Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 482 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

- = swore wise SS . se —— ch Sy . “4s a ak oP a7 26 at = 4 t ~ Ocean Tramps. Soon after a boat left the side of the cruiser. It was a large, awkward-looking yawl pulled by one man, and with another, the pretended old skipper in the stern. *‘Schooner ahoy!” he hailed as he drew near. ‘‘Ay ay!” responded the watch on the schooner. ‘‘My mate are taken powerful ill, and I wish ter borry a lectle medicine ter fetch him round.” -** All right, come on board and I'l see what I can get for you,” responded Captain Rockwell, who was on watch. The yawl came alongside and a moment mie a dozen men came clambering over the side. As they did so they were felled to the deck by the crew of the schooner and at once dragged below before they could make an outcry. Conrado at once slipped into the eabin, at the request of Captain Rockwell, and a mo- ment after anothar boat dashed up in the darkness. The men came over the side of the schooner in an exultant manner, and shared the same fate as their comrades. ‘Up with the anchor and crowd on sail!” came the order from Captain Rockwell. The command was quickly obeyed, and the beautiful vessel sped down the bay under sail, leaving the deserted coas er at anchor. ““Up to the yard-arm there with the leaders of this pirate crew!’ commanded Captain Rockwell, and quickly at the ends of the large yard of the schooner’s squaresail were dangling two men, who were hanged in irons, and with gags in their mouths, that no outcry could be made. ‘ The rest of the pirate crew were kept be- low, but Captain Rockwell called out in a loud voice that reached their ears, and was of course heard by his own men: ‘That ends the career of Conrad the Cor- -*sair, the lieutenant of Belmont the Bucca- neer, who met the same fate. ‘Cut them down, men, when they are dead, and the chains will sink them to the bottom!” This order was also obeyed, the bodies fall- ing with a loud splash into the waters, as the schooner sped swiftly on. A run of a couple of hours and a vessel was seen ahead. Captain Rockwell went into the cabin and - Jearned from Carlos Conrad the signals to be made; but upon returning to the deck at once, saw that there were two vessels, One was soon seen to be a cruiser, and she fired a shot across the bows of the schooner to come to, and the other was a coasting schooner. The summons tocome to was promptly obeyed by Captain Rockwell, who at once had a boat lowered, and went on board of _ the vessel. It proved to be a brig-of-war, and the cap- _ tain reported having captured the coaster, which some fishermen had told him was a suspicious craft, as a large number of men had been seen on board, and also, a couple of _ days before she had put a crew of thirty men on board a small craft, and it had stood in _ toward the city. “LT sighted the craft and gave chase, but ’ the fellow ran into shallow water, took to ihe ~ ery ; oye 4 ow ' «> * £ ~~ es ld ~ in his boats and escaped me,” said the brig’s commander. A Captain Rockwell then told how he had been secretly informed of an attempt to capture his vessel, and had prepared accord- ly. -: Phe result he also made known, and, true to his pledge to Carlos Conrad, he led the officer to believe that he had hanged the al- leged leader of the pirates, Conrado. e regretted that the crew of the other coaster had escaped him, and then returned _ to his schooner and gave orders to put back iy” ai 2 port, an _ was droppin fleet vessel, _to the city. Having seen his schooner on her course to enjoyed noting how rapidiy she the brig-of-war, which was a aptain Rockwell went into the - cabin to have a talk with Carlos Conrad. 4 Pana — * M * ~ ” In a few words he tola Conrad what he shad discovered, and he saw that the escape of Las Vegas and the others made a deep impression upon him. ** You have doné well, Captain Rockwell— is 4355 } a | rr ee a I all that you could do; but for the cruiser and those meddling fishermen, we would have taken them all. ‘“‘As it is, with those three men free, I dare not carry out certain plans I had of returning to the home I had when discovered by them.” ‘* But they will believe you hanged.” ** They may not, and they will look me up to be certain. ‘‘ No; I must go elsewhere, and begin life anew. ‘But I thank you, sir.” ‘* As I do you, Senor Conrado; but I wish you success in your new career, and | shall ever remember you with kindly feel- ings “Tf the world goes hard with you, come to my adopted country, look me up, and [ll get you a command.” ** Indeed, | thank you, sir; but we are nearing your anchorage, are we not?” ‘* Yes, and the men know you only as an old man who betrayed the pirates’ plot, so I will send you ashore as soon as we drop anchor.” Half an hour after, with a grasp of the hand, Carlos Couirad bade Captain Rockwell farewell, and was landed at a wharf. *‘ Well, there is but, one thing for me to do, and I will do it. ‘*T must seek a home elsewhere, and it shall be in Boston.” CHAPTER XLIX. THE STRANGE PASSENGER, A VESSEL sailing out of Baltimore Harbor, and bound to Boston, some days after the unsuccesfful attempt of the pirates to capture the Colombian schooner, carried as a passen- ger an old gentleman who offered a good price to the captain to let him go with him. The vessel was a brig, a trim craft and a fleet sailer, with a small crew and a com- mander who appeared to understand his duties thoroughly. Though the brig had a large cabin, hand- somely fitted up, she never carried passen- gers, her captain said; but he had been pre- vailed upon to take the old gentleman in question, who had seemed most anxious to reach Boston and had offered double the fare to go in the merchant craft, rather than wait some days for the regular packet ship. ‘*T wish to get home to my people, cap- tain, for I am an old man in failing health, so let me go with you, for I will pay you double passage money for the trouble | may be to you,” had urged the old man, and the brig’s skipper had yielded. he aged passenger then came on board, bringing with him considerable luggage. As the brig got up anchor and headed down the bay, the passenger was standing on deck, gazing at the grand scenery of the harbor, when his eyes fell upon an armed a estes a TT SL SR schooner that was coming along astern at a | slapping pace. “That is a fleet craft, Captain Herndon, and a pretty one,” he said. ‘Yes, she is both, and I believe she -is going to outfoot my brig!” replied the cap- tain. ‘*She’s a cruiser, sir.” **Not an American one, though.” ‘* Indeed?” ‘*No, she’s a Colombian cruiser, built here by a young American, who is a captain in the service of Colombia. **She came pretty near being taken the other night by pirates, as 1 suppose you heard?” : ‘I did hear something about it, sir; but I am a stranger and live far from here.” “‘Well, hercaptain got wind of the intend- ed attack in some way, was prepared for the pirates, captured them and strung up to the end of. the yard the pirate chief, Conrado, and his lieutenant. ‘Tf an American cruiser had not taken the other craft belonging to the pirates, he would have taken them all.” ‘¢ What a pity that he did not.” ** Yes; but see, the schooner 1s overhaul- ing us in a manner I do not half like.” ‘* She is indeed, sir.” ‘‘She has just started on a voyage to her own country, and those who have said she was as fast as any craft afloat are not far wrong, for my brig has never met her match before.” Ce i re x fe ee eee « ‘The schooner will pass you, Captain Herndon.” ‘IT will crowd on sail, for I don’t like to know that my pretty brig has found her equal in speed.” More sail was at once set on the brig and she sped along with renewed speed. But the Colombian cruiser also set more canvas and came swiftly on in chase and gained steadily. It was a beautiful sight to see the two fleet vessels dashing so swiftly along over the blue waters of the Chesapeake, driven by a ten- knot breeze, and the crew of the brig re- flected in their faces the gloomy look upon their captain’s, at finding that their beauti- ful vessel had more than met her match in the handsome cruiser. As the schooner drew near, and it was seen that she intended to passto leeward and close up to the brig, as though to show what she could do, the old passenger seemed to lose his interest in the race, for he said: ‘TI don’t feel very well, so will go below.” Had the captain of the brig gone down into the cabin and seen how attentively he was watching the schooner from the stern ports, he would have wondered why he had left the deck. Nearer and nearer drew the schooner, and, standing upon his quarter-deck, with pride at the manner in which his vessel was beat- ing the brig, was Captain Rockwell. ‘“*You have a fast craft, sir,” he called out to Captain Herndon, as the two vessels were side by side, and but half a length apart, the brig retarding the speed of the schooner a little by blanketing her. ‘‘T thought so, sir, until I saw you gain upon me as you have.” ‘‘T did not know my schooner’s speed, and am glad to learn it, for I have heard that your brig was the fastest vessel that came into Baltimore.” ‘“‘She has been, sir; but I congratulate you upon the speed your schooner devel- ops, and a pleasant and safe voyage to you.” “Thank you, and the same to you,” and Captain Rockwell raised his hat as his vessel began to forge ahead of the brig. When night came on the schooner was a league ahead, and the brig went along on her course as if no longer trying to keep up with her fleet rival. The voyage northward was a pleasant one, and the old man was often upon deck; but one night the captain asked him to go below as he was expecting a storm to break upon them. There was not the shadow of a storm in sight, but the passenger obeyed, and yet not until he had discovered a vessel lying in their course ahead, and with a signal light set, it seemed. He pretended to retire to his state-room, as the captain had told him he had better do; but yet his eyes and ears were open, and he héard orders given, knew that the brig was brought to, and then felt a slight shock, as though of a vessel coming alongside. The sea was smooth, the wind was light, and the chafing of two vessels lying side by side was heard. Then there came hurrying feet on deck, men descended into the cabin, traps in the floor were raised and down into a secret hid- ing place a number of boxes and bales were uf, All this the strange passenger saw, through a crack in the door, while he breathed heav- ily the while as though asleep. / Then came the order to cast loose the lines, apart and the brig oston. the two vessels swun held upon her way to It was night when she ran into the harbor, . and the stranger passenger at once deter- mined to go ashore. This he did, bidding the captain good-by, and driving with his large supply of luggage to a hotel. | When however the carriage had gone a short distance, he called to the driver to halt, told him to go on to the hotel with his bag-— gage and state that he would soon follow it, and to have a room prepared for Monsieur Carl Conrad. As the vehicle drove away, the gray beard — and wig of the passenger were suddenly i taken off, his bent form straightened ae and at a quick pace he returned to the wharf at which lay the brig he had just left os ‘