Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 393 — page 3: what you’re looking at

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

a - dee 4 Pad, ~~ PD ie hilo tee 'y Seales iL) 74 — ~The Convict Captain. 3 I have come to you to bid you go with me there and claim those riches, ‘‘ You are but poor seamen, now, with but a few dollars to jingle together in your pockets— why, here on your table to gamble for, you have not a hundred dollars all told, and, by simply going with me, you can each gain a hundred thousand dollars. ‘‘Tf you care not to keep the yacht, you can ease your consciences by bringing her back to her owner, and leaving her at anchor some dark night. ‘Men, what say you, will you go with me as our captain, spread sail at once, and find your ortunes on that island where lies the pirate’s treasure, or will you be slaves, poor and wretch- ed, the rest of your lives? ** | await your response, lads.” He folded his arms calmly upon his broad breast, and his dark, piercing eyes seemed to be resting upon every face. A moment of silence, while the young sailing- master glanced upon the face of each one of his men, and what he read there caused him to spring to his feet and say: ** Man, convict or demon, we will take the chances and go with you. ** The par is in your hands !” CHAPTER III. A STRANGE COMPACT. Srruu standing upon the bold coast of Maine is a large stone mansion, that is now little more than a monument of its former grandeur, in the early days of the present century. Then, it was a lordly homestead, surrounded by a vast domain, while its tenants Sp jo almost a small village, and its master lived like a noble, as indeed he was, so rumor said, and one who had had to fly from France to save his life for having conspired against his king. Instead of seeking a home upon the sunny Southern shores, as he intended to have done, he had been governed by superstition through his vessel having been driven one night of storm safely into a haven which it took the most skill- ful pilot to carry a craft into, through the dan- gerous channel. Considering this a good omen, he had at. once determined to make his home upon those rugged shores, Though an exile, he had come in his own ves- sel, and brought with him household goods of vast value, and all that went ke life com- fortable, nay luxurious, in the New World, Dwelling on board his vessel, he had at once sent to Portland for skilled workmen, and, hay- ing purchased a vast domain, extending for sev- eral miles along the coast, and as many inland, he selected a charming spot upon which to erect his mansion. It was in the early springtime when the foun- dation was laid; but so liberally did he expend his gold, that a small army of workmen were employed, and ere the first chilling blasts of winter came, the mansion was complete, and it looked almost like a castle of old, with its towers and ~~ Then there were equally solid oy = near,and, over in a vale, sheltered from the north winds, was a little village, a score or more of houses, the houses of the farm laborers and their families, for there were many acres to till in seed-time, much grain to gather in in har- vest time, and afterward the men were wont to take themselves to sea as sailors upon the coast- ers between the cities and small seaports. When his superb furniture had been trans- ferred from the large barque to the mansion, and the exile felt that he was at last settled, he went on board the vessel one morning and was met at the side by the sailing-master, a tall, hand- some man, with a stern, darkl -bronzed face, and the bearing of one who had been well born. “Captain Duluth, I have come on board to thank you for your valuable services, ba you your charter money, and bid you farewell,” said the exile, meee the captain of the barque which had brought to erica. ‘‘ Your thanking me, Don Brandon—” ‘ Great God! hy do you call me by that name?” ‘ te The face of the exile was livid, and he stared upon the captain in a strange, frightened way. ‘‘ Be careful, senor, for the crew have eyes and ears, too; let us go into the cabin,” an Captain Duluth bowed politely and led the way. hite-faced and quivering, the exile followed him, and dropped into the seat the sailor mo- tioned to him to take, while, summoning up courage, he asked sternly: ‘* May I ask, sir, why — called me _ by other name than that which f bear of Leon Delorme?” _ The sailor calmly took his seat ere he replied, and leaning forward, with one arm upon his knee, answered in a low, quiet tone: “T called you by a name that I knew you under years ago, senor, for then you were a Spaniard, not an exiled French noble. **T have a good memory, senor, and I knew you the moment you came to the office in Liver- ‘pool and said that you wished to charter a teow vessel to carry your household goods to America. “You said your own vessel, a brig, was in Lith. | ave gf pee bad condition, and that you had started in her and put back. ‘* Accident took me into that shipping-office that day, and good fortune brought me face to face with you. ‘*] paid the shipping-merchant a round sum to be allowed to take the charter off of his hands, and so you sailed with me, and even yet you do not know me.” ‘*No! in the name of Heaveh, who are you?” g the man. ‘*It matters not; if you fail to recall me, so much the better for me. ‘* But I remember you, and when I knew that you determined to seek a home upon the South Carolina coast, I brought you here, for your coming into this harbor that night of storm was no accident, but design. ‘You will remember that I stood at the helm until the lee of an island was reached, where we dropped anchor and rode out the storm. wy knew your superstition would cause you to settle here, and it is better so; and, knowing well these waters, I brought you here.” ‘*Who are you, and what am I to you?” and the voice of Leon Delorme was hoarse with emotion. ‘*T am Captain Duluth of the barque Queen, and furthermore, Count Leon Delorme,I am a suitor for the hand of your daughter.” The man addressed was upon his feet in an in- stant, his face now flushed and his eyes flashing in anger, while he said in a low, earnest tone: ** You, a suitor for my daughter ?” ‘“ Yes, my dear count, for not only did I love her at first sight, when she came on board this barque, when we made the transfer of cargo from your brig, but, since the night she was swept overboard on the heart of a wave, and I sprun into the sea and saved her, she has been the ido of my worship.” ‘Silence, sir! she is but a child, and were it otherwise you are not her equal,” was the angry retort. ‘*She is sixteen, senor, and old enough to love.” ‘*Ha! have you dared address words of love to her?” ‘*T have told her of my love, and asked for her love in return.” ‘** And her answer?” ‘*She knew not her heart and bade me wait until she was older, until she was eighteen, and I told her I would go her request. “But I have told her of my love, and I now ask you to pledge me her hand, if I can win her affection two years hence?” | ‘* Never, sir! You are but a captain in the merchant service of England, while I am a nobleman of France, and my daughter is there- fore well born. ** Also she is beautiful, accomplished and the only heiress of my vast wealth.” ‘*T know, Don Brandon, just what you are. ‘*'You are a noble, yes, your daughter is a lady born, and your wealth is vast, in fact you count your dollars by millions; but I am a man, a gentleman, and a sailor, and I love your daughter, and I ask her of you, when she shall have reached her eighteenth birthday.” The exile laughed sarcastically, while he said: ‘** I give my consent upon one condition.” ** Name it, senor.” ‘That you match her inheritance with an equal sum,” ‘Will you be good enough, senor, to name the amount of money I am to match?” was the quiet reply. “Two million dollars, we will call it,” was the sneering rejoinder. ‘¢ Draw up a contract, senor, to that effect.” ‘Why do you wish it?” **'To make your pledge good, senor; there are writing materials.” The exile turned to the table and wrote as follows: “TI, Leon, Count of Delorme, France, do hereby agree to bestow ar daughter, qocen, in marriage, upon Bianca Duluth, a captain in the English mer- chant service, when he shall be able to match her fortune with his own, said fortune to amount to two million dollars, American money, and the limit of this contract to be four years from date, October 1st, 18—, Leon, CouNT OF DELORME.”’ ** Ts that satisfactory, Captain Duluth?” sneer- ed the count, handing the ed to the sailor. “It is, sir, and now I will say farewell, not that I wish to hurry you away, senor, but I am anxious to begin to make my fortune.” ‘**One moment, sir.” ‘** Yes, Count Delorme?” ‘* Have we not met before?” ‘**'We have, senor?” **'When and where?” ‘I will tell you, senor, the day your daugh- ter becomes my wife.” ‘* Not before?” » iis count,” 8 you please, and now I will say farewell, with the hope that we nmy never cnet again.” ‘We will meet again, Count Delorme; so I bid you aw revoir, and kindly present to Mademoiselle Queen my adieux.”’ The count bowed, and Captain Duluth escorted him to his boat. Then, as he waved his hand in farewell, his — ' voice rung out in his orders to his crew to get up the anchor and set sail. ** But we have no pilot on board, sir!” cried the first mate. ‘‘T am aware of that, Mr. Bronx: but I will take the wheel,” and, to the amazement of his crew, and in proof of his words to Count Delorme, the daring young captain sent his vessel plying through the dangerous channel leading out to sea, and, standing upon the cliff with his beauti- ful daughter, the exile saw the barquereach blue i in safety, and speed away on a course due south, **The wind is fair to lay his course across to England, so why does he head south?’ muttered the exile, and turning to his daughter, he asked: ‘“* Queen, you are but a child in years, but may I ask if you love that man?” ‘** Captain Duluth, father?’ “c Yes.” ‘** He saved my life, father; but I do not love him; he fascinates me, and I fear hum,” was the frank response of the young girl. CHAPTER IV. RECOGNIZING A PIRATE. THH barque Queen was au excellent craft, and she had done her work well in transporting the exile, his daughter, his household goods cnt ser- vants to the shores of America. As Captain Duluth had told Count Delorme, he had bought the price of charter for a large sum, having been in the shipping-office when the count came in to get a vessel. He had sec the barque, gotten a crew, and showed no surprise that the vessel had sailed in ballast, and reaching a certain secluded harborage on the French coast, had found there a large schooner, on board of which was the cargo consisting of the count’s effects. is daughter, a beautiful girl of fifteen, had sailed with the count in the ue, when she left Liverpool, and the transfer being made, the vessel headed for America, and that night of storm was driven, as all supposed, excepting her handsome young captain, intothat haven on the coast of Maine. That he was sailing with a man who had a large sum to the shipping-merchant to allow him to take the barque, the count little dreamed of, any more than he did that he had before met the young captain; but both were true, and the mystery the exile could not solve. pon reaching a good ap, © re Duluth had headed southward with a distinct purpose in view. ; Having discharged his cargo, he had put abvard stone ballast, though the count had sug- gested it asa good idea for him to sail for Boston or New York and find a good freight to carry back to England. Knowing that their captain had declined to do this, they were a little surprised when he headed the barque due south. But Captain Duluth was not a man to take his men into his confidence, and so paced the quar- ter-deck, as the vessel sped along, with the air of one who knew his own business and kept his own counsel. igh | the night and the next day the barque held on her course. She had passed Portland before dawn, and, _ bowling along under a ten-knot breeze, with the wind fair, she left Cape Cod far to the star- board before sunset of the following day. | As she did not round Nantucket, to head into — Long Island Sound, the crew came to the con- clusion that their — was going to seek New © York Harbor by the ocean course, via Hook; but just as the sun disappeared ner, as though himself surp ; ** Sail ho!’ ’ o~ J . ad ~~ a ie 4 - bat hey . ~ f 5° - 7 , “Fee >. = . ~ ‘ - ay * > \ whe? x e , *,* ‘— —~ > = * f € - a below tiie oe horizon, the lookout sung out, in a quick man- * aa - | va | p \ 4 »* Me - 7 ~~ > 2s » 7 ate - «£5 “Whereaway, my man?” cried the mate, who was holding the deck. ‘“* Off our starboard quarter, just running out from the shelter of the island.” . “Ay, ay; it is an American cruiser, doubt- less, from the locality she is in,” answered the mate, and he turned bis glass upon the vessel, upon which the last vealing her distinctly, a league distant. or she was not more than Just then Captain Duluth came on deck, and — % ge * s ee de of the sunset fell, re- with the air of a thorough seaman cast his eyes | out over the waters, then at the skies, and next upon the strange sail: “Your glass, please, Bronx,” he said quickly, as he saw the stranger. It was handed to him, and he looked an in- stant only upon the sail, when he said, quickly: ‘Mr. Bronx, that is not an American cruiser; but a pirate schooner that I have seen a score | of times when in other vessels. ‘He is a cruel fellow, has a fleet craft, and, fast as our barque is, our only chance to escape from him is the storm that is rising, and which must break in a couple of hours. — “Ho, lads! put the ue under &very stitch that it can draw, for yonder craft is a pirate, as I have before had reason to know.” The voice of their ae caused the crew to | p spring to work with a and up went the canvas, and gracefully the barque bent to the extra pressure, as she went driving along over “@mecomicbooks : col . ¢* rome os ! 4 “+” , , v a - ° i. : i : ro,* -