Fire Cloud Part 14

"That's he. I'm sure I can't be mistaken. The man on the bow of the boat is the notorious pirate Flint."

The pirates were approaching rapidly.

In a moment more they would be along side, and nothing could prevent them from boarding the s.h.i.+p.

In that moment the captain of the s.h.i.+p, by a skilful movement suddenly tacked his vessel about just as the pirates came up, coming in contact with the boat in such a manner as to split her in two in a moment.

A dozen men sprung up from the bottom of the boat, uttering horrid curses while they endeavored to reach the s.h.i.+p or cling to portions of their shattered boat.

The greater portion of them were drowned, as no efforts were made to rescue them.

Three only succeeded in reaching the deck of the s.h.i.+p in safety, and these would probably have rather followed their comrades had they known how few were going to escape.

These three were Captain Flint, the one called the Parson and Old Ropes.

These were at first disposed to show fight, but it was of no use.

Their arms had been lost in their struggle in the water.

They were soon overpowered and put in irons.

Great was the excitement caused in the goodly little City of New York, by the arrival of the merchant s.h.i.+p bringing as prisoners, the daring pirate with two of his men whose fearful deeds had caused all the inhabitants of the land to thrill with horror.

And great was the surprise of the citizens to find in that terrible pirate a well-known member of the community, and one whom nearly all regarded as a worthy member of society.

Another cause of surprise to the good people of the city, was the arrival by this vessel, of one whom all had long given up as lost, and that was Henry Billings, the lover of h.e.l.lena Rosenthrall.

He it was who had recognized in the commander of the whale boat, the pirate Flint, and had warned the captain of the s.h.i.+p of his danger, thereby enabling him to save his vessel, and the lives of all on board.

Captain Flint made a slight mistake when he took the vessel by which he was run down, for the India man he was looking out for. It was an ordinary merchant s.h.i.+p from Amsterdam, freighted with merchandise from that port. Though in appearance she very much resembled the vessel which Captain Flint had taken her for.

The reason young Billings happened to be on board of her was this:

It will be remembered that when the s.h.i.+p in which Billings had taken pa.s.sage for Europe, was attacked by the pirates, he was forced to walk the plank.

By the pirates, he was of course supposed to have been drowned, but in this they were mistaken. He had been in the water but a few moments when he came in contact with a portion of a spar which had probably come from some wreck or had been washed off of some vessel.

To this he lashed himself with a large handkerchief which it was his good fortune to have at the time.

Lashed to this spar he pa.s.sed the night.

When morning came he found that he had drifted out to sea; he could not tell how far.

He was out of sight of land, and no sail met his anxious gaze.

His strength was nearly exhausted, and he felt a stupor coming over him. Then he lost all consciousness.

How long he lay in this condition he could not tell. When he came to himself, he found that he was lying in the birth of a vessel, while a sailor was standing at his side.

The whole thing was soon explained.

He had been discovered by the Captain of a s.h.i.+p bound for England, from Boston.

He had been taken on board, in an almost lifeless condition, and kindly cared for.

In a little while he recovered his usual strength, and although his return home must necessarily be delayed, he trusted to be enabled before a great while to do so and bring to justice the villains who had attempted his murder.

Unfortunately the vessel by which he had been rescued, was wrecked on the coast of Ireland, he and the crew barely escaping with their lives.

After a while, he succeeded in getting to England by working his pa.s.sage there.

From London, he made his way in the same manner, to Amsterdam, where the mercantile house with which he was connected being known, he found no difficulty in securing a pa.s.sage for New York.

Billings now for the first time heard the story of h.e.l.lena's mysterious disappearance.

It immediately occurred to him that Captain Flint was some way concerned in the affair not withstanding his positive denial that he knew anything of the matter further than he had already made known.

The capture of Captain Flint, and the other two pirates of course led to the arrest of Jones Bradley who had been left in charge of the schooner.

He was found on board of the vessel, which was lying a short distance up the river, and arrested before he had learned the fate of his comrades.

He was cast into prison with the rest, though each occupied a separate cell.

As no good reason could be given for delaying the punishment of the prisoners, their trial was commenced immediately.

The evidence against them was too clear to make a long trial necessary.

They were all condemned to death with the exception of Jones Bradley, whose punishment on account of his not engaged in last affair, and having recommended mercy in the case of Henry Billings, was committed to imprisonment for life.

When the time came for the carrying out of sentence of the three who had been condemned to death, it was found that one of them was missing and that one, the greatest villain of them all, Captain Flint himself!

How could this have happened? No one had visited him on the previous day but Carl Rosenthrall, and he was a magistrate, and surely he would be the last one to aid in the escape of a prisoner!

That he was gone however, was a fact. There was no disputing that.

But If it were a fact that he had made his escape, it was equally true, that he could not have gone very far, and the community were not in the humor to let such a desperate character as he was now known to be, escape without making a strenuous effort to recapture him.

The execution of the two who had been sentenced to die at the same time, was delayed for a few days in the hope of learning from them, the places where Flint would most probably fly to, but they maintained a sullen silence on the subject.

They then applied to Jones Bradley with, at first, no better result.

But when Henry Billings, who was one of those appointed to visit him, happened to allude to the strange fate of h.e.l.lena Rosenthrall, he hesitated a moment, and then said he knew where the girl was, and that she had been captured by Captain Flint, and kept in close confinement by him.

He had no wish he said to betray his old commander, though he knew that he had been treated badly by him, but he would like to save the young woman.

Captain Flint might be in the same place, but if he was, he thought that he would kill the girl sooner than give her up.

If Captain Flint, was not there, the only ones in the cave besides the girl, were a squaw, and Captain Flint's negro boy, Bill.

For the sake of the girl Bradley said he would guide a party to the cave.