” ‘* So it is, so to Sunset Rock we will go.” Down the hill she led the way, and just at dark arrived at a small log hut, built under the shelter of an overhanging cliff, and near the beach of a small cove, or inlet. The door was open and a fire within sent out a cheery light, while there was the scent of frying fish in the air. ‘‘ Ho, Boston!” called out Madge, and in response a grizzly-faced, weatherbeaten man came to the door. ‘‘It is Madge Vernon, Boston, and Silly Sam is with me.” ‘‘ Yes, I knows you now,” said the man, ‘‘My father has gone down the coast, Boston, in my little sloop, and I wish to go off with this bundle Sam carries, so rode here to head him off and ask you to let me have your boat, while you look after our horses until our return.” ‘* Here is the boat, girl, and you can hitch the horses to those saplings, and 1’ll see they don’t leave you.” “Thank you, Boston; and give this gold to your wife up at the Hall, to buy something with.” Boston’s eyes glittered as he saw the gold, and he took it quickly, with the remark: ‘Thankee, girl; they do say your father gets his gold by smuggling, but I never sees nothing wrong in these waters, and if he got it by piratin’, it’s good all the same, aid] thank ye for it. “*T'll get the boat ready for yer, and fetch out the sail, too, for yer is likely to have a wind running back. ‘‘T seen ther sloop standin’ down the coast, but didn’t know whar it was going. ‘‘Yer father don’t want a hand on his sloop, does he, for i won’t have no more fishin’ to do for the Hall folks arter next week?” ‘““T’ll speak to him about you, Boston,” was the reply, and getting into the boat, Madge took her seat in the stern. “Want me to row yer out?” “No, thank .you, Boston, Sam will row,” and Sam took up the oars and sent the boat quickly away from the shore. Taking the little tiller, Madge steered, and after a row of nearly a league, they came to Sunset Rock, and with a perfect knowledge of the locality, the maiden ran close in to the side of a jutting rock. ‘‘Leap ashore, Sam, and hold the painter, until | muffle these oars,” she said. Sam obeyed, and with pieces of sail the oars were muffled securely. ‘Now, Sam, go up to that rock and see if you can discover the sloop.” Sum was gone out several minutes, when he returned with the information that the Madcap had just passed upon the other side of the island. ‘*Good! now I'll keep her in sight, and you, Sam, take your bundle and await me 1ere.”” ‘*T understand, Miss Madge,” was the an- swer, and Sam shoved the boat off, and tak- ing the oars, the maiden pulled swiftly away, rounding the island and following in the wake of the sloop. In a little while she looked around and saw the sloop not very far ahead. “Tt is lucky there is so little wind, or I could not have found her,” she said, and with slow stroke she kept on her way. After awhile she laid on her oars, and watched the sloop. She saw her head straight for the rocky wall of the island and disappear. —— a ns ee eee eee LT A A _ ‘‘Ah! she has gone in there, and I be- lieved I was the only one who knew that secret basin. ‘‘It is lucky I did not select that place; but here goes to find out this secret.” Resuming her oars again, she pulled straight into the channel taken by the sloop, and running alongside of a rock, she made her boat fast. Then she climbed to the top of the rocky wall and saw the two sloops lying side by side in the basin. As stealthily as a tiger she crept around the ridge, and at last came to where she could look over into the chasm, As she did so there came a crash of mus- ketry, and a shriek very nearly escaped her lips; but looking over, she beheld the three traitors lying dead, a number of men with muskets in their hands, her father and with him a young man with a tall upright form. ‘‘T have seen enough,” she muttered, and hastily she retraced her way to the boat, rowing out of the channel just as she heard them raising sail on the sloop. Exerting her entire strength she bent to her oars, and the boat cut through the water at a tremendous pace. ‘‘Ho, Sam!” she cried as she neared the rock where she had left him. ‘Here I am!” was the reply. ‘Get in quickly, for the sloop has wind now and is coming back.” Sam obeyed, and hastily stepped the little mast and raised sail. , Away went the skiff, while Sam asked: ‘‘Did you not hear the report of a heavy gun, awhile since, Miss Madge?” ‘Yes, I heard the report; but we must hasten, Sam, so you take the oars.” Without a word Sam obeyed, and the skiff fairly bounded over the waters on her way back to the fisherman’s home, At length she ran into the little cove, Bos- ton met them at the beach, and asked: ‘Did you catch the sloop, miss?” ‘Yes, I saw her,” was the quick reply, and mounting hastily the two rode away ata gallop. ‘ec Sam ”? “Yes, Miss Madge.” ‘‘ We must reach home before father does.” | ‘‘It is a hard ride, miss, and the breeze is freshening.” ‘Still we must make it, so do not spare the whip.” Thus the rugged ponies were urged on through the forests and vales, over hill and across meadows, until at last they dashed along the ridge on the point of which was the Vernon cottage. Panting with their effort the ponies drew up at the stable, glad their hard race was at an end, and while Sam looked to their com- fort, Madge hastily ran down to the lookout and gazed out upon the sea. There was the sloop skimming swiftly along, and almost at the entrance to the little haven. “All right,” said Madge, grimly, and hastening back to the cottage, she was soon in bed. Sam came in soon after, and went to his room, and she breathed more easily, and then Skipper Vernon arrived and softly entered his chamber, which adjoined that of Madge, ‘‘ Back again, father?” called out Madge, innocently. ‘Yes, my child, sooner than I expected I would be; but the wind freshened; good- night,” and skipper Vernon retired for the night, little dreaming that his steps had been dogged by his daring daughter. CHAPTER XXX, THE STRANGE SKIPPER, Ir was very gratifying to Captain Kennard, as he stood upon the deck of the schooner he was desirous of purchasing, and beheld her overhaul, walk past and drop astern the fleet Queen of the Kennebec. He had heard Captain West’s new schoon- er spoken of as a wonder for sailing fast, and her record in her trips made could not be questioned. She had been under full sail going down the harbor, before the Moonbeam had gotten up her anchor, and, anxious to show his vessel off, the Yankee skipper had clothed her in topsails and all sail that would draw. “There goes the Queen of the Kennebec! JOO EOmic ‘S a