Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 418 — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

ee ha oe © —s SD ee ee ee ee es ~ — — The Sea Siren. 15 me a force to seize Lieutenant Moncrief and his vessel?” ‘‘T most assuredly do, sir,” was the stern re- nse. ‘‘Pardon me, major, but as I seem to bea bone of contention, I will take my departure, and if Captain Bronx would find me he has but to come on board my brig, the Brimstone; but if he had shown half the courage at sea, when I risked my vessel and crew to save him and his schooner, as he does in making charges of treach- ery against me here in the presence of ladies, he would not have had to run into this port to hide from a pirate, but brought a valuable prize with : » The voice of Manton Moncrief was clear, and every word told upon his hearers, while, bowing his way toward the door as he concluded, he ' glanced at Hugh Bronx in a way that that per- sonage could not fail to comprehend. ‘Pardon me, Lieutenant Moncrief, but you are to remain to supper with us to-night, and when Captain Bronx wishes to see you, he knows where to find you,” and Major White mapped forward and laid his hand gently upon the shoul- der of the naval officer, while he bowed to the _ privateersman in a way that showed he had dis- missed him. ‘*‘ And you refuse to give me a force to arrest that man upon my charge against him, Major ——— White,” excitedly said Hugh Bronx, ‘* Most certainly I do, sir.” ‘‘T denounce him as a traitor to his flag and country.” ‘‘Seek Lieutenant Moncrief, sir, as he says, on board his vessel, and not in the presence of jadies, and then accuse him,” said the major, guietly. | ‘‘That means that I am not believed?” ‘* As you please, sir.” “T bid you good- ght, Major White,” and with a fierce glance at Sibyl, Hugh Bronx bow- - ed low and left the room. ‘‘ Now, major, permit me to go,” said Mon- : crief, in his pleasant way. { | Sibyl, kindly take charge of Lieutenant | Moncrief, and show him the way to the supper- i room, for Ben announced it as our irate young ' friend arrived.” | Your arm, please, lieutenant,” and Manton | Moncrief was led captive away yA Sibyl, who ' was glad that he did not follow Hugh Bronx from the house, as the young Br ybbargrwsoo was mad with jealousy, and would not have hesita- . ted to attack the naval officer, she well knew. Around the cheerful supper-table all discussed the strange conduct of Hugh Bronx, and as Sibyl kept silent as to his motive, no conclusion - could be arrived at other than that his brain _ was turned by his suddenly becoming captain of an armed vessel. Soon after ee Manton Moncrief arose and took his leave, the skipper telling him that the Sea Siren, as the Mermaid was to be called, was ! at his disposal and ready for sailing at any . time. ‘ “T trust to have the pleasure of seeing you soon again, Miss Hurst, and shall expect my friends here to all dine with me on board the Sea Siren, when she is an armed vessel,” said Moncrief, as he grasped the hand of Sibyl in ' parting and then left the room. ‘Will you not go after him, for somehow I dread trouble,” said Sibyl, gliding up to the side of Captain Bainbridge, who had been detained | by the major, as he wished to give him some | personal instructions for work on the morrow. '” * Gladly, for I intended doing so, perhaps from a feeling that harm might follow. 4 ‘Sill you please say to the major that I will call early in the morning for his instructions, Miss Hurst?’ and the young soldier hastily de- from the mansion, Quickly wending his way. down the gravel walk to the road, which led to the town, and al- so to the landing of the mansion, Robert Bain- . bridge heard voices ahead of him, , The mist was very heavy, and he could hard- "Jy see ten fect ahead of him, but, as he advanced he heard the words: ' Our orders, sir, are to take you alive if we can, but to kill you if you resist, and we have your breast covered with our weapons.” " Instantly the meaning of the words flashed through the mind of Robert Bainbridge, and he felt that Moncrief had been set upon by a party who sought to capture or kill him. | He knew that the young sailor had come ashore in his undress uniform, and unarmed while his left arm was in a sling, from a woun received in the combat of the brig with the British schooner. - Caught unawares, and covered by weapons in the hands of desperadoes, Captain Bainbridge knew that Manton Moncrief was at the mercy of his foes. At once he decided to act, and utterly fear- less, he did not count the odds that might be against him, Drawing his sword in one hand, and a pistol in the other, he sprung forward and confronted the astonished party, while his blade struck up the leveled pistols of three men who faced Man- ten Moncrief, who stood two paces before them. ‘¢ Villains! down with your arms, or my men fire on you!” he cried, in a voice of thunder ---——_—----———— LLL LE LLL LC NTN ttt tl, ec CC LL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL LLL LLL LL LLL LL LLL LLL LD One man had been wounded severely by the severe upward cut of the sword, and his pistol had already fallen from his hand, while the other two, believing themselves covered by muskets, quickly dropped their weapons. ‘Down on your faces, all of you!” cried the soldier, and the men obeyed quickly. ‘*Captain Bainbridge, you have rendered me good service, sir, so tell me how I can aid you now,” said Moncrief, coolly. ** Let us see that these rascals are secure first, lieutenant. ; ‘*(juard them, please, while I step to the shore and see if they have not a boat— Ah! one of them has a rope, I see, evidently brought for you, but I will use it on them.” The three frightened men were then quickly bound, and leading them to the water’s edge, their boat was found awaiting them. ‘* Let us take them on board your brig, lieu- tenant, and know who is at the bottom of this little plan to get rid of you.” ‘* As you please, Captain Bainbridge; but my own boat awaits me a hundred yards up the shore, and we will go on board in that,” was the answer, and the prisoners were marched up to the spot where the gig of the Brimstone, with two men and a coxswain in it, were awaiting the return of their captain. Entering it, the officers and their prisoners were pulled rapidly out over the fog-clouded waters to the Brimstone. CHAPTER XXTX. THE SECRET FOR, UPON arriving on the deck of the brig, the wounded prisoner was at once turned over to the surgeon to care for, and his wound having been dressed, he was led into the cabin, along with his comrades who had al]l been kept apart, so that they could arrange no story together. ** My man, I’ll examine you first, as you are suffering. ‘*Remove the other two to the deck and await my call,” said Manton Moncrief, addressing the wounded prisoner, a low-browed, evil-faced sea- man. The guard led off the other two, and the pris- oner was alone, under the eyes of the officer he had sought to capture or kill, and the one who mer, thwarted the plans of his comrades and him- self, Robert Baiubridge sat in an easy-chair smok- ing while Manton Moncrief was seated at the table, near a middy, who had an inkhorn, quill pen and paper before him. Be i name, my man?” quietly asked Mon- crief. ‘*Lemuel Ryder, sir.” The middy wrote down the reply. ** Are you a seaman?” “4 Yes, sir.” ** An American?” Te, ari ** ‘You are English, my man.” “T am English born, sir, but an American now. ‘* Ah! and what vessels have you served on?” The man mentioned the names of several, which the middy wrote down. as ae what are you doing in Charleston port ‘** Awaiting to ship, sir.” ** Do you want a berth under me?” ‘Yes, sir, when my arm gets well.” “Why did you seek to capture me, and threaten, if I resisted, you would kill me? ‘*f was ashore, sir, dead broke, and had the offer of gold for a little work,” ‘‘ What was that work?” ‘To capture you, sir, and to kill you if you did not yield.” se I see,” ** And your comrades?” ‘*] hired them to help me, sir.” ‘* Who hired you, my man?” **T do not know, sir.” ‘* Mind you, I want the truth.” “*T um telling the truth, sir.” ‘Remember, not many feet above your head, where you now stand, isa yard-arm, and ropes are plenty on board this brig.” ** Pll tell all I know, sir.” sé Do so.” ‘*T was in the Patriot’s Rest, having a glass of beer, when the landlord asked me for my bill, which I could not pay him, so he ordered me out into the street. ‘*T went, feeling awful blue and almost des- perate, and I nearly ran up against a stranger who was standing outside, looking in through the window. ** © You’re in hard luck, my man,’ says he, ‘* © Yes, sir, I am,’ says I. ** * Need money? says he. ‘** * Pm dead wrecked,’ says I. ‘Then he told me if I would do as he asked he would pay me well, “‘T asked him what there was to do, and he placed in my hands a dozen pieces of gold, as much a. a half year’s wages, and said: ‘** Have you got two mates that can help you?’ “*T said: ‘* “What to do, your Honor? ** * Nothing very wicked,’ says he. = Nee ener a SSS sss? ———— | “So I told him I could get two mates right inside the Patriot’s Rest, who were wrecked like myself in a money way, and he told me we were to go down the shore road to the large atewa -eITY Forts. ‘*‘We were tosecrete ourselves in the shrub- bery and wait for you to come out of the mansion, when we were to spring forward, with our peme leveled upon you. ‘**] was to tell you to go quietly with us, and if you refused, we were to kill you. “ He did not tell me who you were, but said, if we took you prisoner to row out in the Cooper River with you, straight from the shore, where a boat would await us and take you on board, when we could go our way. ‘* He sent me in after my mates, telling me to give them some gold, which he handed me for them, and when we met the boat out on the river, we were each to have a handsome sum more; but we were not to kill you unless you fought us, which he said was not likely, as you were not armed, and moreover you was wounded in one arm, “This is all I know, sir, excepting that while I went after my two mates, he got pistols and a boat for us.” ‘** And who was this man?” ‘**T don’t know, sir.” ‘** Did you ever see him before?” ‘* No, sir.” ‘** You are sure?” ‘“* Yes, sir.” “Tt will be to your interest, my man, to tell me. ‘*T could not see his face sir, for you know there is a heavy damp mist, the night is ve damp, and he kept his hat pulled down over his eyes, his collar turned up, and thus hid himself most perfectly.” ; ‘* What kind of voice had he?” “Tt struck me that he talked in a cisguised voice,” ‘* Ah! and his dress?” ! ‘* He wore a heavy sou’-wester, sir, and I could not see.” ‘Well, my man, stand sins with your face turned from us, while 1 question your com- rades.” _ Then Moncrief called for one of the other prisoners to be sent into the cabin, and this man — through a close catechism, as had the other. His story tallied as to his having been called out of the Patriot’s Rest ig Pens a Ryder, his shipmate, and asked to join him in a little plot that there was money in. ‘‘He had been given some gold by Ryder, and they had been met by a stranger, so enveloped in face and form as not to be r i who ae Aer them weapons and led them to 4 ‘* He told him, and his comrade then on d that Lem Ryder had his orders, and they — off, pulling down the river to the house of Major ay White. ‘*Then Ryder had told them what to do, and they had hidden in the shrubbery and awaited the coming of the officer whom they were to kidnap, or kill, failing to do the former.” The third man was then ordered into the cabin and his story coincided with the others, while he also could not tell who the plotter was, aT. he said: “T know you, Cap’n Moncrief, sir, and had I know’d it were you we was to nab, or kill, I'd never hev gone there. ‘* No, sir, your name wasn’t spoke, and not until that brave officer, Cap’n Bainbridge, run us down and took us in tow, did I suspect that it was you we was after.” “Well, my men, as you seem to tell the same story. I eve you tell the truth; but I am sorry 1 cannot find out who my enemy is, though Mit you wish to ship with dl . “Tf you wis ship with me, you can.do so, and say ne more about it; but if not, I will turn you over to Captain Bainbridge here, who will see that you are punished for your work to- night, as the act was committed in his domain. ‘Now what will you do?” The men were only too glad to get off so easily and readily shi under the man they had been hired to kill, while Robert Bainbridge said: ‘* You have made three faithful friends in those men, Moncrief, I assure you.” ‘“T hope so, for I wish good men sbout me those that will stand by my side and die, if ne be; but who was this arch villain, Beinbridge, think you?” ‘Wait awhile for my answer, please, that I may consider, after having looked at the matter more carefully,” was the cautious reply, and, having acce the hospitalities of the brig for the night, Robert Bainbridge retired to his state-room with the thought that he would be able to pick out the underhand foe of Manton Moncrief. | hite, the Commandant of the Harbor CHAPTER XXX. 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