Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 482 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

ever do, I will devote it to good, to helping those who need aid.” So he said, and then without closing the box he walked away. He was worth a large fortune, and yet it now held no charms for him, CHAPTER XXXII. THE SAILOR’S VENTURE, For weeks after his discovery of the vast | value of the treasure, which had been the booty | of Belmont the Buccaneer, Rafael Rodriguez | went about like one in a dream. | He seemed to have almost lost interest in life, | and ate, drank and slept mechanically. Thus the time passed away until one night he | had a dream. He beheld his old plantation home of Buena Vista on the Cuban coast, He saw his wife and child there, and it came before his vision that a form was wandering about the grounds as though to keep guard over those he loved. , Then the form he beheld in the rooms of the the mansion, and it took on the appearance of tan. He started in his dream, and then sprung to his feet, while in his ears seemed to ring the | words: ° ° “Delay not, but save your wife and child!” He was in a cold perspiration and seemed for a og moments unable to collect his mind or will. But at last he grew calm and walked to the int on the shore where he had piled up the imber which he had collected from the schoon- er’s wreckage. Mechanically he had gone there, and, as his eyes fell upon the pile of wreckage, he said aloud: “ How strange that dream, and stranger still, that, in a half-awake mood my feet should have come hither. “A fatality leads me in this, and something bids me not delay, not to idle my hours away, but to work. ‘‘ Wor three months I have remained here, and no®a sail have | seen upon the sea. ‘In all that time L have struck no blow to get away, and [ feel that I must depend upon myself alone. **T will begin work with the next sunrise.” He returned to his couch and again sunk to ay - his time he had no dream, but awoke with the rising sun. What he had passed through in the night seemed like a hideous nightmare to him. ~ But he had not forgotten his resolve, and, after breakfast he went over to the pile of wreckage. He stood for a long time regarding it, and ' then he examined the shore for a place to lay _ There was a small indenture in the rocks, | which at very high tide during a storm, he had noticed was filled with water to the depth of . | seven or eight feet. Lh ‘Tt was some hundred feet in length, thirty in Na.) SOG ae 4 ats width, and had a sandy bottom, The mouth, or entrance, was about fifty feet | |. . in width and each side was massive rock. ___-‘In truth it seemed like the hull of some large vessel, ' £.After regarding it for some time, Rafael || ‘Rodriguez decided to take advantage of it for the building of his vessel. He saw that he could, while the weather was good, draw up the outer end level with the top of the rocks on either side, and this would leave hima basin in which to lay his keel and build ‘this craft. _ He began by bracing massive timbers across the mouth of the opening, and some ten feet "ea apar t. ‘It was hard work, but he managed to get the ) timbers in place. | - ‘Then he boarded up the two walls, and began Ny _ to carry stone and throw on the sea side of the outer wall. _ | __—« He had hardly completed this, when a severe | storm came up and he was rejoiced to see that it his 3 tile of a month was not materially in- _ jured. eh a Next, with the aid of his wheelbarrow, he | carried small stones and threw down into the _ space between the wooden walls, | Dirt was thrown upon these layers of stone _ and trampled down, and then the span began to - fill up slowly, but compactly. Another burricane injured his work a little, Ocean Tramps. * showing that he had started to build a vessel some thirty-five feet long by ten in beam. There was ample sail material, rigging and spars saved from the schooner, and he stepped his mast, a spare boom of the pirate craft, as soon as he got his keel laid. Over and over again he congratulated him- self upon having taken from the schooner all its extra rigging, sails and spars, which now | came in so well in the building of bis vessel, for he had plenty of oakum and pitch for calk- ing the seams. From sunrise until sunset he worked, bappy in the thought that each day he made good progress, and counting the time when all should | be finished. The days passed into weeks, and weeks made movths, until a year had gone by since the man had been cast upon that barren isle. In all that time not a sail had he seen pass near, and he would have become desperate but ee his work, which promised him escape at ast. ; His provisions still held out, but they were not plentiful, and he took time to fish and to shoot a bird now and then to help out his larder. ) At last the craft was finished, as to ber hull, and Rafael Rodriguez had the satisfaction of seeing her rise upon the waters that filled the basin when another storm came. : He had braced the hull thoroughly with ropes, ballasted it, and gave a shout of joy when he ear 8 float, and noted that there were but a few eaks, These were marked from within, and when the hull settled down on a level keel upon the sand when the waters receded, they were quick- calked until not a leak was found, The decking was then done, and next the bow- sprit was put in place, the rudder following. There was no topmast, so spars were fitted for the boom and gaff, and the measure for the sails taken. Then the sails, jib, staysail and mainsail were made and bent, and if they did not fit to perfec- tion, they were at least strong and served the purpose intended for them. Rafael Rodriguez had noted that there was a reef off-shore, some three hundred feet, just op- posite to his basin, and that it was a couple of cables in length. This had proven a good breakwater, and he decided to add to its use in this respect by dump- ing rocks and debris upon it. He had laid aside material for building a skiff, or small boat, as he worked on his sloop, and was not long in completing this little auxil- iary. Timbers of the wreck were towec out to the reef and anchored with chains, ropes and rocks, and then the taking down of his basin wall was begun, and the rocks were carried out and dumped upon the reef. As the wall grew smaller the reef breakwater was enlarged, and it soon began to present a very decided barrier to the waters of the sea, The energetic workman had noticed that stornis breaking the other side of the island filled his basin, while the waters were compara- tively calm between his breakwater and the land, and so he arranged to warp his vessel out during a tempest from that quarter and anchor her there, : His anchors had been made of the schooner’s davits and pieces of iron, and a rude windlass had been constructed forward upon the sloop. There was no safe anchorage around the island, except under the lee of the breakwater, should a hurricane come upon him before he could set sail. At last a storm came, in which he was enabled to warp his vessel out of the basin, his lines be- ing fast to the breakwater. he anchor was let fall, and the sloop was ready for sea. The next day the little skiff was kept busy bearing off stores to the rude, but stanch-looking sloop, and the treasure of Belmont the Bucca- neer was stowed away in a safe reg ars There were no compasses, nothing tell the bold mariner which way to steer, and he would a 20 spread his sails and head at random for a port. ut, having accomplished so much, he was not to be discouraged, and one pleasant morning just sixteen months after his being wrecked upon the island, he bade it farewell, set sail, got up his crude anchor, stood out from under the lee of the breakwater and was launched upon his voyage, which his pluck and energy had en- abled hin to start upon, a Thus a month passed away and he had not yet found a vessel or a haven of refuge. His vessel, rudely built, was slow, yet sea- worthy; but it began to leak badly, and about half the time of the old skipper was spent in keeping the water down that threatened to sink him, : One nigh he was caught in a terrible storm, and all that he could do was to run directly be- fore the gale. ‘ It was black as ink around him, the waves ran fearfully high, and the winds drove the craft along under bare poles at an appalling rate of speed. Rafael Rodriguez feared that his end was near. The vessel was leaking rapidly, and the waves breaking over her were aiding to fill her up from the opened seams upon the deck. Suddenly there was heard a wild roar ahead, and a wall of white gleamed up before the bows. The man at the tiller knew that what he be- held was breakers, and he gave up all hope. Another instant and the ‘sloop struck with a force that seemed to knock her to pieces. The pursuing wave seized Rafael Rodriguez upon its bosom, carried him clear of the wreck, swept him over the reef and then burled him upon a sandy beach. He was rolled over and over, buried and half stunned; but he made a struggle for life, checked his backward career with the retreat- ing wave and ran rapidly beyond the wash, Then all strength left him and he fell down vpon the sands unconscious. When he awoke the sun shone in his face. The waves yet beat upon the island, but the winds had gone down, the storm was over, and the sea was rapidly becoming calm. The wrecked man saw that he was upon a small island, with rocks and sand only about im. Where he was he did not know, but he thought it was an island of the Bahamas, He reached among the wreckage for some- thing to eat, and managed to secure some sea- soaked food, which he gladly ate. The strong box with the pirate’s treasure in it caught his eye, and something impelled him to carry it up into the interior of the island and pory it. e found a good spot near a group of rocks, and knew that the winds would hide it well be- neath the sands, He dried out some of the clothing from the wrecked sloop, and the sails, and made himself a shelter and a bed. What food he could find he secured, and then sat down to await the result. He was aJmost prostrated with sorrow and despair, for after a month’s be in his little craft, he was no better off than he had been when about a year and a half before he had been driven upon the other island when in irons in the Hold of the buccaneer schooner, ‘‘ My God have mercy upon me! ‘*T am worse off, for then I had ample food and material to build a craft out of. ‘Here [ bave nothing!” He dropped his face in his hands, and fora long time remained thus, When he again looketl up his eyes fell upon an object out upon the sea. ‘It is my boat!” he cried, joyfully, remember- ing that the little skiff had been torn from the sloop by the waves, and had doubtless been driving along in the track of ‘the tempest. Swimming out to it, he brought it ashore, and was glad to see that it was not damaged to any great extent. What damage had been done he repaired the next day as best he could, and then rigged yp a stump mast and spritsail for it, making a rudder as best he could from pieces of wreckage. ‘ To remain upon the island he knew was death to him as soon as his scanty food gave out, and so he determined to start at once to try and see if he could not getin the path of trading vessels, or at least find an island where he conld be better situated than where be then was, So he set sail in the little skiff, leaving his buccaneers’ treasure bidden on _ the island, The third day out, and when he was beginnin to despair, for he had no longer any food, an sever was seizing upon him, he sighted a distant sail. It was nearly sunSet when he was discovered by those on the vessel, for the wind was light, and as he ran alongside all strength and con- sciousness left him. But he had fallen into good bands, and seeing we : y . * aw - 4 J Ps, “* * +> , od-me ooo ee one ime that he was no ordinary personave the captain of the vessel had him taken into his: abin and tenderly cared for. For weeks did Rafael Rodriguez remain in but he felt encouraged that no greater harm | was done, and went steadily at it again. It was nearly three months before he had his - _ CHAPTER XXXITTI. A CRUEL FATE. FATE seemed to be against Rafael Rodriguez, a fhe ‘ ae ¢ ss! 3 » - - A . on t — ia ee basin completed; but he felt very proud when - it was done at last, and he had the satisfaction | of seeing the sea defied, for, though the waters _. found their level within, when a storm came, they were as quiet as a millpond, no matter . how wild the sea rose without. |) - Next he laid his keel, bracing it well, and be- -, gan his boat. ‘ , oe ee bad many of the timbers and planks to cut anc fit, but he worked with patience and skill, and the hull began at last to assume shape, ‘wi fy ve in spite of all his courage and will, for his little sloop was knocked about by the winds and waves for weeks after leaving the island. Not a sail had the daring sailor sighted, and though islands had come into view here and there, Rodriguez saw that they were barren and uninhabited. He had to anchor at times and thus obtain much-needed rest, and again he would have to battle for several days and nights with a storm, estes neemnleninenesniaeesa See = 3 the delirium of fever; but then his strong con- stitution triumphed over disease and he rallied from the very brink of the grave, When consciousness returned to him he found himself in the cabin of a large vessel, and be- held the kindly face of the captain bending © over him, ‘¢ Where am I?” he asked in a whisper. “ Among good friends, sir, so do not worry,” was the response, . jie = i~ . at “ ao -{ “ee 7. he aS rs