Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 418 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

12 ————— —— the, Bea Biren. “‘Take my boat, Bainbridge, and board the schooner, find out what is the matter, and ask Captain Bronx to come ashore with you,” said Major White. The major’s barge, with four negro oarsmen and a coxswain, was kept constantly ready for use, and Captain Bainbridge started toward the boat-house to enter it, when Sibyl called out: ** The schooner is going to lay to, or anchor, Captain Bainbridge. e waited a moment, saw the schooner luff sharp, and a boat was at once lowered and put off from its side. ‘** Bronx is coming ashore, major, doubtless to see me, or report to you,” said the skipper. The young captain returned to the piazza, and all watched the coming boat, while the schooner held on once more up to an anchorage near the pate ‘* Hugh is in the stern-sheets,” said Sibyl, as she took her glass from: her eye. an ‘** Then we shall soon know just what has hap- fin gal answered the major, whilo the skipper _ said: “d ™. ** Bronx has his glass turned upon the pirate, 4 as though watching her movements; but she is - putting out to sea again.” In less than half an hour Hugh Bronx landed at the mansion pier, Captain Bainbridge being there to receive him, and he said pleasantly: Ps, "Welcome back, Captain Bronx, though you ; seem to have had hot work on board, from the appearance of your vessel,” , Hugh Bronx was very pale, and his face was stern; but there was a rightness in his eyes that was not pleasant, as he returned, coldly: “Yes, I have had hot work, and my cruise, excepting in one respect, has been an unfortun- ~~ ate one. v4 ‘‘f am not mistaken in thinking I saw Cap- tain Hurst upon the piazza of Major White’s ' mansion?” ‘* No, sir, he is still a guest of the major, along with Miss Hurst.” ‘Thank you,” and Captain Bronx seemed to enjoy his own thoughts better than conversation as he walked on in silence until they reached the piazza steps. ; ** ‘Welcome home, ms even if you do bring back with you an old enemy, Bianca {the _ Buccaneer,” said Sibyl, advancing with extend- ___He took her hand coldly, and she too noticed the evil glitter in his eyes, while he said quick- —_——— -~' * ~ | sy. are recognized the craft astern of me _ “Oh, yes, as soon as I caught sight of the ‘vessel Tahaain you so hotly, i knew her,” she said with a half-malicious smile at the shot she gave him, for she was angry at his haughty manner, and was determined he should feel that >a knew he was flying for safety. His face flushed, but he step ward and shook hands more cordi skipper, saying: yr ve ‘*T am very glad tosee you out again, Cap- tain Hurst.” Then he turned to Major White and greeted him in the same constrained manner, a manner _ that caused him to seem in ill-humor with the __ world in general. Now, Captain Bronx, tell us of the cause of your running from the Buccaneer?” said Sibyl, F - more and more incensed, that because he was a e,- angry with her, all the rest should be made to feel his humor, Again he flushed, as with shame, while Cap- tain Bainbridge said in his kindly way: te. § The wo Sener doubtless, had some good mo- tive, Miss st, for those pirates carry a ve heavy armament, and large crews, while the '—serews are trained by daily combats.” . “Yes, sir, and the strength of the pirate was | treble my own, I may say,” added Hugh Bronx, ' seeing that his flight from the buccaneer really . demanded an explanation to save him from the Pe e of cowardice, . Yes, Hugh had good reasons for running, I am sure, as we will all see when he tells his BAS. “ome, Hugh, tell us of your cruise,” said Pe _ the skipper. “You will find one of my adventures of re- | markable interest, I assure you,” and he glanced _ + at Sibyl, while into his eyes came that same light, as of wicked triumph. “Tf this is to be a report, sir, to me as com- | ot papa I pray you begin,” said the major, and his for- the uickl y wit of. er Rte ee Se . —_ * e : * _ * — ee ee - a Ps manner was stern, for he had begun to | feel that there could be charged against Hugh _ Bronx the crime of cowardice, and the young ' privateersman read his thoughts at a glance. a ” WAS IT TREACHERY? Hvuen Bronx felt the cutting words of the ae major, and quickly se areag| ' — **T came into port, Major White, in distress, - and hardly with any intention of rendering any __- report, as owning my own vessel, I have to re- port only to the Government.” O44. -_ * As you please, sir,” was the cold se _ “But, Major White, I desire to make known _ to you the result of my cruise, for I intended re- 5 4 | ‘porting it all to my old commander here. aera + . om 2 ‘We sailed in good trim,as you doubtless know, but failed to find any English merchant- men, though | had to run from several British cruisers of large size. ‘One night the Sea Scorpion was becalmed upon the coast, in a sheltered cove, protected by two headlands, ‘*The dawn brought a breeze from the sea, and with it a large British sloop-of-war, the Consort. ** She came with the wind, and I having not a cat’spaw to fill my sails, was caught in this cove, and had either of two alternatives, to run my schooner ashore with the wsnd as I gotit, set her on fire and take to my boats, or tosurrender. **T chose the former, and set sail for the shore under the fire of the sloop, which damaged me a little and killed and wounded several of my crew. ‘* Tearing a shot from another quarter, to my surprise, [ beheld the Brimstone, Captain Mon- cricf’s vessel. ‘* She had fired a blank cartridge to attract = sloop’s attention, and then began signaling to her. ‘She had flying, as I said, the English flag.” ‘* This is strange, sir,” said the ma‘or, ‘‘ So I thought, sir, and my first officer, Ross- more, read the signals, which were, in effect, that my schooner was his prize, under a prize crew, but that the American frigate President lay beyond the other headland, and he would aid the sloop in an attack upon her,” ‘* Remarkable!” said the major. “{ cannot understand this,” the skipper re- marked, while So ey Bainbridge said: “There must some mistake, Captain Bronx.” ‘‘There is a mistake,” quietly responded Sibyl. ‘*There is no mistake, for all occurred as I have stated, and the brig followed in the wake of the sloop.” ** And you?” “The brig signaled to me to head out across its wake toward the open sea, and I did so.” ** With what result?” ‘* With the result, Major White, that I passed out across the wake of the Brimstone, half a mile away from her, and three times that dis- tance from the British sloop, and I at once ran for it.” ‘* Did not the sloop observe this?” ** Yes, sir, there seemed to be some excite- ment on board, but,asI drew less water than either vessel, I ran close in to the headland to the north and rounding it, threw both vessels out of sight, bag thereby over a league start, as they would have to go about, and, standing far out to round the point, would be unable to catch me, especially as the light ten-knot breeze favored me more than it did them.” ** And you thus lost sight of them?” ** Yes sir.” ‘*€ And the brig went on with the sloop?” “Yes, sir, to attack the American man-of- war Président, for, soon after we rounded the northern headland, we heard very heavy firing around in the cove, if seemed, and we decided that the two British vessels had attacked the American frigate.” sian Missy two British vessels, Hugh?’ asked ibyl. ‘* The sloop-of-war, and the brig.” ‘*Do you mean to say that Licutenant Mon- crief joined forces against the President, with a British vessel?” “* Yes, that is just what he did.” **That would make him a traitor,” the major remarked, ‘** And a traitor he is, for he came around the headland under the English flag, signaled the Englishman that I was his prize, and ordered me to follow in his wake as such, after which he signaled the sloop that he would go with him and attack the President. “This was treachery’, and more, he was treacherous to the English commander as well, as I was not his prize, and he sought to gain me by falsehood.” The gentlemen present seemed fairly stunned by this charge against Moncrief, but Sibyl smiled serenely and said: ‘** Let us not judge until we hear Lieutenant Moncrief’s story, for he can doubtless offer some good reason for what appears to be treachery.” ‘“* He can offer no reason to clear his name of treachery.” hotly responded Hugh Bronx. ‘“‘And why did you not go and see if the American pirate, with two formidable foes to fight, did not need your aid?’ asked Sibyl. ‘* My vessel is a privateer, not a cruiser,” was the sullen reply. ** A vessel that is commissioned by Govern- ment as a privateer, is supposed to fight for her flag if n be, and if not, if merely a runner down of defenseless merchantmen, Hugh Bronx, she ern into what might be called a pirate, Hugh Bronx winced under the galling words of the maiden, while the skipper said: ‘*'Yes, Hugh, I should have thought, after ou gained open water, with no fear of being hamined in, you would have gone to have seen the rn of the combat; but did the firing seem severe f ee — - _ ——— ee Ver _? ‘* And how long did it last?” ‘*'We heard it for an hour or more.” ‘* Broadsides?” ‘** Yes, sir, frequently.” ‘* Major White, is the President now on this coast?” ‘* Yes, Hurst, and about where Captain Bronx says she was, I suppose.” ‘* Had she captured the sloop or brig, she woul } have brought them to this port?” ‘Without doubt; but when was this, Captain Bronx?” ‘* About ten days after I left port.” ‘* Then I sincerely hope the President was not taken by that powerful sloop-of-war, Consort, and the brig, as you led us to believe, Moncrief joined the Englishman in the attack.” ‘* Tf not, why the heavy firing?” This was a question hard to answer, and Sibyl] answered it by asking another, Yankee-like: ‘But what of your flight from the pirate, Hugh?” Hugt Bronx shot am angry glance at her. He had expected tofairly wither her with the report of Moncrief’s treachery, and had not done so, and she:-seemed more anxious to learn of his having been run into port by the pirate than to discuss the fact that the man he accuse her of loving was a traitor.. - CHAPTER XXIV. THE SECRET OUT. THAT all were staggered by what was told them by Hugh Bronx, regarding the suspicious conduct of Lieutenant Moncrief, there was no doubt, and even Sibyl felt anxious, though she did not show any anxiety. The way it looked was that Moncrief had seen that the sloop-of-war was about to run the schooner to destruction, and determined to save’ her as his prize, and so signaled the British ves-: sel, expecting the Scorpion to cross his wake and then follow on, until he was able to take posses- sion of her, The Brimstone had then gone after the sloop- of-war, to join in the attack on the American frigate President, while the Scorpion had made her escape, and afterward heard the firing as the two vessels engaged with their yt So it looked to all who heard the story of Hugh Bronx, and it seemed but natural that Moncrief should be a traitor. In ey to the question of Sibyl, as to his flight, ugh said: ‘I was not a vessel-of-war, but a privateer, to prey upon the shipping of England, and so secured my escape, leaving the sea warriors to fight it out.” ‘** And how about your flight from the pirate?” persisted Sibyl. The face of the young sailor flushed, and he seemed annoyed; but he replied, in an indiffer- ent way: ; ‘* That was one of the accidents of war, the pirate being the stronger.” ‘*Yet Lieutenant Moncrief, with the vessel you command and a smaller crew, put that same pirate to flight, when he held the Mer- maid as a prize,” urged Sibyl, to the evident amg of the major, while Captain Bain- bridge, in the goodness of his heart, seemed to feel for the young sailor. As for the skip er he looked pained, for some-- how he felt that Hugh Bronx had not met his: sg a ore of him. n no more inquisitive hands than Sibyl’s, could Hugh Bronx have fallen, for she seemed to appreciate, what the others did not, that he sought to throw odium upon Manton Monerief, and she was determined to punish him fox it, as far as lay in her power. With an angry toss of his head, the young sailor replied: - ‘**Circumstances alter cases, Miss Hurst, as you doubtless know, as I A ae, when [ tell you that I lost several men, killed and wounded, under the fire of the sloop. ‘* Then, too, two days after we were caught in a hurricane and seven of my best men were washed overboard, while several others, with broken arms and legs, were unfit for duty. “Sighting a prize,I gave chase to her, two days ago, and she proving a good sailer, I gained very slowly. _ *T kept es running fire, from the pivot-gun which Lieutenant Moncrief had given me, in lace of the splendid piece he removed for the ermaid, and which was far inferior to the ona he. took. ‘The prize also opened heavily on me, and thus was our chase kept up, both of us suffering, I in my crew, and as [I afterwards learned, the merchantman in her rig and hull. ‘This morning at dawn I was near enough to give her a broadside, and it brought her to, when I went down to board, but was met by a hot fire which further cut down my men. ‘I boarded, however, and, after a hot fight the prize was taken, proving to be a richly- freighted vessel with supplies for the British fleet, and a number of officers on board coming out to join their regiments in America, and this accoun for her determined resistance, for om > comiede <Ae