The Boy Captain of the Black Swallow — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

LYING IN WAIT. 25 The smack soon was once more hugging the | wind under her three smail sails. Her gaii topsail had not been set again, as it made her too tall, and Arthur's late experience showed the necessity of being as liltle conspicuous as possible. Another hour passed, when, as Arthur was kecnly listening and looking to windward, in the direction of the mouth of the river, the sky above Fort Hunnewell was suddenly ittuminated: “lhe schooner is passing the fort. Listen !” In a few seconds the deep booin of a heavy gun reached their cars. It was followed in quick succession by three or more reports like c<plosions of distant thunder, while the whole region of the atmosphere about the mouth of the river was vividly ighted up with flashes, “ The schooner is fighting her way by,” cried Arthur. “ Talmost hope they will not stop her, that we may not lose the honour of eapturing her, But it was 2 duty lowed my country to give the commandant fair warning and let him prevent her passing down if he could, for acci- dent might prevent our suecess.” “Hear them two!” exclaimed Ben. “ They are the mine-pounders fired from the schooner.” * Yes. ‘hurrel is doing his best. Hear the muskets ?” “lt hope he may get by, massa,” said Jerry, greatly excited by the roar of the )aittle. “T could almost wish it. If he does we must stop him here, ny friends,” said Arthur, “We'll do it—or go to Davy Jones!” eried Ben, with emphasis, strengthened by a tre- mendons oath, The fring soon ceased. The sky was left to its former gloom, and silence once more reigned over the seene, “ We ain't sure, my boy,” said old Denwood, who was now periectly sober, ‘ but the schooner has gone down all standing. The firing was heavy enough to sink her.” “No! Hear that! There is another gun from the fort. She has probably run by, and this is sent after her at long range, from the interval that has elapsed since the last firing.” “Tt may be so,” answered the old man. “There is no doubt she has got by. We shall soon know. What I fear is that the brig, hearing the firing, may stand in towards the mouth of the river and ruin our plan.” “She will have to do it, then, by tacking, as she is so far to leeward,” said Ben, “and before she could get up near enough, we should have got through with our little affair.” “True, Ben. Now, Jerry, station yourself at the foremast head, and keep a bright look-out, while below let each man watch as if he wags the only man engaged in it, The first one that discovers the schooner shall have a Spanish gold-piece.” Lhe schooner now lay close to the wind, gently moving about a knot through the water, just so as to counteract the leeward force of the current. Her bows were to the westward ; Seguin a mile and a quarter distant on her 2 starboard beam. For full hait aa hour the closest watch was kept, while the deepest silence prevailed. At length Arthur became impatient, and said to his mate Ben: ~ “J fear that my father was in the right. The schooner has, no doubt, been stopped at the fort, or sunk. If she has, we shall be dis- appointed ; but we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that a traitorous scheme has been thwarted, though without our aid.” « And not without your aid, my boy, Arthy,” said his father, stuffing his mouth with tobaceo and irying to forget his grog. “Didn't you first find out the whole affair,eh? And didn’t you go and tell the commandant: to stop the schooner ? You have as much credit, boy, as if you had caught her outside.” “Por partieular reasons, I would rather have been the one that eaptured her,” answered Arthur, his tone slightly accented with disap- pointment, “Then you shall be the one! Ha! hear that?” cried the old man, as Jerry, from the foremast head, called out, with cautious quick- ness: “ A sail ahead, massa! I seo her plain !” and down, hand over hand, by a stay, came the black to the deck. Arthur levelled his telescope, and could dis- tinetly make out a large, topsail schooner com- ing down upon him, with the wind nearly aft. He looked at her long enough to be certain that she could be none other than the “ General Arnold,” from her size and the course she was steering, and then throwing down his glass, he drew his cutlass, and eried out: ‘Tt is our schooner, my friends! Be silent and cool! Let every man recollect my instruc- tions. Ishall lie alongside and grapple with her, and then let every man follow me to her decks.” A few moments were devoted to silent pre- paration, such as buckling belts a little firmer, examining the priming of pistols, and clearing away the tackle attached to the swing-kedge and to the grapnels. Nearer and nearer, like a tall pyramid of moving snow borne by the winds over the dark waters, the schooner came on. She wasa little to leeward of the smack when discovered, but soon luffed and bore towards her. Upon s&ee- ing this, Arthur began to mistrust that he was known and his object suspected. “My men,” he said, in a low, firm tone, as he saw this, ‘it is possible our intentions may be known. The schooner steers boldly for us. Let us not fear, but act with courage. J have the helm, and shall lay the smack broad along- side. Stand by, all of you, to do your duty, and she is ours !” With these words Arthur put the helm hard up, at the same time giving orders to those wh~ tended the fore and main sheets to ease thers off. The two vessels were now within two hun- dred yards of each other, the schooner plough- ing on her way, parting a snowy fursew of foam before her with her bows, the smack bear- COMMICLOO nn} S (©)