The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 257: what you’re looking at

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

gave me the name of her village, which was about turee miles from where we lay, “Tt was the sorceress you laughed at the night before. ‘* About three in the morning a French general with a hundred horsemen arrived on the battle- _ ground, with orders to bury the dead, and to send the wounded into their camp. ‘‘ When we were brought there we found a large two-poled tent pitched, in which all the wounded of my command were collected, and, to the best of my reccollection, they amounted to three hundred men. ‘“No sooner was I brought in than they called out, “© Ah! here is the count, our dear old captain.’ “ And offered me some bread and water, or what they had. . “The French surgeons had wrapped me in a large blanket, when they took me up from the field, and right glad was I to find so many of my brave fellows near me. a “This, in all haste from Yours, “THE COUNT,” CHAPTER XOVII, THE TREASURES SECURED, . THE powerful blow which Joel Flint gave to Tomasso with his heavy oar, as we have seen in a previous chapter, so stunned the Italian detective that for along time after he was rescued from the water he remained unconscious of anything that was passing around him. The sight of the burning custom house in full blaze; was certainly grand in the extreme, and, as seen from the harbour, was awfully sublime, _ All the shipping was lighted up by the magnifi- _ cent blaze, and, for a time, the glare of light was _ almost equal to that of noonday, In ‘every direction men were running about frantically to and fro, Engines, manned by hundreds of willing work- men, were clanking, _ Streams of water were spurting upon the various warehouses, and firemen upon ladders, axe in hand, | Were cutting away portions of the burning mass which threatened danger to buildings as yet un- touched by the devouring element. All ‘this sight was fully witnessed by Joel Flint, who urged on his boat's crew to further efforts. _ For some time he knew not what to do with the treasure he had so luckily secured. To land with this precious, and, at the same time, suspicious-looking treasure, would have placed him again, perhaps, in the power of his old enemy, Tomasso the detective, if he were alive. ‘Where shall we land you, master?” .asked the boatmen, after they had pulled a considerable dis- tance down the harbour. . ) P * Anywhere,” said Joel, knowing not what to 0. He felt certain that his boat’s crew were suspicious regarding his movements, and, therefore, it was necessary that he should proceed as carelessly as possible in all he intended to do. While pulling across the harbour, and when fully assured that he was not pursued, he came near to a rakish-looking brig, which, with sails fully set, was starting on her voyage. As Joel and his men pulled close under her stern he perceived the name of it. ; It was the * Dolphin, of London.’ “Hold, my men,’ said Joel, quickly; “I know... the captain of this brig ; he is a fellow countryman of mine.” ‘Ship ahoy !” shouted young Flint, at the top of his voice. “Ship ahoy !” he repeated, as he pulled up to leeward of the brig. “ Boat ahoy! What d’yer want?” was the: gruff response of the captain on the quarter-déck; “That’s an English brig.” “Tt is; what ot that?’ “Back sails, captain,’ said Joel; ‘Til pay you well for all you do, Have you any passengers on board ?” “Yes ; half-a-dozen.”’ “ Whither bound?” **Old England—the port of London.” All this conversation was carried on in English so that Joel’s boat’s crew understood nota word of it, Lay on your oars, my lads,’ said Joel, to his men, in Italian: “The captain of the brig isa relation of mine.” Then addressing the captain of the “ Dolphin” in English again, hesaid, when the brig had backed sails, and allowed the boat to come alongside. ~ «T wish ‘to take passage in-your vessel, captain, and have great treasures of art’and other valuables in this packing-ease,’ Can’t you lower a boat, and help me to get it on board, for these Italian rascals here have threatened to sink the boat, if I don’t pay them treble what they ought» to have for their labour ?” i ‘Qh, that’s it, eh?” said the captain of the “Dolphin ;” “well, we'll soon setile ’em, if that’s their little game, I never likes'to see an English- man imposed upon in foreign:parts.” So speaking, he gave orders’ to his crew to lower two boats on the instant,’ which was done, greatly to the surprise of Joel’s Italian oarsmen, who could not at all understand the reason for all this sudden display of force.” aS om Before they could ‘arrive “at any conclusion how to act, the two boats’ crews of the ’‘*Dolpbin’’ seized the large packing-case; and firmly secured strong tackling to it. 3 With a merry chorus the rest of the ‘* Dolphin’s” crew hauled up the case out-of Joel’s boat, and Joel himself was careful ‘not ‘to’ remain in the Italians’ boat one moment longer than necessary, so clamboured up the ship’s side with great agility. When all ‘this was safely accomplished, Joel threw the Italians his purse. : There was not much in it, truly, and the dis- appointed men cried and swore in ‘a most. horrible manner at the deceit. which had been practised upon them. Instead of being “handsomely rewarded,” as Joel had promised them, they were scarcely paid anything at all, = 5 They rubbed their eyes, brandished ‘their knives, and displayed their white, glistening teeth, to no éffect, however, for Joel, once on board an English ship, snapped his fingers in triumph, and the brig sailed gaily out of harbour. When they had been out at sea three or four hours, Joel begged that. he might be allowed a “double cabin” instead of a single one, that-is to say, twice the space generally alloted to ordinary passengers. This the captain agreed to, and allowed several of the seamen to move the large packing-case into his own spacious cabin, for greater safety. Now, as the captain had to “ keep watch” at stated times, Joel determined to examine the safe when- ever the first chance offered. oO comicooo SoCO = i