Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 393 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

_— ~The Convict Captain. At once he saw that it would be a good hiding- place, should any one visit the island, and he ‘* No; that sum has been in my thoughts by | carried thither certain articles he might need, four men with me, while I engaged five men for this job of yours.” ‘* Well, your expenses are what?” ‘* Twenty dollars a man per month, with pro- visions found, and the wear and tear of the craft, which is about fifty dollars a month. ‘‘Then come my services, as I reckon them against myself, at fifty dollars, and I calculate to save as much more on freights. ‘“ Well, to pay, for five men, you need two bundred and fifty dollars a month?” ‘Or thereabout, sir.” ‘‘T wish you to get a crew of six men besides yourself, and keep them ready for me at a mo- ment’s notice. **] will give you five hundred dollars a month for your services, your craft and your crew, and, when you accomplish what I set you to do, Pll give you a thousand dollars in cash.” ‘* It’s a bargain, cap’n, and I thank you.” ‘*Now make Portland your headquarters, and, to avoid suspicion from idleness, run car- goes you can easily get rid of between that port and Portsmouth and Kennebec.” ‘*T understand, cap’n.” ‘* Your name is—’ “Skipper Nick Noland—the boys call me Cap'n Nick—o’ the coasting schooner Surprise.” “Very well, my man, here is your money, and I give you a bonus of a hundred dollars upon the arrangement between us. ‘* Leave your address at the Falmouth Inn in Portland, just where you can be found; good- b Bod "hc wheeling on his heel, Preble seneysien e “mounted his horse and rode rapidly back to t village, for night was coming on. CHAPTER XVIII. A VICTIM OF TREACHERY. ADRIFT in an open boat a man crouched, his face livid, his eyes sunken, and an expression of torture, and mental anguish as well, stamped upon every feature of nis expressive counte- nance. His form seemed also to feel the physical and mental strain cg him, and even his human nature, seemingly so strong, could not much longer sustain life if some relief did not soon come. In that man, alone in a boat adrift wpon the wide ocean, without sail or oars, one could hard- ly recognize the Convict Captain, he who had escaped from his life-long sentence in prison, and, boarding the yacht at anchor not far away, had tempted the men to be faithless to their trust and go with him to an island where riches could be obtained for all. The Convict Captain had kept his part of the compact, and after a long time at sea, through cote and ill winds, he had reached the island among the Bahamas, where he said the treasure lay hidden. Search had proven that it was no halucination of the brain, disordered by long imprisonment, for the riches were found, riches far above the vexpectation of the yacht’s crew who had gone with him. j He had done his part; the island was found, the treasure secured and placed on board, and the yacht had set sailfor a Northern port, where she could hide until each man got away with his share of treasure, There was a large quantity of gold, silver money, and bags of jewelry and gems. It represented a vast sum, and certainly bad the appearance of having been the treasure of ‘some pirate, It had cost much bloodshed, many heart-aches ‘tears and sinning, and it had been hidden away upon that desolate island, some day to be recov- « Still, as the reader knows, years had passed, vand yet it oe gee peed: rember only by the slave ‘that had been orde by his master to remain and await his return. Some one had discovered the secret, for it was known to the Convict, who had remained three years in prison, and he had gone thither to re- cover it. He had met with success, and, upon leaving the island had set to work to share with his crew, as he had promised to do, He seemed to know well the value of gems, jewelry and foreign coins, for there was in the treasure gold and silver money of all nations of the earth. , He had told out for himself, mostly in gems, a vast sum, until he felt that he had a oy ag to ‘spare over what they would bring at a sale, ‘There lies my fortune, and it is a vast one, for it amounts to a trifle over two million dol- lars,” he said, as he sat in his cabin, looking over the booty, while the yacht held on her way northward. But keen eyes were upon him from the deck above, and his every movement was seen. FO he continued, ‘‘ is the balance of the OOTY. ‘* Let me see; it is worth about four hundred thousand dollars, and thus each man will get ebout sixty-five thousand dollars, as there are six of them. ‘7 said\ a hundred thousand each, but then I thought there was more, and they must be satis- -_—_———_ OU —- —— - - > OO OOD GO — ee eS. Crore ee aeeeeeeea ae . - . fied, for I can do with no less than two millions for my share. day, my dreams by night, for three years. ** Now I have it, and Iam happy. ‘* The crew had nothing, and they get a for- tune, each man, and if not quite as muck, they must be satisfied.” So he decided, so he talked, unconsciously aloud. ; And so was he seen by watchful eyes, heard by attentive ears, and the crew of six men held a council together. And on sailed the yacht, until the Convict Captain said one afternoon: ‘* Men, we should sight the Boston Lighthouse before dawn, and then we can run intoa hiding- place in the bay, and readily transfer our booty into money.” ‘Why do yo who had been s Captain took command of the yacht. ; i j | ' | 13 a —_—_—— _ should he be forced to remain there for several days. He also made a rope fast within. leaving the other end without, so he could readily ascend the side of the steep rock. On the vessel that had been wrecked, and which he had chopped up for wood, had been weapons and ammunition, and these had served Congo well in securing him birds to eat now and then. From some fancy of his own, Congo seemed to like to delve into the superstitious and myste- rious, and he amused himself by making upa | costume that certainly made him appear hke Satan himself. In this he was wont to parade about the isl- go to Boston?” asked the one | and, solely for his own amusement, at times; ing-master, before the Convict but had a vessel touched there and seen him, they would have at once set the isle down as the ‘‘ Because it is a better place to get rid of | abode of Old Nick himself, and hastened away our booty, and for hiding away in the yacht,” | in terror. tial was the reply. When, therefore, Congo discovered the yacht — There was-no response, and the Convict Cap- ; standing in toward the island, he collected ~*~ tain, upon whom the duties devolved most his traps and sought the rock-cave hiding-place. nein Abed of sailing the vessel, retired to his cabin, Taking out his gold and E pit? = gloated over them, repeating over and over again: **Two millions of dollars! Two millions! just what I need.” He had given the men each one their share, and they had received it without a murmur. At last, tired out he had sought rest, little phe tess, that again he was to a victim of man’s inhumanity to man. But so it was, and, with a small bag of gold, a couple of days’ provisions, and a good-by, he was set adrift upon the sea in a sailless, oarless boat, while the men he had enriched sailed on, taking all for themselves. But there was a doom crowding yet upon them, which will be revealed in good time and the curses of the deserted man rung lou in their ears as they sped on leaving him to his fate. “*My millions gone from me!” he groaned in anguish, as he saw the yacht disappear in the distance, ‘*I was doomed by the false oath of that infernal pirate, to an imprisonment for life. ‘*T served for three years, in my dismal cell, when lo, some strange priest comes to see me, and proves my friend. ‘*He leaves me a Bible, so the keepers be- eee — eee lieved; but within its leaves, where the center | of the pages were cut out, he left me the means of escape. | ‘*Father Adolpho, he said bis name was, and he told the keepers he was an old friend of mine. ‘Yet I knew him not, and yet he helped me to gain my freedom. * And ag ce it, secured the yacht, kept my word with those devils, and here T am. ‘Alas! alas! is my life thus to end after all the past?” He bowed his head in despair, and his whole frame shook with emotion. Thus the night passed away, and day and night followed until starvation and death were upon him, Turning his haggard eyes over the sea, he suddenly cried in a voice that arose to a shriek : ‘‘ A sail! a sail! God guide her this way!” Springing to his feet he shouted in a voice of thunder: ‘* Sail ho! schooner ahoy! ahoy!” Reeling he .fell in a deep swoon in the bottom of the boat, but he had been seen by those on the. vessel, and when he awoke to consciousness he was lying in the handsome cabin of an armed craft, and bending over him was Caspar the Corsair. CHAPTER XIX. THE STOWAWAY. Back to the little Bahama island, whereon had been left the treasure, guarded by the Black Hermit, the faithful Congo, I must ask the reader to accompany me for awhile. The slave had seen the yacht coming toward the island, it will be remembered, and had noted that her course lay directly toward the inlet. It might be his master returning, and it might be foes, others who knew the island. So he hastened to his cabin, scraped together certain signs of his living there, or that would indicate that any one had lately dwelt there, and sought refuge in a hiding-place, This was a cave in the tp of a rock, and from this point of lookout he could see the interior of the island, the inlet harbor, the hiding-place of the treasure, and all that occurred near. He placed some jagged rocks along on the top of the pinnacle, to give him peep-holesin various directions, and he felt no fear of being discover- ed, as it was only by accident that he had found the cave, or rather hollow in the rock, from having shot a bird on the wing oneday, and had it fall there. Climbing up to get it, be reached the place with difficulty, to discover the opening. ———$— LT Le ee eee eee eee a He soon discovered the yacht runnin knew that whoever was at the helm before to the island. ; When the vessel dropped anchor, Congo waited _ and watched. He saw the people land, but dared not reveal Pro as he did not recall the face of one of them. . He knew that his master had not returned for _ f him, and, did he show himself, he might be seb upon and killed. So he remained concealed, andclosely watched _ every move the men made. i, He saw them search the island, and he knew that they must be looking for the treasure, ats” ‘‘ Perhaps my master after all- was not lost, and sent them,” he muttered. 7 Then he saw them discover the treasure,and — he trembled with excitement. . =o What could he do? 7 At last a bright thought struck him, for his in, and ad been : ' " oS face lighted up, and paca together his | things, he hastily slid Cown from his hiding- — lace, and ran toward the shore. {i ‘Tf the treasure goes, I go withit!” he said, and he stepped into the boat. | to He knew that no one was on board the yacht, anes and she was lying so close to the shore, that he | a without unfastening the boat, step on the \_ eck, ie This he hastily did, and he went into the — cabin. re. The vessel was handsomely fitted up, and there __ were, besides the cabin aft, two state-rooms for the owner and his guests. —. The African saw that two of these were doubt- less used by the officers of the vessel,a third was empty, and the fourth was evidently a lumber- a for there were various things stowedaway | there. ak. Under the berth the negro dragged himself, — along with his traps, baving taken the precau- tion to lock the deor and take the key. ae He also arranged the things stowed there,so as to completely hide him, and made himself as Wh comfortable as possible, placing the provisions © ¥% and water he had brought with him near for ad - ; e. ae ‘“‘T’ve got enough to last me two weeks, and I> ey) ‘can starve a week more, and we should reach some port in that time. Re, “If ’m found, Pl have to take the conse= quences, and if I am not, I can make m os aa when we reach port, and get some of the ae ure, too,” he muttered, as he arranged himself comfortably in his hiding-place. ae He heard the crew return; he listened to their _ excited talk over the discovered treasure,and he heard one say: oS ‘* Put it in this state-room.” | es» A hand was upon the knob, and it turned,and _ a voice said: | on ** Some one has locked it, get a key.” elie ‘No, put it yn the other one on the port side, for it is vacant,” a commanding voice ordered, and then Congo breathed more freely. pe He heard the treasure put away; the one who | seemed to be the leader said; he ‘“T'll take the key, men, and make the rab ‘ as we sail northward, for we'll have plenty e time before we reach port.” Tai Then Congo knew that the treasure was safe _ on board, his presence was not suspected, andthe —_ yacht was heading for the northward. 4: ea At night when all was quiet he would getout from under the berth, stretch himself, an sleep comfortably until morning, when he would — crawl back into his cramped quarters once Ww more, aor Thus he heard allthat was said in the cab see | and when the men were talking forward in their quarters, and the Convict Captain on deck, he — learned much of just what had taken the yacht _ to the Bahamas, the circumstances under | which she had gone, and whoathey were on ~ a A | He overheard the Convict Captain say that he’ _ must have two million, and divide the other shares off for the crew, and he wondered greatly com J00Ks.com —— > (E