Beadle's Dime Library No. 510 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

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I have a daughter, 22 and asideboard upon which had been spread a ! tempting lunch, flanked by decantersof wine. ‘They have not forgotten my late supper, rs and you must join me, and then we can talk. ‘* But, sefior, the night is pa gone, and I will not keep you up, though to frank with you, f took the liberty of coming here to ask if you would give mea hiding-place in the ruined part of your dwelling for a few days, as I am at present in need of friendly aid, and I presumed upon my having met you to ask this,” and the sae hyp spoke with perfect frankness. sought you since the night you saved my clerk’s life, and it has been a thorn in my heart that I have not been able to find you, and but now I came from the prison, where order for your release from Colonel Rublo.” ** Indeed! he was the man who placed we there,” said the stranger, in surprise. **So I know, sefior; but I prevailed upon him y dear sefior, [ must tell you that I have | T went with an | charming little room, where in a bed as soft as gold I go for, down the oung sailor of fortune soon forg himself in eamless slumber. CHAPTER XXXV. THE OLD SAILOR. ** ADINAH, my child, I have a guest to pre- sent to you, El Moro. the Corsair Commodore. and where I can get the most I ot ship. a ** And there are others on board your way of thinking, doubtless?” ‘** There are.” ** Well, my nice young man, I'd like to go on this cruise, and i wish you to point out to me _ just those who love gold more than country, | and maybe this will help you vo pick them out ‘* He will soon join us at breakfast,” said Ja- | better.’ cobs the Jew the next morning, as the maiden ' swept into the breakfast room, looking most lovely ina morning robe, and some fresh flow- ers in her hair. ‘‘A guest, father?” asked Adinah, with sur- rise, i Yes, my child, and you will have to guard well your little heart that it be not pierced by | the finest eyes I ever saw in a man’s head,” said to release you, for Israel, whose life you saved, | | saw the guards carry you away a prisoner, and | and when I tell you that he it was who saved | | Israel from Colonel Rublo’s sword, and also my | that this is your home, for a spare room adjoins | life, you will know that he is one who de came to me with the news; but let me tell you this one, and there you can be comfortable as long as you please, for you are my guest. ** Now, let us lunch, and overa glass of wine whom I hav we can become better acquainted with each , often?’ cried other.” ‘**'You are most kind to me, sefior, and in a few words I can tell you that 1 am a wanderer now, a waif upon the world, and I hoped to-day, by informing Colonel Rublo of a plot I had dis- | covered for pirates to capture two schooners which he was fitting out, that I could get a position in the Mexican service; but he treated | my information with contempt, and threw me into prison, and I sought you to ask you to give | me a hiding-place until I could leave the coun- try, for I well know what to expect as a prisoner ot Mexico.” ** You could only expect death at the hands of Christo Rublo, setior, for I know him; but you say you have discovered a plot to capture the two beautiful schooners that are being fitted out as cruisers?” ‘* Yes, sefior.” ‘Senior, to save those vessels you should in- deed have a commission in the Mexican service: but you could not get it here, and I can suggest to you a career, if you are a sailor, which will bring you a fortune,” 4; Pant a sailor, sefior, and I am willing to be the possessor of a fortune, if I could win it with my sword, for I am a poor man, with not a hun- dred dollars to my name.” ‘* And what is your name, sefior?” asked the Jew, adding: ‘‘T am known here as Jacobs the Jew, and Jew Jacobs, just as they please to call me; but my name is Jacob Lindo.” he young man bowed, and his face flushed, as the Jew asked his name, while he said sadly: ‘‘ For reasons which I now cannot explain, I too bear two names, séfior, and to you I may be known as Sciior Del Monte.” ‘‘T am not one to inquire into your antece- dents, sefior, and the name of Del Monte will serve me as well as your own, **T owe you my life, and ipa saved the youth Israel from death, and you have placed me un- der obligations I can ‘never repay, Senor Del Monte; but Iam desirous of serving you, and it is in my power to do so, so I wish Pha to frankl tell me all that I can do for you, for my gold is as though it were your own, and I believe that you are the very one to carve out a fortune for yourself in the manner in which I can suggest.” ‘**And that suggestion, sefior?” quietly asked the young sailor. ‘“You are a sailor, and you are one to rule your fellow-men, I can see that, and I would mace you upon the quarter-deck of an armed vessel, ‘“* As I care not to inquire in regard to what Mexican officers may, or may not do, I will say nothing of this intended seizure of the two schooners, which you tell me of, but take ad- vantage of the circumstance to gain one of them for you.” ‘*But how can this be done, sefior?”’ eagerly asked Del Monte, ‘* As they go to sea with a pirate crew, intend- ing to seize them, you might arrange it to hide on board of the best one of the schooners with a party of men, and when the pirates have seized the vessel, you can, in turn, take her from them.” ‘* It could be done, sefior, if the night watch over the vessel, the night before they sail, could be bribed to let us conceal ourselves on ; but bi then, after the craft is in my posses- sion ‘*Then, Senor Del Monte, you are to set out on the cruise that is to win you a name and for- tune.” ‘* In what service, senor?” “That you shall know in good time, senor; but it is time now that you sought resi, +o I will show you to your room, and in the morning you will breakfast with m ae and myself, for nor Del Monte, who will be happy to meet and thank the brave man who saved her father from death,” and taking a ldmp the Jew led his mysterious guest into a most the Jew, playfully. ‘* Forewarned is forearmed, father,” was the laughing rejoinder. ** Well, he isa splendid-looking man, my child your gratitude.” ‘* Oh, father! is it the mysterious stranger of ring containing a rare e heard you and Israel speak so | the boatswain. Adinah, in surprised pleasure. ‘** It is, my child.” ‘** Why, he seems, from all accounts, to be a | cried the | man of giant strength, unknowing fear, a mar- And the pretended old s-ilor placed in the hand of the surprised boatswain a purse heavy _ with gold. [ agaee Messmate, I don’t think you are as old as you look, and I’m thinking your latter days are | pretty well orate: tor, if you can scatter around gold like this,” said the seaman, mean- ingly. Dye got the mate to that purse for every _man you think can betrusted on board this ship to follow an old sailor’s lead.” **T can sound ’em all, and my word for it, sir, that when you say hard a-starboard, there won’t be any that goes to port.” ‘* Well, see to it yourself, my friend, and take serves | this little gem asa souvenir that an old sailor | means what he says,” and Del Monte slipped a stone upon the finger of ** Whew! you are a king in disguise, sir, ’m thinkirig, and Boatswain Brail is your friend,” delighted seaman. “It is the larger schooner of the two that I velous swordsman, and a mystery, while you | wish to ship on.” now tell me that he is dangerously handsome.” | **'You can judge for yourself, Adinah, of the man, for Mordecai is conducting him hither,” and the Jew advanced to meet Del Monte, who just then came from the corridor into the break- fast-room, He was dressed in seaman’s attire, a kind of undress uniform, and as the eyes of Adinah fell upon his superb form and strangely handsome face, she fair] mentally confess, had she beheld a more superb being than the one who bent low before her, when her father presented him. ‘*Sefior Del Monte, accept my gratitude for all that a have done for me, through saving my love earnestly, grasping his hand warmly in both her own. ‘*Sefiorita, my nature is to protect the weak against the strong, and it so happened that thereby I was enabled to aid your father,” an- swered Del Monte, and his voice was musical and deep-toned. ‘* And Israel owes you his life, too, Sefior Del Monte, for I have heard all.” ‘* An accident aided him, sefiorita, as I came to seek your father, on a matter of business, that i toh , and was so fortunate as to arrive in time to be of service to one who needed aid.” ‘*You are modest, sefior; but that does not lessen the obligation we are under to you; but be seated, please, and accept our hospitalities as no more than your due.” It was an enjoyable breakfast seemingly to the three gathered there, and when an hour af- ter meeting Adinah the Je for a business-talk, the maiden murmured: ‘* Father was right in saying that I should shield my heart against his eyes, for, alas! I am al y in love, and my love once awakened is life to me.” What was said by the Jew to his guest need not be made known, but certain it is that Del Monte seemed to acquiesce in the plans of the Sefior Jacobs, as, completely disguised as an old sailor by the skillful hands of Israel, the young man left the Haunted Citadel early in the after- noon and wended his steps slowly down through the town toward the shore, evidently upon some special duty. Arriving at the shore, he soon found out where the two schooners were being fitted out, and stood for a a A time gazing with seeming deep interest upon the scene. At last he spoke to a sailor near and asked if a were shipping ary new men for the cruise ‘‘ Only mighty few, shipmate; you don’t want a berth, do you?’ was the answer, ‘“*T thought how I’d like to smell salt water again for a little voyage.” ‘This is not going to be a little voyage, old man, and time is fetching you too near Davy Jones’s locker for you to talk about going to sea; better stay ashore now with those that love you,” said the seaman, in a kindly way. ** Young man, I’ve got no home, and no one loves me. “Tm old, but I'm active, and on board ship is where I wish to live and die, so I’d like to ship if you think they’d take me.” ‘Old shipmate, I like you, and there’s man a little thing you could help in aboard, and I’ just say, as I’m boatswain, go aboard when you lease, and when the craft sails you’ll be there, or *twixt you and me, old man, there will be a little money divided round on this cruise, and hike to have you get a share to keep you when you are older than you are now.” ‘Then you are serving for gold, messmate?” said the supposed old sailor. ‘“‘That’s the way to log it, shipmate; it is von * é w led his guest away | | | started, for never before, did she | father from death,” said Adinah, | ‘* Yes, sir, she’s the best of the two, and I’ll be disappointed if she hasn’t got it in her to walk away from anything in these waters.” ** How many men go on her?” ‘‘An officer, sir, myself, and twenty men, which are ten more seamen thanshe first intend- ed to run out with, for there’s talk of her pick- ing up a fullcrew elsewhere.” * And the other schooner?” ‘* She leads, sir, for that old man you sev yon- der, that leoks like Santa Claus, is the pilct, and he goes in her,” and the seaman pointed to none other than the disguised El Moro, the Corsair Commodore, who was talking with an officer not far distant. ‘* And what number of men carries the other craft?” ‘* About the same force, sir, an officer, the pilot, and some twenty men.” ‘**T see; well, I’! be on hand in time, and I’ll hn give you a little extra gold, as earnest to et the men know that you mean what you say,” and slipping some gold into the hands of the boatswain, the old sailor walked away, the _amazed and delighted recipient of his bounty gazing after him with the remark: ‘* Pve struck a king in disguise, I reckon, for he gives gold as he might grog.” CHAPTER XXXVI. UNMASKED. COLONEL RUBLO was utterly amazed the morning after the escape of Del Monte, the mysterious stranger, to learn that, before his re- lease could be delivered, the prisoner had boldly made his escape. ‘*T know of no man to be more dreaded than he, who even defies dungeons, chains and locks, and I must end his days in some way. ‘‘Ah! Ihavea thought, and I will make use of it to get rid of him. ** My whole force shall at once be put upon his track, and I will find him if I have to arrest every man in town who isa stranger, to discover if he wears a disguise. ‘** Then, when he is taken, I’ll put him in the heaviest irons, and send him on board the schooner that El Moro goesas pilot on, and leave it to him to get rid of the fellow as soon as he is out in deep water.” So mused Colonel Rublo, and a pull on his bell-rope brought a servant, one who had stepped into the shoes of Ponce, the peon. Dispatching the servant on an errand, it was not very long before Colonel Rublo’s quarters were thronged with officers of high and low grade, for they had come from the P past the fortified ports, the city guard, and even the castle of the gloomy fortress of San Juan d’Uloa, the ‘‘ircn gate of Vera Cruz,” as that strong- hold is called. Explaining to the officers that the mysterious stranger was a Gangenous plotter against the Government, Colonel Rublo soon bad the satis- faction of seeing the officers depart, and knew that within an hour a hundred or more well- trained spies would be on the track of the man he so feared, while the soldiery of the town would be on the watch for him. To urge them the more in their search, the Mexican colonel had offered a thousand pesos to the man who captured the prisoner. ‘* He'll be on board the schooner and at sea before the Jew can posedaly. know of his capture, so that he cannot force me to set him free,” he muttered, Saco b Colonel Rubio had given orders that every stranger in town should be arrested, and if found to wear a disguise should at once be brought before him. In obedience to this command three soldiers of the Lancero League pounced upon a suspicious- - ¥ Ecomicbooks. |i a ,