The Boy Soldier; Or, Garibaldi's Young Captain — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

—o TIE BOY SOLDIER; OR, GARIBALDI’S YOUNG CAPTAIN, ~ 23 But before midnight Frank changed his mind. He knew not why nor wherefore, but he had a misgiving in his own mind that treachery was at work somewhere. When the cathedral clock struck eleven, he se- lected twenty of his followers, and placed ten in each boat, He, Hugh Tracy, Fellows, and Tom got into the third, and were about to leave the wharf, when Mark, Frank’s foster-brother, jumped in also, and mould share in the danger. Ata signal from Frank the three boats glided from their hiding-places like shadows and crept towards the schooner unobserved, They floated with the tide until they were securely fastened under the lea. All was breathless suspense and excitement, The cathedral clock chimed the half-hour, This was the signal for the boarding party, In an instant Frank, followed by his brave com- panions, climbed up the vessel’s sides, and in a moment swarmed on to the deck ! The men on deck were surprised—thunder- struck | They at first supposed themselves to be in some dream. They were not long undeceived. Frank rushed at one, and knocked him down. A hand-to-hand fight now began on all sides, for, contrary to all expectations, There were twenty stout Austrian sailors on board ! Mark, the foster-brother, with more prudence than the rest, dashed down the hatches on the heads of the sailors who had not rushed on deck. : It was instantly fastened down, and securely. By this move those below could not rush to the assistance of their friends on deck. With no noise of any kind save the desperate clinking of swords, Frank and his followers con- tinued the conflict until at last they had struck down the last man, and the “ Kaiser’? was theirs | The young Garibaldians would have cheered oudly, but this Frank forbid, The anchor was slipped in an instant—the beau- taut little vessel began to move slowly and grace- fully. ; It was drifted towards the long shed. In a moment all the young Garibaldians leaped on board. A sail was raised, Mark, thefoster-brother, took the helm, and soon they were on their way out to sea, with the Italian colors flying in the night winds | This had scarcely been done, amid loud cheers— for Frank could no Jonger restrain them—when they perceived a great commotion on shore, A large body of soldiers had just then marched as to the long shed, but were a few minutes too ate! “We have been betrayed !” said Frank, bitterly. “Some oe has informed upon us!” said Hugh, with an oath. The soldiers fired, but their shots fell short. Again and again they fired, but with no better result, A cannon shot now came plunging over the schooner, and Fatty on the instant crouched very low out of the way behind a huge water-cask. Another cannon shot came whistling along, and smashed the immense water cask, almost drowning the unfortunate fat youth hidden behind it, Fatty groaned aloud. Beyond this no damage was done, The sails were quickly set, and off darted the schooner like a swallow on. the wing, amid great cheering. But all danger was not yet over. They were pursued by another schooner which continually fired at the “Kaiser” but without effect. Another and a greater danger was yet in store for them. They had to pass the Lort. Frank knew this, and prepared for the worst. Instead of going away from the fort he crept close up to it. This made several of the Garibaldians turn deadly pale for they knew the schooner would be treated to a whole broadside from the fort, and expected to be sunk on the instant. Fatty and Buttons squeezed themselves into the smallest possible space under the bulwarks, so as to be out of the way. But Frank’s plans were right. The schooner as she passed by the fort was so close to it, under the walls, that when the broad- side was fired at them the shots whistled over head, for the gunners could not depress their guns so as to hit the gallant little craft | Shot after shot, grape and canister shot, were showered down upon them, but not a single bullet — touched any of them. bd ak The sea rose around them on all sides, like im- mense water-spouts, shooting up in columns, but beyond a good ducking no harm was done and — amid loud cheers the gallant little craft shot by the fort, and was soon far out at sea, pursued by two Austrian sailing vessels, whose shots were plunging all around them in the moonlit waters, CHAPTER XII, THE LUMINOUS SKELETON AT BROMLEY HALL— THE GIPSY’S PROPHECY—STRANGE DISCOVERY BY OLD GILES, THE GARDENER—THE HAND OF THE HEADLESS MAN—THE APPARITION—THE RESOLVE FOR VENGEANCE, ra THE distance from Bromley Hall Academy to London was inconsiderable. The anxiety of old Gravestones for the safety and recapture of the brother and sister he had so brutally treated, and ior so long a time, filled him with alarm. There was a deep, dark mystery which hung around those two children, one, indeed, which old Grayestones would not haye had the world know aught of for thousands of pounds, He was sick at heart, therefore, as he journeyed towards London, and resolved upon haying yven- geance upon some one, Who that one was will be hereafter seen. While he was away, therefore—in truth, but an hour or two after his departure from Bromley— Mistress Gravestones called in the aid of all her servants to re-arrange the wild disorder of the academy, Among those she first consulted was Giles, the old gardener. Giles was glad of this, for it proved that no one knew of his having taken any part with the young Garibaldians. Least of all did she imagine that Giles was the chief conspirator against her husband, and had dis- covered the two living secrets, ‘‘] must not let her suppose that I knew any- thing about the two missing children, or else all my plans will prove fruitless for the future, How well Gomi CLIOOKS C@