Beadle's Pocket Library No. 238

# Merle Monte's Sea-Scraper

This 1888 serialized adventure story by Col. Prentiss Ingraham follows Merle Monte, a condemned U.S. Navy midshipman, and his Abyssinian slave Mezrak, held prisoner aboard the pirate vessel of Brandt, the Buccaneer. Brandt seeks to force them to reveal the location of their hidden Treasure Island, which contains wealth inherited from Merle's grandfather Freelance (a buccaneer) and a Persian princess's dowry. The narrative reveals that Black Diamond, the ship's pilot, is actually a disguised avenger working against Brandt. After rescuing Merle's navigation chart and claiming to know the island's location, Black Diamond secures the prisoners on deck, apparently to witness Brandt's triumph as the vessel approaches the island during an approaching storm.