The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 383: what you’re looking at

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

ne Eee eee eee 344 THE MYATERUCS re aa thing like holding a proper council of war. In the Grst place, then, we must reflect that yoy aud mp captain and are only two on one side against the nine men on the other.” “ Thats — ten,” observed the Big Bes- garman, gloomily. “ And fen atroog, sturdy fellers that don’t know what fear is,” added Jae Warren. “ But this is only the dark side of the pieture. The light side is more flattering than t other is discouraging. Iu the firat place we must make away with the captain.” “That's easy enow, observed the Begyarman. “He has quite lost all his mistrust of us—and by waiting so patiently befure we made up our minds to do anything or taxe any step, we've quite lulled asleep any suspicion that he might have eater. tained.” _ “You're right there, Stephen,” responded the Magsman. “That he did Jook upon us in a very ueer fashion at the beginning, is very certain: or he wquide’t have made us give up our pistols the first night we were on board the ship. But by degrees his fears ware off: and then be let us go upen deck the second day and chat with the sailors. Well, our first move, a8 we were saying, is to make away with him: and then we must serve the chief mate in the same manner. That's nut impossible to be doae, as I explained to you yesterday.” “But then we shall have eight sturdy mariners to deal with,” said the Beggarman. “They'll be paralysed when we tell them what we've dove and wliat we mean to da,” rejoined War- cep, in a tane of desperate ferocity. “ Alter all,” he continued, at the expiration of a few minutes, during which a tremeudous gust swept aver the ocean and the veasel went careering dowu into the abyss like a maddened race-horse—then up the mighty steep of naters again at a far slawer rate,—“ after all, we ain't be men to stand upon trifles, Stephen—and if ix eames to the scratch, we must fight a bloody battle, even though the odds will be eight to two when the Captain aod first mate are put out of the way.” “ Aye—it won't came to auch a desperate combat, when we think calmly of the business,” said the Big Beggarman. “The men will knock under as soon as they see that their chief officers are goue and that we're resolute. Besides, the hope of plunder aad the excitement of the new kind af life which we shal] propose to them——” “That's the very point which I rely upon!” ejacn- lated the Magsman. “ But let us still look at the worst. With arms in our hands, friend Stephen, there ain’t two more formidable fellers on the face af this earth than we are——” “ Well, I rather think not,” interrupted the Beggar- man, complaisantly. “And as to getting the weapons & use in case of necessity, there won't be much dif- Gculty on that acone—for the captain always carries pistols secreted about hin. TZhat we know far s ye “And there's always half-a-dozen cutlasses on deck, round the foot of the main-mast,’’ added the Mlagaman: “for though the captain's suspicious gave been lulled asleep, as you observed just now, be hasan’: omitted the necessary precautions in case we should suddealy show our teeth. But Ade pre- cautions will be: our safeguard: that is to say, we hall know where to lay our hands upon weapons at the proper moment. After all sald and done, [ than’t be sorry in the loag rua that the nobleman, whoever he was, played us this infernal trick. The first night we came on board, when I opened the letter which I expected was to contain Bank-notes for the fifteen hundred due to me, I was cursedi savage £0 find thatit was a bill payable inNew Yor enly.” “Ane I wasn’t best pleased when I opaned letter gt che gaime time and fowed the sane thing, observed the Beggarman. “ It was a deuced guod plant to compel us to go out to Ameriea aud recon- cile us to our fate inthat reapect. But we've hit upon a plan that'll upset all the voblemau’s fine srbhemes,” added the ruffiau, with a horrible chuckle “J should think so indeed,” exciaimed the Mags- mau. “We'll not only get our fitteen huudred pqunda eae) in New York—but we'll also get the ship aud everything in her. The cargo must be worth some thousandsa. And therefure, as I wae Saying just now, I’m not so partieulasly sorry after ali that bis unknown lordship has tried this pliant upon us. Had we received our maney in good Bauk- notes upon coming on board, and if av restraint had been put upon us, we should have quietly left the ship again and stepped beak en Rntish ground, | contented with the csah we'd ‘alized. But naw the « treachery practised towards ua, has instigated me to | treachery likewise ; and there’s meoce than aue person that'll be made to rue the——” Here the Magsman's voice was drowned in the - roar of the tempest which increased a thansand fold all the terrible noises that we have ennmerated above. But seon after the rage of that tremendous gust had spent itself, there was a leng interval of com- parative lull: and, the door of the cabin suddenly opeaing, the captain of the vesgel made his ap- pearance. His raugh garments were shining with the spray which had dashed over him: the water dropped fruin the wide briu of the low glazed hat which he had substituted fur hia cap with the goid-luce bands; —aud his dripping Bair hung lanky and straighs over his ears. iis countenagce wag more rubicund than ever; and his aspect altagether was that of the weather-beaten, sturdy tar to whom stare were familiar aud tempests a aouree of aot ua- pleasurable excitement. “Well, my leasties,” he exclaimed, in a yoice Which was huarse aud thick frum the effects of bawling out his orders upea the deck amidst the din of the elemants,—“ you manage to make your. selves pretty comforteble—eli? That's all right— and | thought i'd just step down to seo how you was both getting on It blows great guus, by jingo “Won't it be a nasty aight, cap.ain ?” demanded the Magsman. “Rough enow,” was the laconic response, as the captain shook himself like a doy just emerged from the water. “But there's» nothin’ w fear, my hearties,” he added at the expiraiiun of a few mo- ments: “a goud ship and plenty ef sea-room— thats all oue wants to wake everything safe and trim.” “You'll take a dram, captain—eh 2” saij the Big Beggarman. “ Just to keep the cold gut,” observed Joe Was- ren. “Come —-asit down there, and I'l) mix 6 stinger for you.” “Well, I dont mind staying s minute or rw © Ge @ eee eee a a a amet aiaaetaa aaa aceite EOMICEHOOOKS.CO