The Frozen Crew Of The Ice-Bound Ship; Or, Terrors Of The Arctic Region — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

—— i — v3 Nee ee _ “Yes, one,’ said the other seaman, as a tear | of surprising or capturing the parties they had started in his eye. ‘I was scudding along close in | come upon s0 singularly. shore, thinking of this, that, and t’other, and forgot It was agreed that Rotaldo should arm hiniself, for a moment we’d been cast away on this darned cold | proceed to the hut and demand admittance, while shore, when all of a sudden, I was taken right aback | the rest were ordered to make the circuit of the | with the sight of a body lying on its face before | dwelling, to prevent the inmates doing any great | me. mischief. | “It was a sailor boy,” continued Nick, brushing | Like sportsmen in readiness for their game, the away a trickling drop on his cheek with the cuft of | pirates hurried forward, and each one took up his 56 THE FROZEN CREW AND ICE-BOUND SHIP, | his skin-jacket. ‘* At first I thought it was poor | assigned post. A 7 : : Gonzalvi, who became separate from us on the ice Their leader stole cautiously, and with a beating drift ; but the hair was notso long as his and of a | heart, to the crevice, through which the faint light different colour.” of a fire was glimmering. \ “Well, well,” said Paul Jones, with impatience, For a moment he hesitated at the door. “‘ how did you proceed ?” Fear and distrust caused him to linger, while im- “ Very slowly,” rejoined Nick, incontradistinction | patience on the part of his followers, seemed to to his flask, which passed now rapidly to his mouth. cause the Spaniard to meditate more deeply than “‘T crept closer, and closer,” he continued, ‘till I | before. reached the lad. I wished to turn him and look at Chafed by the silent imputations of the others, his face, but I trembled so I couldn’t ; however Idid | and inwardly troubled by his own unaccountable turn it and found it was a stranger.” reflections, he placed his musket between his eyes, Paul Jones turned gloomy but made no remark, | and directed it towards the hut, while Nick took another pull at his liquor, which, by Before it could be discharged, another hand was the way, during the whole, time he was speaking | on the lock. | he had entirely forgotten to hand to his companion. It was that of the solitary, who had lately “T cut off a lock of the poor fellow’s hair,” he | watched the pirates as they had arrived at the spot. added, “dug a grave in the ice, and buried the “ Ah,” exclaimed Rotaldo, who had been 80 un- body. ; : expectedly interrupted, ‘‘ who art thou?” ‘* T think,” said Nick, concluding his narration with “Tam one who has endured trials whico might stifled emotion, ‘‘ that the prayers I said, and the | have dignified the history of a martyr,” he returned. tears I shed on the melancholy occasion were quite | “‘I have faced danger and death in various shapes, as good as those of the best chaplain of the English | and have undergone toil and fatigue from which fleet.” men of the stoutest frame would have sunk.” “Give me that lock of hair,” said Paul Jones,| There was silence after these words, during which ‘‘and follow me—there is a mystery about it I think | the speaker waved off the other pirates, who had I can solve.” come to their comrade’s rescue. Paul Jones had hardly received the memento from | “I neither know, nor care to know you,” said the hands of Nick, and both entered their snow-hut, | Rotaldo, peering into the face of the intruder, and than a figure was seen to approach it. surveying him from head to foot, ‘‘and I only marvel Its head was turned every now and then, as | that I strike you not at my feet for your temerity.” though anxious for the appearance of some one. “IT can iorgive your spleen,” answered the ad- The melancholy air, the’ measured step, and | dressed, ‘‘ since I have prevented you taking ven- gloomy mien of the man who advanced to and | geauce on your foe, Paul Jones.” watched the rude dwelling of the late speakers,| “He is a foe, and a deadly one, if you knew what would have left no doubt of his personin the minds | I have suffered at his hands,’ echoed the Spaniard. ——_ -- > + Se eee Sh deste ashes anes KL ee tit of those individuals had they observed him. ““Sois thy enemy mine, andI doubt not if our Prudence soon urged him to retire. wrongs were put in the balance, that those of the man | for that purpose. “ Yet your spare him, it seems out of common | Another sound now attracted his attention, and | humanity. || once more arrested his footsteps. ‘“Common humanity,” shouted the other, with a It was a low, and almost inaudible movement of | scornful laugh, that sounded like as hriek, “ where did || the adjacent water, succeeded by a grating of pieces | you get that catchword, the noose for woodcocks, the of ice, with which it was covered, one against the | paltry disguise for man-traps, the bait which the | other. fool who swallows will soon find covers a hook with 1 are In a moment, he saw a canoe, with several men in | barbs, ten times sharper than those he lays for the it, near a landing-place. animal he murders.’ One of these rose, as it were, out of the lake, and | ‘“ Why, have you stepped between me and the man stole without further noise to within a few feet of | you say you hate.” || the spot where he himself stood. “‘ Because, his time for dying has not yet arrived, | [his secret visitant proved to be no other than | and when it comes, it is for me, not you, to senda '| the pirate chief, Rotaldo. brace ot bullets through his brain.” | He advanced to the hut with acautiousstep, then | ‘Ho, ho,” exclaimed Rotaldo, “ you talk bravely | || clambered up to the summit. to one who is little used to have his will disputed.” | The instant he had gained it, he made'a gesture “You forget,” he continued, “that my followers for silence to those he had left in the canoe, and | here, at my slightest nod, would not hesitate to rush slid down with the utmost precipitation. upon and slay you. You should have thought, also, “Paul Jones is here, then,” the Spaniard whis- | of the danger of entrusting yourself unarmed to the pered, ‘‘and the information I received from the | fury of a desperate and disappointed man.” scouts has once more placed in my hand the enemy *‘You are mistaken, Senor Rotaldo,” replied the 1 thought destroyed; he must not escape me a | other, “I am not defenceless. second time.” ‘With this weapon,” he continued laying his hand With these words Rotaldo returned to the boat, | on a long dagger concealed beneath his garment. ‘J and imparted to his companions the discovery he | can,if necessary, guard the vital spark enclosed in had made. this poor trunk, against any number that shal! A consultation was then held as to the best mode | threaten me with injury.” | He moved cautiously to the back of the snow-hut | who confronts you would outweigh your own.’ I |