Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 482 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

be 5 el nee ° a’ 4 oe a Pr y ‘. .* Bile ae t' 2 - , att * y + ™ e Ay — ¥ . 1 - a a ' he =, Ere a score of shots had been fired it resolved itself into a one-sided affair, for the cruiser’s fire was strewing the decks with the dead, and cutting great gaps in his hull, while his shots fell short. He bad gone below and urged Victorine to go with her Ghild and Liza into the hold, out of danger; but the young wlfe refused, saying that she would remain in the cabin, and she stood by the stern port, with little Norma in her arms watching the fire of the cruiser aud seemingly | courting death. Thus the running fire continued until Bel- mont the Buccaneer saw that be must turn and strike back, before his crew was decimated and his vessel badly crippled. Calling bis men to the guns, the schooner was at once put about and stood on a course to meet the cruiser, The latter now opened heavily with her broadside guns; but the buccaneer’s side batter- ies were heavier than those of the cruiser, and the duel becanie at once upon an equal footing. But, for some reason the fire of the cruiser’s men was more perfect and the buccaneer craft | still suffered the most. Neurer and nearer the two schooners drew to each other, giving and taking cruel blows, and at last, as be saw that the buccaneer was weak- ening in his fire, Captain Sprague gave the order to prepare to board. ‘Do you see that storm, Senor Captain? It was Hernandez who spoke, and he pointed to the westward, where a mass of black clouds were rolling into the skies and threatening to break in a furious storm, The sun had set, and darkness was coming on, so that if the pirate was to be taken it must be at once, Captain Sprague quickly saw. The pirates did not seem to have noticed the coming storm, but were manning their guns with desperation, **Give one broadside, with guns doubly charged, and then the other, and we will run him aboard!” cried Captain Sprague, . This order was obeyed promptly, and the ef- fect was disastrous in the extreme to the buc- caneer, for the mainmast was cut down, and in falling carried with it the foremast, which was snapped off some ten feet from the top. The wreckage went over the side, and a lurch of the disabled schooner dragged off the bow- sprit and the buccaneer craft was a wreck upon the sea, Another broadside was mercilessly poured upon the doomed pirate, and then the cruiser pa up under its lee and glided alongside slowly. A heavy bump, and grapnels were thrown, and then the cruiser’s crew boarded, headed by their commander. Belmont was not yet conquered however, though his vessel was a wreck, his decks strewn with dead and dying and himself wounded. ** Ho, lads, let them take the wreck, and we will have their schooner! ** Follow me!” Loud rung his command, and with a few men he gained the deck of the crusier. e had evidently prepared for this, for in the arms of a stalwart seaman was the fair form of Victorine, who had fainted, and another held her child, while two others were dragging Liza along between them, a couple more held a strong box, and these, protected by a score of the bueccaneer crew, reached the deck of the cruiser, a moment after Captain ag and his tars sprung upon the wrecked outlaw craft. But just then there arose the cry: ‘* The schooner is going down!” A wild rush was made for the cruiser, and in the desperate struggle Captain Sprague was wounded and fell to the deck. He was at once seized by his men and borne back to his own vessel, which was quickly cast adrift from the buccaneer, and a desperate bat- tle was begun between Belmont and his mad- dened crew for the mastery of the cruiser. But they were a mere handful, and were driven forward, shot down, or hurled into the sea, and Belmont the Buccaneer was made cap- tive with a few others of his men. In the mean time the cruiser was atripped to meet the storm, while the wreck was ieee along, the score of pirates on board shrieking loudly to be taken off of the sinking craft, for to save themselves from going down in the sea eis were willing to risk being hanged, he storm broke with terrible fury, and the cruiser had a hard struggle with the fierce winds and wild waters, and Senor Hernandez had his hands full to save the vessel, for Ca tain Bprage had been carried into the cabin severely wounded in the leg, and the surgeon of the cruiser was examining the wound with an expression upon his face that showed that he deemed it most serious. And in one corner of the cabin crouched poor Victorine, little Norma clasped to her breast, and lying full length upon the floor was Liza, who had been wounded in coming on board the cruiser, and had died at the feet of her mistress after an officer had taken her to the cabin, ** Well, Solarez, what of my wound?” coolly = Captain Sprague, of his Spanish lieuten- an P| i ~~ Ocean Tramps. ‘** Your leg must come off, Senor Captain, for the bone is shattered to atoms below the knee,” was the reply. ‘All right, do your work quickly, for there are others to look to,” came the brave response from the cruiser’s commander, CHAPTER XVIII. THE WIDOW, UNMINDFUL of the presence of the crouching woman and her child, Solarez, the surgeon, be- gan his work, and with a cigar clinched be- tween his teeth the brave captain stood the dread ordeal without a groan, Slkallfully the amputation was made, and the wound dressed, and then came tbe words, spoken in a soft tone: ‘““Teave him to my care, senor, for there are other sufferers on deck for you to look after, * Do you not hear their groans?” lt was Victorine who spoke, and she stood by the side of Surgeon Solarez, He bowed politely, saw that little Norma was lying motionless upon the floor, her head resting upon the heart of the dead negress, and he ; asked: ‘* But you, senora, do you not need my aid, or your child, or servant?” ‘* No, senor, my poor servant is dead, and lit- tle Norma sleeps. ‘* (to, I beg you, to those who need you, and I will care for this noble, brave man!” The surgeon bowed and left the cabin, and turning Victorine beheld the eyes of the captain fixed upon her, ‘* Who are you?” he asked, ‘*T am Senora Rodriguez, a Cuban, and, with my husband, child and nurse we were the cap- tives of Belmont the Buccaneer, ‘*' You saved me from a fearful fate, senor, by your gallant victory; but alas! my husband has gone to the bottom in the pirate schooner, for he was heavily ironed and kept down in the hold.” She spoke calmly, as though she had made up her mind that life’s darkest side was turned to her and no more cruel blows could be given. ‘This is fearful! the wreck may not have sunk, so [ will give orders to keep before the storm as it would drive, and in the morning search for it.” . ‘* Ah, senor, it isaray of hope, and you are good to think of me in your great suffering.” ‘*Call to the deck for me, please, and I will give the order.” Hernandez himself appeared and he greeted his captain with deepest sympathy, and, in re- sponse to the order given him said that he would station lookouts about the vessel and endeavor ae as near on the track of the wreck as pos- sible, Then Captain Sprague told him to send the steward to him, to prepare a state-room for their fair guest and her child, and worn out with suf- fering the gallant commander of the cruiser sunk to sleep. Having seen the body of poor Liza borne out of the cabin, to find a grave in the sea, and placed little Norma in acomfortable berth in the state-room assigned to her, Victorine returned to the side of the wounded captain, He was sleeping, though suffering, as she could tell by the set lips, and she sat down to keep her weary Vigil as self-constituted nurse. Before her loomed up the misery and torture she had known the past few days, and the hope faded out of her heart that she would ever see her husband again. She knew that the fire of the cruiser had rid- dled the hull of the schooner, cut away her masts and otherwise wrecked her, and she feared it had been sent to the bottom when the storm struck it. But the captain, in spite of hisown sufferings, had thought of her, and ordered that the schoon- er follow on the track that the wreck must drive, and thus there was hope for her yet see- ing her husband though the chances were strongly against such a joyous termination of her sorrows, Still Victorine was no ordinary woman, and she nerved herself to bear all that would come upon her for the sake of her child. The morning dawned brightly and found the watcher still at her post as self-imposed nurse, The captain had slept through the night, but his moans showed that he had suffered intensely. Opening his eyes he slightly starved as he be- held the sad, beautiful face near him. ‘‘T half-believed that I was dead, and opening my eyes beheld an angel. ‘T recall you now, lady, for you are the one taken from the pirate craft,” he said, She was touched by his kind voice, and she told him, in a few fervent words, her sad story. : et has no one reported from the deck, thus ar ** No, Senor Captain.” “Will you kindly call my lieutenant, and I will ask if the wreck is in sight?” She did so, and Hernandez pape ‘** Not a sail, or anything in the shape of a ves- sel in sight, senor,” he said. The tears filled the beautiful eyes of Victorine at the words, and she leant out of the open port to hide her emotion. ‘* Order my steward to prepare breakfast for Soa . : ‘ ; a : i ad * ea 8 >i ips a ON FO Se < a - we 2¢ 4 : 9 this lady, Hernandez, and then go and set a double watch and do allin your power to find the wreck, for I will not give up the search for a couple of days.” - mer Senor Captain.” ‘*Send the surgeon to me also, and, if - aght is discovered report at once,” But the two days passed away and not a vestige of the wreck was found, so all decided that it went down in the storm, and Victorine lost all hope and regarded her busband as dead, Captain Sprague then decided to take bis fair guest tober plantation bome on the coast, for she said that she should return there, »s there was no longer any danger of Belmont, the Bye- caneer, and she told the crviser’s ccmmanien that it woull be well for him to become her guest until he got well, as there he could have large quarters and every attention, while he could repair his vessel while in the little bar- borage. This course the surgeon also urged and the schooner was headed for Buena Vista Planta tion and the rescner of Victorime became ter guest, and it did not take Senor Hernandez long to see that his captain was desperately in love with the beautiful young widow, and in fact so was the Senor Hernandez, and it aroused an ugly spirit in bim to feel that his commander might win her, for he saw that Victorine was very kind and gentle in her manner toward the one to whom sbe owed so much, while she treated him with cold politeness, CHAPTER XIX, THE RIVALS. It certainly was a great surprise, and a sad one, to the good overseer of the Buena Vista Plantation to see Victorine return and to hear her sad story. She told of the capture of the yacht and the lugger, the carrying off tosome retreat of the booty and the slaves, which were to be sold, and then of her own captivity upon the pirate craft, while her husband was in double irons, ‘His death was certain, and had not the eruiser rescued us I know my fate would have been worse than death,” she added, All that could be done for the comfort of the guest was done. The house was put in perfect condition once more and other servants were called upon to take charge. The captain was given a charming room, and from the numerous windows he bad a fine view of the sea, the little harbor and the coast reanery. / A negro man, a fine nurse had been specially told to care for him, and Victorine kept his room filled with flowers, while prints in abun- dance were in reach of his hand, Hiding her own he she was wont to sing for him, accompanying herself upon the guitar, and then she would read aloud by the hour to him until the sailor seemed to feel that he was actually in Paradise, Little Norma was brought often to see him, and seemed to have takena great fancy to the wounded man, } The schooner lay in the harborage undergoing needed repairs, and she was under the eye of her captain, while twice aday did Senor Hernandez come up to the mansion to make his report that all was well, and also to inquire after the health of his captain. At such times Senor Hernandez never failed to see the beautiful mistress of Buena Vista, and Re tried to make himself most agreeable to er. j **T see how it is going,” he said to himself one ay. * The captain is not handsome, but he is plucky, and that catches a woman. e Then he consoles her for her husband's loss, threatens to hang Belmont as soon as he gets on board his vessel once more, and is just making things come out to suit himself. ‘Tf I don’t stop it there will be a wedding in this house, and the Senora Rodriguez will be- come Mrs, Sprague. ‘But Pl stop it, for I’m tired of the sea, and I’ve a notion to marry the sweet widow myself and settle down to a life of rag de ‘“-Yes, I'll stop the matter, and I know just how to do it.” There was an evil look in the eyes of Senor Hernandez as the words came from his lips, and he appeared to be a man to keep his threat. One day, some two months after the arrival of the schooner in Buena Vista Harbor, Hernan- dez came up to the mansion. Captain Sprague was steadily improving, but yet too weak to get around, even On crutches, for he had lost a good ceal of blood when wounded, and it was slow work recuperating, though his wound was healing well. The lieutenant entered the captain’s room and | took his seat, as was his wont, by the window, “Captain, have you forgotten that Belmont is on board in irons?” he asked. es a, no means. : ** Why do you ask?” ** Well, sir, he seems to be suffering, and the best thing to do is to let me hang him and have it over with,” co! migbooks