Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Next Page
OCR
i
ovelette,
VOLUME I.—NUMBER 22.
ABDUCTION OF ALICE BEAUFORT BY NEVIL BEACHAMPE,
(Entered according to Act of Congress in the Clerk’s Office of the
District Court of Massachusetts.]
OHE DANAING SPAR:
The Srsuggler of the Chesapeake,
A STORY OF THE COAST AND SEA.
BY J. H. INGRAHAM.
[contixvep.]}
CHAPTER IV.—[continvEp.]
The gray-haired parent was no sooner left alone than
he sank on his knees before a crucifix—for he was of
the Romish faith—and cried repeatedly, in the deepest
accents of contrition : }
“Culpa mea! culpa mea! culpa mea! The punish-
ment is just. Iwas entrusted by Heaven with an im-
mortal being to prepare for heaven, and by my neglect
he has become a monster fit for hell! . My fault! my
fault | my fault! My punishment is greater than I can
bear!
From this time, Nevil’s manner in the house was that
of.a finished dissembler. By a sudden impulse he all
at once assumed the air and life of a penitent. By this
means he hoped to be restored to favor, and have once
more the command of his father’s purse. But secretly,
though he revelled not in the house, he went by night
to the town, which was but a mile and a quarter, and
in the little back parlor of the Binnacle, where he had
had many a boyish “night of it,” he would drink to
excess, believing his father supposed him fasting shut
up in his chamber. Blouster was not a man to refuse
the intimacy of a dissipated heir, and he always made
his little parlor so comfortable, and sat up and drank
and talked with him so long after the light was put out
in the binnacle, that they became great friends; and
especially after Nevil, reduced to his last coin, went to
him to borrow money at usurious interest.
"BOSTON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1857.
———
ASS —S=
——
Hai
PPA
BY:
LSU api elie»
=
RS
Nevil one night drank too deeply at the Binnacle, and
in riding home he fell from his horse and was nearly
killed, and being found at daybreak by some of his fa-
ther’s slaves going to the market, he was borne home-
ward. This accident, of course, by betraying how he
had passed the night, rendered further hypocrisy need-
less; and he saw by his father’s eye that he had lost his
confidence forever.
It was some weeks before he perfectly recovered,
when he resolved to be more temperate lest a worse
thing should happen to him; and his taste for sailing
on the bay returning, he spent much of his time fishing
and sailing—sometimes in clear weather, attended only
by a negro lad, making excursions quite across the bay,
sometimes running miles up the bay. One afternoon,
as he was running along on a bowline, steering for the
hall, being about two miles distant, he was met by a
bum-boat, coming from the town and going on the wind
northward in the direction of the inlet. As the two
boats passed each other not ten yards apart, he was
struck with amazement at seeing in the stern of the
tradc-boat a lovely girl of sixteen, with beauty of form
and feature surpassing that of any maiden he had ever
met with.
He uttered an involuntary exclamation of admiration
which caused her to blush and look in another direction.
There was also in the boat a negro man forward, and a
young man who sat by the fair girl and steered the boat.
The next moment the two boats were far astern of each
other; and though Nevil looked often and long, he
could not get another sight of her face, for she did not,
as he hoped she would do, tura her head to look after
his boat.
“Cato,” said he to the negro boy in the boat with
him, “whose craft is that ?””
“Tdummo, mass’,” answered tho negro, with a stut-
ter and lisp combined; “ gueth ho bumboatee,”
“That is plain enough; but whose bum-boat?’ an-
swered the young man, impatiently,
“Dat me dummo, mass’,” responded the intelligent
youth, rubbing his eyes as if he had the wisdom of Sol-
omon beneath his woolly pate.
“Well, 1 will find out, that is all. I see she is steer-
ing up the inlet. They live somewhere on its shore.
Stand by to haul aft the fore-sheet ; I’m going about.”
a ig
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
se
[Seo page 44.)
The little boat was in a moment running close-hauled
to the wind on the starboard tack, and sailing almost
in the track of the bum-boat, which, as the reader has
already surmised, contained Elliot Beaufort, his sister
Alice, and Tony, the gray-headed son of Afric. In
order not to be suspected of sailing after them, Bea-
champe hauled his wind close, so as to keep to windward.
on his course, while Elliot was ‘steering with the wind
four points free. When Beachampe tacked to follow,
the boats were about a quarter of a mile from each other.
The afternoon was’ within about an hour of coming
to a close, the sun shining brightly low in the west, and
spreading the beauty of-light and cheerfulness over
‘land and water. We have already described the inlet
as an elongation of the mouth of York River north-
ward, or rather a sort of false river, running parallel
with the bay, four or five miles inland, and terminating
at the cliff or headland on which the windmill stood,
the mouth of the river and inlet being the same. A
reference to an ordinary school map, however, will show
better the shape of the water and land thereabouts than
the minutest description we can give.
The speed of the boat which Beachampe steered was
soon seen to be superior to that of the buim-boat, which
was heavily laden, and was an old affair, not being the
handsome natty craft we introduced him to the reader
as commanding at a later period; for the times we are
now speaking of are nearly two years prior to the time
in which the first chapter of our story opens.
Beachampe sceing that he could easily come up with
the bum-boat, and not wishing to do so, lay to awhile,
giving her a long lead, and then made sail again. . In
this manner he kept her in view, while he, seemed to
them—-who were suspicious of no evil—only to be
stopping to fish, until they reached the head of the inlet,
and he saw them land on the flat rock at the foot of the
path which led up to the mill. With a lite river. spy-
glass which he always carried with him, he saw them
proceed to the old fortress and disappear within it.
“That is where they live, then,” he said, as he thrust
the joints of the epy-giass together, with emphasis, * and
Ihave found a treasure trove. Jf that fair maid is a
fisher’s daughter, she is too beautiful to be thrown away
like a” jewel amdng'swiné in sucha place, I must fol-
Jow up the adventire. “Cato !” Pee ee
.
