Beadle's Dime Library No. 388: The Giant Buccaneer — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

= — oe ——— - At iast she found one, and Perdido was soon free. ‘Now tell me all,” she said, sternly. Perdido toid what he pleased, and added: ‘‘Tt was a shame for him to do this after I had directed him to my old employer, Don Rudolpho, the money-lender.”’ ‘* Don Rudolpho !” cried the woman. ay BE”. ‘** Describe that man, my son,” uttered the Witch, hoarsely, while her eyes flashed wick- edly. ‘‘ITe is a handsome man, a good size, graceful, with pleasant manners, and a dark face,” ‘‘ las he a scar upon his hand?” oe eB. ** Where?” ‘“‘ Across the palm is a blue mark.” ‘Great God! at last! at last!” and the wo- man bowed her head and trembled violently. At last she said, hoarsely: ‘*Perdido, my son, you must go with me to New Orleans.” ‘* Mother!” ‘*T mean it,” ‘* But how?” . © A gmall sloop drove in here through the channel a few days ago, and her crew of three men landed. “The dogs saw them, and of course killed them in short order, and we can go in that vessel,” “When?” ‘With the dawn,” was the reply, and the Witch looked desperately wicked, as she spoke. With the rising of the sun the little sloop was standing away from the Death Island, the bloodhounds upon the beach eying its departure wistfully, and howling dismally at being deserted. CHAPTER XLY. _ PERDIDO’S sTORY., ‘“ MOTHER, Why are you going to the city now, when you have seemed to wish to hide from the eyes of men?” . ¥ The question was put by Perdido to his eee The Giant Buccaneer. 25 ee ee —-- ‘“What would you know, boy?” Ay ‘* First tell me of yourself.” ‘“There is not much | remember of the far past; it seems like some dream to me. ‘But when | recall early recollections, | remember being on shipboard, and the sail- ors making much of me. ‘‘T made many voyages, cruising first in one ship and then in another. ‘Now I was ona merchant craft, then on a cruiser, and at last | was captured by a pi- ' rate schooner, who adopted me as his son, ‘‘For some years I was with him; but he was a foolhardy fellow, fought all odds, and one day in the Gulf was fool enough to fight a Government vessel, was defeated, and I saw him strung up to the yard-arm. ‘*T told the Government officers that I was a prisoner on board, and the men helped me out in it, so I was brought to the city and released. “One night, walking along the levee in New Orleans, almost destitute, I saw two men spring upon another, who suddenly ap- proached them, ‘*He fought them boldly, but was knock- ed down, and would have been killed and robbed had | not gone to his rescue. ‘*] knifed one of the men, and the other ran off, ‘* But the one Laided was quite badly hurt, so I took him home and dressed his wounds, for I am something of a surgeon, ‘‘ He asked me what I was doing for a liv- _ing, and | said nothing. mother, the tattooed Witch, as the two were | sailing over the Gulf in the direction of New Orleans. The young man was at the tiller, and the =o woman was sitting forward, lost in deep | reverie, : At his words she got up slowly and came aft. Taking a seat by his side she said in a low tone: | “You wish to know, do you, Perdido, | why I shun the eyes of man?” ‘Yes, mother.” ** Look at me.” “Rese. “‘Do even your eyes consider me a beau- vt The tattooing disguises you, mother,” ‘* Disguises me?” ‘Yes; but your features are good, and your form is graceful.” , ‘‘ Still, would I be looked upon as one to admire in civilized life?—though, in the South Seas, the natives consider this tattooing marks of distinguished beauty.” ‘** Mother, gold will buy good opinion, and we will be able to defy the world with your wealth, and you will be sought after, rather than shunned.” “Yes, if Lhave gold enough; but I have not.” ‘You have a vast quantity of jewels,” : “True, but they will only bring a hand- ae, some living for us, and I must have a vast 1 fortune, so as to defy all public opinion, | and bring men—ay, women, too, to my feet!” . _ “ But can you ever get this?” OY 682 ‘‘How?” ‘Well, wait a few days and see, «Tf | fail in a purpose I have in view, I will vo back to Death Island, and with my false beacons drag vessels to destruction, | and their booty will enrich us; but it will take time,” ; “But why are you now going to the city?” , ‘To see one person.” '" “Who is it?” | ‘‘T care not to tell you now.” | ‘‘T wish you would tell me of your past | ) life.” ‘*So he gave me work, and finding that I wrote a good hand and was pretty well in- formed, he made me his confidential clerk.” ‘*That was Don Rudolpho?” $4¥ 8.5" “The money-lender?” ‘Yes, mother.” ‘And why did you leave him?” “Well, I had once before met the Smug- gler Queen. ‘* | was then in the Government service, and she was at school, and | met and loved her, or thought I did. ‘*T overheard her talk with the Don, and knowing that she intended to go in the ship Vulture to Mobile, and carry with her a large number of jewels, which she always does, | concluded to desert the money-lender and make a strike for myself, **T also knew that the Vulture was to have a crew of the Don’s put on board, to seize her on account of her valuable booty, so I got on the good side of some of the men, started a mutiny, and all would have gone well but for that accursed midshipman who was on board. ‘‘In the trouble he caused, the Vulture went on shore on your island.” ‘And Iam glad that she did,” **So am I now, mother.” ‘‘ Well, Perdido, you have had a check- ered life; but I will yet have riches for you to spend, which will make you a million- aire.” ‘** You are very kind, mother, and I will be a dutiful son, ‘But you have not told me why you are now going to the city, or anything of your past life, and that of my father; but I sur- mise there has been much of sorrow for you in the past.” ‘‘There has indeed, Perdido, and 1 will tell you all,” and the woman spoke in a man- ner that showed her inmost being was stirred by the remembrance of what she had gone through, CHAPTER XLVI, THE WITCH HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. ‘“You would hear of my past, my son,” said the Witch, after she had remained silent for some time. ‘Yes, mother.” ‘‘Well, it is that past that has made me what I am, a blot on God’s earth, a crime- stained woman and a curse among my kind, ‘‘It is that past that has made you what you have been, and are, a wanderer, a pirate, and a man of such sins that the tears of angels will never wash out. ‘It is that past that has made one other what to-day he is, too despicabie for the re- gard of a dog.” The Witch spoke with intense feeling, and Perdido, secing the working of her face, as ——————— NS. SS os she strove to keep calm, felt sorry that he had called up the past. Again was the woman silent for a minute or more, and then she said, and with a voice that had become perfectly calm: ‘‘ Perdido, my son, I come of English pa- rents, and of a noble family. ‘* Your father was a squire’s son, and a dashing, handsome youth. ‘* His father’s lands joined my father’s es- tates, and I often saw your father riding by, always at a breakneck speed, and heard him spoken of as the greatest dare-devil in the country. ‘One day when out riding with a party of young friends, my horse became frightened and dashed off at terrific speed. ‘We had just passed the young squire, as your father was called, and the ladies of the party, who were from town and visiting me, had all remarked upon his handsome appear- ance; but, his father and mine were on ill terms, and had been for years, so we never spcke to each other. ‘‘As my horse darted’ away I heard the clatter of hoofs behind, and all had started to try and overtake me and check my mad- dened animal, for I was powerless to do so. ‘‘But my horse sped rapidly away from all of them, and in despair I looked back, for I knew the crags were before me, and, if the fright-maddened animal went over them I was lost, for they went down sheer a hundred feet to the rocks below. ‘In that look I beheld one horseman ahead of the others, ‘‘ He was coming along like the wind, and his red huntsman’s coat told me who it was. ** It was the young squire. ‘“‘He was mounted upon a racer, and though my horse was a fleet one, and run- ning from fright, he gained rapidly. ‘* Nearer and nearer my horse drew to the the crags. ‘‘ Instead of taking the road leading to one side, ne held on down the path that led to them. ‘On, on he flew, and despairing I glanced back. ‘‘Almost upon me was the young squire, and he was raking the flanks of his horse With his spurs. ‘*Far in rear came my crowd of friends. ‘‘Right before me was the cliff, and | reel- ed in my saddle, giving up all hope. ‘* But just then I felt an arm encircle r waist and raise me from the saddle, and was saved, ‘‘Upon the very edge of the cliff he reined his horse back, while mine went headlong down the steep to be dashed to pieces below. ‘*Perdido, from that moment I loved the man who saved my life. ‘But my proud old father was unforgiv- ing, and he refused to even notice my pre- server. ‘The result was we met secretly, loved, and ran off and got married. ‘‘ His father cut him off from his inheri- tance, and my parents disowned me. ‘* But he had a few thousand pounds in his own right, and he bought goods and started out on a trading voyage, carrying me with him, and you, for you were a very little boy then. ‘In the Seuth Seas we were driven ashore on an island and wrecked. ‘‘ All on board lost their lives, and were washed overboard, for they were on deck, excepting your father, you and myself, and we were in the cabin, for a mutiny was rag- ing among the drunken seamen, ‘The next day the storm subsided, and the natives came out in their canoes, ‘*One of them, the chief, spoke English, and we were spared and carried to their vil- lage. ‘* But, oh, Perdido! the life we led there. ‘** You see how I am Gisfigured, ‘* Well, they did it all, and I suffered the agony of the accursed in mind and hody. “They wished to tattoo you, but knowing some of their sacred rites, I tattooed over your heart the marks you bear, and upon your father the same. ~ «Tf he lives, as I believe he does, he bears those marks to-day, as youdo. ~ ‘« Well, years passed, and one night a ves- sel appeared off the island. ‘“It was becalmed, and over a league away. ‘*T saw your father crouching in the rocks Eomichbooks (E(0)| _— as ee ee