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REBEL CRUISER, Oo . ‘
~ —“~. the sentinel sa them, and fired.
, ae
t
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arn
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PATO ena =
“of Dorscy—who fell meyptally wor
“Stheir boat awaited them.
- in Hunt erfed toYonr <:
* fire”
_ heavens’ Tom,
matter, yer honor—it’s all over with me now.” my
, uttered the feeble cry which was first heard by honest Tom
and his boat’s crew.. The reader already knows the rest.
‘ *- * * - * * ae
Sir Henry Clinton, by an artful trick discovers that.
Dorsey was realy the son of Ricard, who had imposed
him upon his unsuspicious master, as being the latter’s
offspring.
Meanwhile Karl and Capt. Ballentine were under arrest
as spies. , ‘ ‘
Sir Henry Clinton, pitied sincerely his friend Count .
Ballentine, and also regretted that the captain of the
Ocean Queen and his Lieut. Karl, had rushed into tho. —
lion’s mouth in order to find Katrine. 7G
Sir Henry, therefore wilfully closed his eyes to a plot
which he learned was contemplated to rescue the prisoners
from prison. ‘
Ricard and his wife (the mother of Dorsey) hadjoined —
Cam and Long Tom in an attempt to free Hunt, Ballentine .
Karl and Dorsey from prison. . :
It needs not to detail all the in!
the prisoners were apprised of the lcui, and were roady..
Just 2s the three prisoners succeeded inlawering the wae Mt
‘telves by means of arope thrown up to them by Leng J or,
ee
‘Lhe others fellowed LSSz Tom
-_
aaa
CONC WETS Dy
song the plu ibepwes ’
thOD Wake whiten moored.” As thoy gprange
VG off, and at the same time .
scizing an oar himself, Karl and Cam followed hts Cx=
wupie and in-unother. moment tour bending oars were
sending the boat out upon the stormy water, quivering as
She met the heavy waves which almost hid her in their
spray. They had scarcely cleared the end of the pier
when the guard were upon it, and ere they were half
a musket-shot distant, the officer in command shouted
—“ Stop, you rebels! como back or I will fire upon you.”
“Stoop low, men—crouch low is the boat, for they will
“All except Tom regarded the warning and threw
> themselves flat in the boat, while the rattling volley of
musketry from the shore, told that the officer had kept his
threat. A groan from poor Tom was heard; and as the
rest raised to their oars, he let go his and then grasped the |
thwart of the boat, to sustain himself in his seat. « By
you are shot!” cried his captain, in a tone
of deep anxiety. - oe
“Never mind me, cap’n! See, them are sogers are
-heaving up signals tor the ships below to cut us off—you'd.
ci
&.
. better up sails and get out o° this, they'll sarve you worse
‘than they have me.” “By heavens! the noble fellow.
. §peaks truly—Karl take the tiller; Cam, clear away those
two lug sails, and reef them
the stern-sheets.” ,
And now Hunt bent down again over poor Tom, wha
lay without a. groan upov. the cloak, though his writhing :
quick, while I carry Tom into
~- limbs betokened how much he was suffering. “Poor Tom :
». this is too hard!” he groaned. “I must ‘try and
bandage your wounds!” “It’s no- use, Cap’n. I’ve been
* shot afore and I knows what itis. I shall only live to see .
you safe!’ I know’d it afore I left the ship; for our lady’s
' face was dark. and muddy !"~ “I. can explain all: her.
«eyes are made of looking glass slightly colored—her face
is so polished as. to reflect colors—therefore when in blue
“water they would look bluc—in the muddy waters of the
harbor they would look like the’ water!” « Well, it’s no
“Raise up, Cap’n! Raise me up and let me take a
: yew
be all the brighter afore it goes out! There they are—
the bloody sharks—ahead.on the starboard bow—a whole .- -
flect of boats!”
cnis. Suffice {t that”
Mis bali found thafeart
?
- look “
. round. My eye-sight, like the: flame of a taller dip’ may» °“
grew pale, It was too late to try another course. Hehal
but three men, counting himself, to oppose he knew not
how many. But he was not one to despair. “ Keep the
boat steady on her course!” said he to Karl, and then he
carefully examined the arms which 'Tom had provided.
~~ It was already evident that the enemy saw them, for the 3
boats were spread out ina line through which they must
' pass or be taken. As Tom gazed upon them a singular
look of firm determination settled on his pale face. : ;
““ Cap’n,” said he, “just stuff your handkerchief or some-
“thing into this hole in my breast to keep the blood in a
"little longer.. ‘I only want to live twenty minutes more!”
. Without knowing why Tom wished it, Hunt obeyed his
request, and staunched, as he best could, the gushing blood.
When Tom continued : :
“I mean this, Cap’n:—You knows as well I does, that I ,
can’t live an hour, but I’m strong enough to hold that tiller
and and steer her through amongst them are boats, while :
___ you three lay down in the bottom, where they can’t hit
<-you. If they carry away the masts, why then we'll all go
-~ togelher—if they don’t, you are saved, and it ‘ll be some.
~ Jey.to me to know that when [ slip my wind.” ~ .
0" Wantcbjected. Karl and Cam each volunteered for the - '
“<dangerons post; but Tom would not be put aside; and he. .
S.se~Lsi.em to secure him to the seat by lashings, so that
"a not be moved from his perilous post. :
¢
yo woursteered down: with-an_unwavering hand, heading _
for a narrow opening between two-of the largest boats,
and rem both of these he was hatled-as he came near. +
~“Heave to, with your boat—heave to!” Tom made no. -"
reply. “leave to, you infornal rebels! Heave to, or we'll ————__
Gre inty you!” pe gas
_ Steadily swept on the boat, and Tom spoke not; and:
“now he was directly between the two; while others were:
pulling rapidly in to intercept him. Again Tom was
hailed, again he heard the threat of firing, but as the boat's
bow was nearly clear of them and the gale. freshened; he
. laughed out a scornful reply: “Fire, you bloody foole—~: .
burn your powder, you can’t hurt mel” “Fire]" cried the =
‘enraged officers, and as his boat got out of the range’ of, °°
the others so that they could fire without doing any harm‘ **:"
' . to their own friends, they opened a terrific volley upon: or,
him. When the smoke cleared away, to their surprise and .
- astonishment, the helmsmen sat steady and erect as ever 3
he seemed to have gone untouched through that terrible
- shower ; and now his boat was dashing off at a speed which .
rendered their pursuit useless, still holding her course.-
But they did not see that the head of poor Tom was drop-
ped upon his breast; they did not know that his whole. -
body was riddled with their balls. Hehad got the helm
Set just to the weather gage which it would carry with the ©) .'
' sails trimmed as they were; and though his arm was stiff i
with the ice of death, he never slacked his hold. The rest : :
of the crew of the boat sprang to their feet after the dread-.
~ ful.line of fire-had been passed; but poor Tom spoke no,
more.’ He had saved them. Ere noon on that day, Hunt, 3
-. Ballentine was on his vessel’s deck—his. betrothed was _ i!
_ Once more in his arms, and the “Magic Figure-Head? was .°
turned to sea for a cruise, which ended equally as fortue.. ~
nate as any he had previously undertaken. So.it continued :
.... until the end of the war, when Captain Ballentine retired . we
. with his beautiful Katrine to enjoy the fruits’ of his love’ot
“. liberty'and independence, his father the Count dying jand
‘entirely reconciled to his son, he left him his vast estates
in England. ’ The Captain, now Count Ballentine, residing :
--on them to the end of his days, except occasionally~ visit~
.:; ing his brother-in-law, Karl, who had returned to. his
“father, and at the demise of the latter inherited all his
- Wealth, with the exception of a good jointure to Katrine. .
oj FEE END,
For a moment even Ais bold heart felt cold and-his cheek =!