Beadle's Dime Library No. 388: The Giant Buccaneer — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

16 Raa PEPE SERCO ne A EET OC SE 1 EOS eee ee ee pe oem took his departure, leaving the money-lender and the money-lender devoutly crossed him- again alone. But only for a few moments, as a fourth visitor was announced, CHAPTER XXX. THE DON’S FOURTH VISITOR. Tue fourth visitor who was ushered into the room of the money-lender was a dark- faced man of thirty, whose aypearance indi- cated that he had passed through a siege of severe illness. He was dressed like a sailor, and looked like one who had walked the quarter-deck; sinking into the chair a short while before vacated by the Giant Buccaneer, with the air of one who was not only fatigued, but who felt that his business in coming could not be transacted within a short time, he gazed upon the Don. ‘Well, senor, you do not seem to recall me?’’ he said, almost impatiently. ‘“Oh, yes; I never forget a ae Captain Merida,” was the quiet response. ““Ah! you do know me then, though it has been years since we last met?” ‘‘ Yes, and then you were a smuggler. ‘“ What are you now?” ‘* A pirate,” was the cool response. ‘Indeed! well that pays better, but there is more risk in it.” ‘‘True; but | may say that I was a pirate, for now | am without a ship or crew.” ‘* That is bad for a pirate, senor.” «‘T have come for you to help me.” “*T always aid the unfortunate, senor.” “Yes, so I know—/f they have money.” «The laborer is worthy of his hire, senor,” ‘meekly responded the Don. “ Yes, and the money-lender of his mon- ey; but you shall have your way if you serve me well.” ‘You are not, then, a pirate without gold?” ; ‘“‘ Does that look like it?” and the self-con- fessed outlaw threw a belt upon the table that was very heavy. we ‘If that only contains gold, it will’ not pay bounties for a crew for a smuggler.” he pirate smiled and said; ‘‘Tt does not contain simply gold, senor, for there are gems in that belt that will bring a small fortune. ‘‘ And, by Heaven!” and the man shudder- ed, ‘‘I was nearly tempted to throw all these riches away a few nights 80. ‘“Why so?” asked the money-lender, with interest. ‘‘To save my life.” ‘‘ Riches save life, senor, I have found.” ‘‘Yes, and destroy it, too; but are you willing to aid me?” ‘To get a vessel!” ‘* Yes.” And a crew?” ae Yes. » “Tam,"), . Tow much money will you need?” “Do you wish to purchase a craft or cut it out?” 5 _ “7 purchase nothing but what I have to. ‘‘Then fam to select a vessel for you, get your crew, fit a lugger out with stores, am- munition and other needed things, and dis- patch it down the river to meet you when you run out?” 3 eS Ol. ‘¢ Well, I’ll do it.” ‘‘Name your sum.” ‘(Tn these risky times crews have to be paid well, for you want only picked men.” #‘ Of course.” ‘No men can be shipped who are not known, and who might prove traitor.” «That is true.” ‘‘T will have to charter a lugger, get’stores, and meet other expenses.” ‘Well, how much do you want?” ‘‘T want just twenty thousand pesos. i _ You are high, but take your pay,” and he opened the belt and rolled out some gems. The money-lender calmly picked out the number to make the amount he had named, and wrote a receipt for them, Then he said: « But you did not tell me, Captain Merida, how you lost your vessel?” Here = ‘‘Through my accursed superstition,” was the bitter reply. » _ ** Ah, captain, do not call superstition ac- cursed, for it is the religion of many of us,” LT ns en —_—_—_—_— $$ ————— - The Giant Buccaneer. ; ————$——— NS A — —- -—— —_ -_ ‘Then he gave us our swords, and, by common cunsent, the three of us at once sprung upon him.” ‘* Indeed!” ‘Yes, but one sweep of a weapon, drawn from we knew not where, disarmed the three of us, and we were at his mercy.” ‘“*T can well believe that,” said the money- lender, significantly. ‘* And then?” ‘Oh, we had to fight, and I ran through the heart first one, and then the other of my officers.” . ‘* You are a fine swordsman, then?” ° ** Yes, [am so considered; but 1 was noth- ing to the Giant Skeleton.” ‘You fought him, then?” ‘‘No, he told me I[ could have my choice of deaths, either to spring from the cliff into the sea, or to be run down by bloodhounds,” ‘“There would be but one choice in my mind.” ‘*So with me, and I was about to spring into the sea, when he said he wished the jewels I had on, and I determined to thwart him, and get that much revenge, so sprung from the cliff. ‘‘He sprung forward to catch me, but missed his balance and went down into the raging waters, while I leaped far out.” ‘* And he was drowned?” ‘* Yes, for I never saw him after his fall, and I believe few men could live in that wild tide. ‘““As for myself, I am like a fish in the water, and was swept seaward with fearful velocity, in spite of all I could do. “Then it was 1 thought of throwing my belt of riches away; but just then my hand touched a hard object, and | discovered it to be a piece of wreck. ‘*] drew myself upon it, and was safe. ‘But for four days I drifted upon it, be- fore I was picked up, nearer dead than alive, by a vessel bound to this port.” ‘* And your vessel and crew?” ‘*T know nothing about them; but I wish to get another craft and men, for 1am not et vanquished.” : ** And the doom?” ‘‘Ah! I have met that, God knows, and survived it, in the sufferings I have known, for I faced my two oflicers, sprung from the cliff to almost certain death, and that has certainly cleared me from the spell cast upon me by the Death Craft.” ‘So I think, and I will do all in my power for you— Well, Bono?” “The answer tc your letter, senor, is that all will be attended to; but there is an old woman out here to see you, senor.” ‘*A fifth visitor to-night. ‘*T wonder if she will prove as interesting as the other four?” muttered Don Rudolpho, the money-lender, as he escorted his fourth visitor to the door, and promised to see him again. In that visitor the reader of course recog- nizes the victim of the Giant Buccaneer. Now to see who the fifth caller that night on the money-lender will prove to be. . CHAPTER XXXI. THE DON’S FIFTH VISITOR. THE old woman, who was ushered by Bono into the room of the money-lender, had cho- sen a very late hour for a Call, as it was now midnight. But the boy, when closing the shop, found her at the door, and she would not take no for an answer. Bono’s shopmate had been frightened off by the old dame, and when he went to face her, he found her by no means a prepossess- ing individual. She was tall, yet bent with seeming age, or rheumatism, and carried a stick in her hand, with which she had given the youth, who had mistaken her for a beggar, a severe rap over the shoulders. ‘“Do you come to make fun of old age, too, boy?” she asked Bono, who, with his shopmate in view still rubbing himself after the smarting blow, answered: ‘*Oh, no, ma’am, I came to see what your self. ** Well, religion or curse, I was led by it to ruin.” ‘Tell me how, for] am interested, I as- sure you.” ‘* Well, I saw a Death Craft.” ‘* A what?” ‘*A Death Craft.” * You saw it?” ‘“Faid;= ‘* Were you alone?” ‘* No; my entire crew saw it.” ‘*T have heard of such crafts being seen among the islands.” “Yes; but we met this with no land in sight. ‘‘It was the first sighted looking dark upon the waters.” * At night?” ‘Of course.” ** Well?” ‘* Then it suddenly lighted a weird lamp at mast-head and came toward us.” ‘Did you see her crew?” ‘* She had but one.” ‘Tt was a small craft, then?” ‘*Xes: @ come of tons, or so; but it was in the shape of a coffin, carried a red sail, with hideous emblems upon it.” ‘‘My God! this was a sight to see!” ‘‘T should think so, and we put about and fled.” “ Did it chase you?” ‘* No, it soon vanished; but we felt that we were doomed,” ‘That is the legend, I know.” ‘* Yes; and I was doomed.” ‘You carried hideous emblems on your flag, too, 1 suppose?” ‘*Of course; for Iam known as the Skel- eton Buccaneer, and my schooner is called the Skeleton Flag.” The money-lender started, for the same thing almost the Giant Buccaneer had told him. ‘Ves: 1 have heard of such a craft; but pray tell me your story.” ‘Well, it is said that a witch can ony take off the spell cast by seeing a Death Craft at sea.” ‘So I have heard.” ‘* And hence I sought the Witch’s Isle.” «You did not go there?” “*T certainly did not, for it was death if I did, after seeing the Doom Craft, and I took the chances.” ‘With what result?” ‘‘T saw again a death craft off the shore, but this time only a skiff, but with a skel- eton-like form at the helm, as was in the other. ‘We stood on, however, dropped anchor, and the skeleton helmsman hailed us, and the result was I went ashore with two officers and a boat's crew. ‘‘T saw the Witch, and, oh! what a weird, wild being she was; for her face, hands and arms were tattooed most fearfully. ‘*T told her my errand, and the result was that she said she could save the schooner and crew, but the spell rested upon me and my two officers. ‘* We were then led to cave prisons, and left with savage bloodhounds as our guards. “‘Then, soon after, we were taken to a cliff on the island overhanging the sea.” ‘Who carried you there?” ‘“The same helmsman who had come out to us in the skiff and hailed.” : “The skeleton?” ** He was not a skeleton, though he looked it, for he was flesh and blood, and sinew, too, and more of it than I ever saw put up in human shape before.”’ “Why, what kind of a being was he?” ‘*A giant.” ‘* Ah!” ‘“Yes, a man over seven feet in hight, dressed in black, and yet with the outline of a skeleton painted upon him, while his face was a grinning skull. ‘Oh, I saw hideous, appalling sights on | that island of the Witch,” and the pirate cap- tain shuddered. ‘*T do not doubt it, if what you tell me is | errand was.” true.” ‘To see your master.” “True! Every word is true, and more.” “The Don?” ‘‘But what then?’ ‘Do you serve two masters?” ‘‘He told us that we were doomed, we “Oh no! I will tell him you are here. three, and that one must fight the other to| ‘‘ Just step inside and take this chair, for it see which one would survive. is closing-time.” LLL se a ee ee aEnSEEnEEEESEEEE —_——_—_ (ECO AM (E JOOKS 7 - 2% sie 12: Toes