148. | Number 8 3 D4 See x de CR Om, R FRANK STARR & CO., 41 PLATT STREET, N. Y. aaa CU TPs ‘The American News Oompany, New York. een nttieee sa I tee ce rn tS aa ea ES TIE SON OF THE SEA: OR, THE CUTTER’S CRUISE. A ROMANCE OF THE DECKS AND REEFS. BY ROGER STARBUCK. NEW YORK: FRANK STARR & CO, PUBLISHERS. 41 Platt Street. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by FRanK Starr & Co., in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, THE SON OF THE SEA; oR, THE CUTTER’S CRUISE. CHAPTER I. The Passengers. Tur morning was clear; streaks of crim- son light tinted the waters of New Bedford Harbor; here and there the little eddies, whirling along with the receding tide, look- ed like roses drifting out to the sea. Catching the breeze, as her anchor was lifted, the ship Hermione, bound to San Carlos and the Sandwich Islands, was soon stretching upon her course, at the rate of nine or ten knots. On the quarter-deck stood Captain Burt, master of the vessel. Short, stout, with bandy legs, club nose, light gray eyes, and wearing a green jacket, can- vas pants and coarse pumps, the skipper ' was an excellent specimen of a sailor, who had worked his way from the forecastle to the state-room. Not a movement made by his men, who were washing down the decks, lashing the anchors, coiling, the rigging, etc., escaped his vigilant glance. All hands, the first aud third mates excepted, being strangers to him, he was anxious to discover what sort of a crew his agent had shipped. Soon he rubbed his great horny palms, and breathed a sigh of satisfaction; for there were no shirks among the hardy fel- lows he saw, each of whom seemed to un- derstand his business perfectly. On the knight-heads was one old sailor, whose every motion betokened a man familiar with blue water from childhood. “It’s all right,” muttered Captain Burt ; “my men understand themselves. As for that old chap, prying on them lashings, he’s worth his weight in gold. What d’ye see there, Hassan ?” he added, turning towards his third mate—a tall, manly-looking young fellow, who had sprung into the main rig- ! ging, and was now gazing eagerly astern. “A boat, pulling for the ship.” Burt seized his glass, and discovering that one of the occupants of the boat was making signals, he requested his pilot to back the main yard. This was done, and the Hermione was soon lying to. The boat continued to approach; it con- tained, besides the two men who pulled the oars, a lady of thirty, and a young girl of fifteen. Hassan sprung to the gangway, and low- ering the steps and the man-ropes, stood ready to help the females aboard. “ Avast there!” cried Burt, “ how do you know that they want to board us? It isn’t likely they do: this isn’t a passenger ship.” He soon discovered his mistake; for both ladies, accepting the proffered assistance, mounted the gangway. » Burt made no attempt to hide his aston- ishment. He uttered a prolonged whistle, bowed awkwardly—whistled again—and thrust both hands into his pockets. “Captain Burt?” inquired the elder female. “Yes, ma’am, that’s my name; and if you've come to look at the ship, you’re wel- - come; only please be as quick as you can, ma’am, as I wouldn’t like to lose the benefit of the fair wind.” “By no means,” she replied; “but I have not come merely to look at your ves- sel, as you will see by this.” She handed him a note. It bore the signature of the ship’s owner, who requested Captain Burt to provide comfortable accommodations for Mrs. How- ard and daughter, who were going to’ San Carlos. “ Ay, ay, ma’am, I'll do the best that T can,” said Burt, when he had finished the note; “but the accommodations ain’t any ‘ SeaTac ote “with you. 8 THE CUTTER’S CRUISE. the best, seeing as this isn’t a passenger ship.” “They will answer,” replied Mrs. How- ard. “ Julia and I are not particular.” “ Not in the least,’ said the young lady, blushing, as she noticed Hassan watching her with ill-concealed admiration. He was a peculiar-looking young man; tall and sinewy, yet as lithe as acocounut tree. His straight black hair almost touched his shoulders, and his serious but expressive face, was lighted by piercing gray eyes, flashing like points of flame, under a high, but rather narrow forehead. Never was a physical contrast more strongly marked than that between him and the object of his regards ; for Julia was petite and round, with light brown hair, blue eyes, fair skin and dimpled cheeks. Mrs. Howard was a pale, quiet-looking woman. There were many traces of suffer- ing upon her forehead and about the cor- ners of her mouth: several times, unobserv- ed by Julia, she pressed her hand against her breast as if her heart pained her. Hassan noticed the movement, and draw- ing the captain aside, he said, in a low voice, “The elder lady is not well. My room is the most comfortalle in the cabin. The two women must have it.” “Ay, ay, that’s right, and you’ve helped - me out of a difficulty, boy ; for, to save my life, I couldn’t decide which would be the best quarters for’em. But what will you do for a room ?” “JT use my room but little; I don’t like walls. I like the free air. I stay on deck in the day-time, and as you well know, I sleep in the top at night.” “Ay, ay, you Arabs are mighty fond of |. the air, I know. You are bound tostick to some of your barbarous ways, even when you are brought up by civilized people.” “Yes, you have brought me up well, and I thank you. You picked me up from the lone boat in which I drifted from my native coast, when I wis a little child. You car- ried me to your country; you gave me food, clothes to wear, and you sent me to school until I was old enough to go to sea I love the ocean as my fathers love the desert; I love the free air too.” “ Sartainly, my lad. I was only jesting ; there is but little of the barbarian in you, after all. You neither plunder nor kill, which is more than can be said of your fathers.” Hassan bowed his head. “You are right; my people do very wrong. I have often thought that I should like to go back to the desert to teach them to be honest.” “It wouldn’t do any good—not a bit of it,” replied Burt. ‘“ Besides, I couldn’t bear the idea of losing you; for you are a good sailor, and make as good a third-mate as I'd care to have in any ship.” “Thank you. But the women must not be kept waiting; they must be shown to their room,” “ Ay, ay! Have you ordered their trunk carried below ?” 4“ Yes.” “ Well, then, just run to the knight-heads, and tell the pilot that he can now brace forward.” Hassan obeyed, and the ship was soon bowling along upon her course. As the two passengers, escorted by Burt, passed through the companionway, the steward emerged from it. He was a pale- faced man, with a thin nose, and little sharp eyes, that darted rapid glances in all directions. Consequently, a letter, lying on the deck near the capstan, did not escape his attention. It had dropped from the elder lady’s pocket. As he grasped it, something sparkling dropped from it to the deck. He glanced round him to make sure that he was not observed; then, stooping, he picked up a diamond ring, and thrust it into his pocket. “ Diamond rings in letters,” he muttered ; “the correspondence must be interesting.” Passing into the steerage, the unprin- cipled rascal opened the letter. “ Nothing very peculiar in it, after all,” he remarked, when he had read it, “A man writes to his wife to come and join him at San Carlos. He is rich, he has an interest in the mines. He bbpes she will foget the past, if only for the sake of their daughter Julia. He sends a ring which he desires his wife to give to Julia on her next birthday, which will take place during the passage. Again he begs his wife to forget the past. He was persuaded to for- sake his home by bad associates, whom he has now renounced for ever. He has become, he hopes, a wiser and a better man. If she will join them, there will be many pleasant days in store for them yet. “ Ay; ay ?” continued the steward, “ it ts easy to see that this fellow pretends to have THE STOLEN RING. 9 a conscience. He is one of your namby- pamby sort. I wonder, though,” he added, taking out the ring, and scrutinizing it closely, “how it happens that this man who signs himself Henry Howard, should happen to send a ring with the name ‘J. Costello’ graven on the inside. Ahem! some mystery about that. The ring may be of more value to me even than I thought. The letter I will put where I found it; its owner will obtain it, and by her actions I may then obtain some clue to the mystery about this bauble.” Unconsciously he gave the letter a sud- den twitch as he spoke, and an edge of the sheet, so small that it escaped his notice, was thus separated from the page. It’ fell upon a coil of rigging, the light color of which rendered the fragment almost invis- ible. Having folded the letter, the steward now mounted to the deck, and replaced it, unobserved, after which he continued his duties, now and then fingering the stolen ring in his pocket, and chuckling to him- self as he thought of the value of his prize. An old sailor, named Bill Wand, passing the capstan, saw the letter. He picked it up and carried it to the first-officer. The mate glanced at the address. “It belongs to Mrs. Howard, the elder of the two pas- sengers. Give it to the steward, and tell him to carry it to her.” “AY, ay, sir!’ He moved aft, and meeting Hollins com- ing up out of the cabin, he held out the letter. “What's this?” inquired the steward, feigning surprise. “A letter that one of the passengers dropped.” “Oh, well, will you be kind enough to take it below yourself?” “Ay, ay! willingly,” answered Bill; “it’s always a pleasure to me to restore lost property.” So saying, he descended through the companion-way, to find Mrs. Howard in the stateroom. He took off his hat, bowed like a ship plunging into a heavy sea, and presented the letter, informing its owner where he had found it. “T thank you very much,” she said; to which honest Bill replied, “You're welcome over and over again, ma’am. I only wish that the note was a gold one.” — When he was gone, Mrs. Howard pro- ceeded to open the letter. “How careless I was to drop it,” she thought; then, discovering that the ring was missing, she added, aloud, “Ttis lost 1” “ What is lost ?” inquired Julia, entering the state-room. “The diamond ring! the ring sent by your father to be presented to you next birthday.” A cry of dismay broke from the young girl. “Oh, mamma, how did you lose it ?” : “Tt was in the letter; I am sure of that. I dropped the letter while on deck; an old sailor brought it to me a few minutes ago.” “ Which one, ma’am? which one ?” in- quired Captain Burt, who having entered the state-room by a door behind the two females, had heard every word. “ Which one was it? T'll fix the rascal! He must have taken the ring out of the letter.” “JT hope not,” said Mrs. Howard; “ in fact, I think it is very probable that the ring fell out of the letter when I dropped it, and that it may even now be found on deck.” “T will go and look for it,” cried Julia, tripping up the companion-way. Captain Burt joined her, and assisted in the search, which was, of course, unsuc- cessful. “There can be no doubt about the mat- ter now!” ejaculated the skipper; “that old rascal who brought the letter to your mother has the ring!” “TI don’t think so,” said Julia. “It seems to me that if he had taken it, he would have thrown the letter overboard, instead of bringing it to mamma !” “Tm not so sartain of that,’ answered Burt; “the hope of a reward may have been the cause of his carrying the letter so prompt-like to your mother. Then, again, he knew that it would be easy enough to deny the theft; to say that he had seen nothing of the ring; that, perhaps, it had rolled out of the letter, and been picked up.” He called the old sailor aft. “ What have you done with that ring?” Sir a” “The ring you took out of the letter; what’s become of it ?” The sailor’s face flushed crimson. “You don’t mean, sir, to accuse me of haying stolen any thing?” he gasped. on your ee you have already done, “Tt is just what I do mean!” thundered Burt, seizing the old fellow by the collar. “Who else could haye committed the theft ?” Bill was confounded ; grief, indignation, and surprise, deprived him of the power of speech. His hat had fallen off, and his hair, which he wore quite long, streamed on the wind. Motionless, unresisting, he stood, returning the captain’s stern glance with a fixed look of bewilderment. “Tet him go, sir!” pleaded Julia, laying a hand on the captain’s arm. “I don’t believe he took the ring.” “Nor I)’ cried Hassan, the Arab, who from the waist had been a silent spectator of what was passing. “ This man is no thief, his face is as frank as a clear stream ; I can see to the bottom of his soul.” “ Nonsense!” exclaimed Burt. “ He must be guilty! He ¢s guilty! The letter containing the ring was picked up by the old thief.” Now, Bill’s indignation mastered his other feelings. With a sudden movement, he dis- engaged himself from the skipper’s grasp, and hurled his accuser to leeward. The captain picked up a handspike, and would have thrown it at the man’s head, had not the Arab interposed. “This will not do; it is not right!” ex- claimed the young officer. “Think what You have called an honest man a thief. That is worse even than a blow. No wonder he was angry ; he had reason !” “So you take his part!” cried the skip- per. “You are one of my officers, and bound tc help me.” “No!? replied Hassan, calmly. “JI am not bound to help you to do wrong. This old sailor is innocent.” “ Yes,” cried Julia, impulsively, “I think so too! The ring probably dropped from the letter, and rolled overboard.” The sweet voice and gentle manner of Julia, soothed the captain. | “ Of course,” he said, “if the man is in- nocent, I have no wish to hurt him. But how are we to prove that he did not keep the ring? Steward,” he added, turning to Rollins, who was just then passing, “ bring up the handcuffs. I shall keep the fellow in the run while we look further into this business.” “Tf I may ask, what’s it all about, sir?” inquired the steward, in his gentlest tones. The captain’s explanation was brief: THE CUTTER’S CRUISE. - when it was concluded, Rollins eyed the old sailor sharply for several minutes, then turn- ing toward the skipper, he shook his head significantly. There are many ways of shaking the head: the steward’s “shake” on this occa- sion seemed to imply that he believed the man was guilty, but that as he had no pos- itive proof, he did not like to say so; he was very sorry that this thing had happen- ed; it was asad business, ete., etc. Hassan’s quiet, penetrating eye was upon him; perhaps he felt its influence, for as he moved toward the companion-way, he turned and met the Arab’s steady glance. A scarcely perceptible wrinkling of the brow, and a sudden twitching of the under lip, might not perhaps, have excited the suspi- cion of any man except the son of an Arab wanderer, accustomed to searching for signs among little grains of sand. The young officer turned and walked the deck in thoughtful mood. “That steward,” he muttered, “is a ras- cal. T can read him by his voice, his face, his every motion. He knows something about that ring. But I have no proof against him.” He sat down on the steerage hatch, and continued his reverie. His eyes being turn- ed toward the opening, his glance fell upon the coil of rigging, en which was the part ' of the letter dropped by the steward. As it was not larger than a quarter of a dollar, it would have escaped the notice of an ordi- nary person ; the Arab, however, being gifted ‘with unusually keen vision, saw the frag- ment at once. He sprang into the hold, picked it up, and scanned it closely. It look- ed fresh and clear; so he knew that it could not have remained long in the steerage. A sudden idea seemed to flash through his brain; he poped into the cabin, and con- fronted Mrs. Howard. “Will you open your letter, madam—the one from which the ring was taken—and see if there is not a piece torn from the corner.” She looked surprised, but complied with the request. “There is a piece torn off the corner!” she said. “Tam ata loss to guess how you knew it.” “ The corner was not torn when you re- ceived the letter by mail 2” “T think not: in fact I am quite sure.” “Perhaps this is the piece that was torn from it,” said the Arab, presenting the trag- ment. “ Will you see if it fits ?” WHICH IS THE THIEF ? ' $he did so, and perceived that the piece fitted perfectly, showing conclusively that it belonged to the page. “ You astonish me still more,” said Mrs. Howard. “ By what means did you obtain " that piece of my letter ?” He explained. » “ They suspect the wrong man of having taken your ring,” he added, “and I am on the track of the thief. I shall find him, and convict him too,” he continued, his eyes gleaming like coals of fire. “It is dreadful to see an innocent man wronged !” As he spoke, old Bill was led into the cabin, handcuffed. The poor fellow looked grieved and indignant. “Why have you done this?” inquired Mrs. Howard, turning to the captain. “ This young man,” glancing toward Hassan, “says that he knows the accused to be inno- cent !” The steward, who held the prisoner’s arm, started, and turned to encounter the fiery eyes of the Arab. The guilty wretch averted his head and trembled from head to foot. Hassan sprung forward, and seized him by the throat. ‘“ The ring—the ring / give it up at once: you have it! You are the thief!” “A thief!’ cried Rollins, looking very indignant. “A thief! Captain, this is too much. I didn’t ship to be insulted in this manner |” “Let go of him, Hassan !” cried the skip- per. ‘“ What proof have you that he took the ring? It isa ridiculous accusation. He did not bring the letter to Mrs. Howard.” “ T know that; but he opened the letter and took out the ring, before it was brought to her.” Rollins turned pale, and vainly endeav- ored to speak calmly. “Tt is a—a mistake,” he stammered. “Tt is the truth, and you know it,” said Hassan. “Chancing to glance aft, about half an hour since, I saw you go into the steerage. Since the passengers came aboard, no other person but myself has entered that steerage. I just came from there, bringing with me a piece of the letter which you must have opened and read !” Now the face of the thief was all aglow; his whole frame trembled ; but with a pow- erful effort he recovered his self-possession. “T never expected,” he said in a whining voice, “ to be treated in this manner. It is too bad for an innocent man to be accused 11 of being a low thief. I did go into the | steerage, but not to read any letter. I merely went there to break open a barrel of flour, as I understood, sir,” turning to the captain and bowing humbly, “ ‘that you wanted bis- cuits for supper, sir; ani I consider it my duty to attend to my captain’s wants the first thing, sir. This man,” pointing toward the old sailor, “may have gone into the steerage and read the letter, without your third mate seeing him.” “ You perceive, Hassan—” began the skip- per; but the Arab quickly interrupted him. “J sent Bill aft, on an errand,” said he. “T saw him pick the letter from the quarter- deck, and show it to the first officer, who was then forward, so I know he did not go into the steerage.” “You perceive what he says, captain,” cried the steward, triumphantly, “ that he saw this man pick up the letter, which shows that I had nothing to do with it.” « “Yes, Hassan has come to a wrong con- clusion ; that’s plain enough,” said Burt. “Tam confident I have not,” persisted the Arab. “ The steward picked up the let- ter, entcred the steerage, took out the — —then put the letter back !” “No thief nt have performed such a foolish’ maneuver,’ cried Rollins. “He would have thrown the letter overboard, or have destroyed it.” “ He might have had reasons for not doing so,” said Hassan. : “ No, no!” exclaimed Burt, “ he could have no reason except the hope of a reward, which might have prompted him to convey it to its owner, asin fact wasthe case in this instance.” “T see I can not convince you,” said the Arab, sorrowfully ; “ but I feel certain that Bill is innocent and the other is guilty.” “ We will search the two men,” said Burt; “that may settle the matter to the satisfaction of us both.” “Tam ready to be searched!” cried the steward. “My trunk, my pockets, every thing is at your service; I am very anx- ious to have this stain removed from my name, which has always been an honest one.” “Yd sooner be shot than s’arched!” ex- claimed old Bill, vehemently. “It’s a dis- grace which was never thought of being imposed on me before, and if my arms were free I wouldn’t stand it.” : The captain glanced at Hassan and nod- ded his head, significantly. “You can see which of ’em is guilty, gow,” saidhe. “The steward, like an hon- est man, is perfectly willing to be searched, but the old fellow can’t bear the idea of such a thing, seeing as he has the ring con- cealed somewhere about him !” “The steward has spoken as the guilty - often speak when their stolen treasures are safely hidden; the old sailor, conscious of innocence, can not bear even to be suspect- ed.” “Your moralizing is wrong; I think I ean prove it; I shall try by commencing business at once.” Accordingly, the two men were conduct- ed into an’ adjoining apartment, and thoroughly searched. The ring was not found on the person of either. “The fellow has hidden the bauble some- where,” said the captain, “in some out-of- ithe-way corner; and I think we'll have to ‘hunt a long time before we find it.” Then, in spite of the remonstrances of ithe Arab, be thrust the old sailor into the run and fastened the hatch above him. “Pm afraid we'll never find your ring for you, ma’am,” he said, as with his third mate he reéntered the state-room. “ We shall search the fellow’s trunk, however, and we may possibly come across the article there.” “Tam afraid you suspect the wrong man,” answered Mrs. Howard. “I am sure he -does not look like a thief” “ T feel confident that he is honest,” said the Arab, “and I hope before long to prove ‘it evento the captain’s satisfaction.” The skipper now made his way to the forecastle and opened Bill’s chest, the key -of which he had taken from the man’s pocket, while searching for the ring. The poor fellow’s property was carefully over- hauled and examined without success. “Now I hope you are convinced that the one you suspect is not the guilty party,” said Mrs. Howard, when the captain return- ed. “I am quite certain that you have not found my ring.” “J have not,’ he answered, “neither have I changed my opinion. TI shall starve that old rascal into telling me where he has hidden your property.” ’ “ No, no!” exclaimed his passenger, “I will not have such an act of cruelty per- formed on my account. I pray you to re- lease the prisoner at once.” _ Julia, who was present, joined her plead- ings to her mother’s; but the skipper was JHE CUTTER’S CRUISE. inexorable; he said that he always made an example of a thief when he found one . in his vessel, and that with the circumstan- ces so strong against Bill,he could not be convinced that he was not the guilty party. Further conversation was now prevented by the voice of the first officer calling Captain Burt. The skipper promptly mounted to the deck, where he found the pilot—an old friend of his—ready to take his departure. The two men fairly embraced each other; when the pilot descended into his boat the skipper was observed to dash a few tears from his eyes, Soon the boat, fast receding, was a mere speck in the distance. Burt watched it till he could see it no longer ; then in an unnatu- rally hoarse yoice he ordered studding-sails set fore and aft. The wind freshed, and the craft gathered headway every moment; by night she was rolling along through the broad Atlantic, with the spray flying over her rail and the water roaring and hissing around her bows. The tars forward walked the deck, hum- ming old sea-tunes, and otherwise express- ing their joy at finding themselves again on their loved element; while the first mate, who was officer of the watch, leaned over the rail and thoughtof the pleasant faces around the home fireside in his native vil- lage. At two bells (nine o’clock) Mrs. Howard and her daughter retired to their apartment. Neither of the fair passengers being affect-- ed by the motion of the vessel, both were soon fast asleep. At midnight they were wakened by a rumbling, crackling, rushing noise that alarmed them very much. They could hear the tramping of feet, and the Joud shouting of voices overhead. The motion of the vessel was very violent; several times she heeled so far over that they were obliged to cling to the sides of their berths to prevent themselves. from rolling out. “There is evidently a terrible tempest,” said Mrs, Howard, who, deing afflicted with heart disease, was easily alarmed, “and I.am afraid we are in danger of sinking.” Julia endeavored to calm her mother’s fears. “Twill go on deck,” she said, “and see if there is danger.” : She dressed herself quickly, and wassoon in the state-room. Thence she made her | way up the companion-steps, though with JULIA IN THE STORM. 18 much difficulty, on account of the violent rolling and plunging of the ship. She found the companion-slide closed; it was only by great exertion that she succeeded in opening it. Thrusting her head through _ the aperture, she saw by the scintillant light of the phosphorus flashing far over the angry waters, the seamen scattered here and there about the decks, pulling upon ropes, lashing casks, barrels, and other movable articles. The wind was howling through the rig- ging with terrific fury; the masts, bending like cornstalks, were cracking and snapping ; the vessel booming through the hissing, roaring waters with the speed of a thunder- bolt, buried her bows at every plunge. All around her the spray, whirling up- ward, flew like masses of torn clouds, while the seas, breaking cver both rails, deluged her decks fore and aft. Occasionally, her lee bulwarks being sub- merged, the water would sweep over her in a perfect torrent, carrying with it such light articles as were not secured. : Though soon drenched to the skin, yet the brave girl clung to the post, hoping to see approach some person of whom she could inquire as to the danger of ship- wreck. To her, the violent motions of the craft, increasing every moment, seemed really frightful. Her brain grew dizzy, and she found it more difficult each minute to maintain her position. Unable to make her voice heard amid the din of the storm, she resolved to step on deck and question a seaman, whom she saw standing near the mizzen-mast.. Scarcely had she quitted the companion, however, when, the vessel roll- ing violently, the young girl slipped to lee- ward, down the inclined deck. The lee- rail was entirely submerged, and she found herself up to her neck in water, with the current dragging her off into the sea. Though terrified and half-bewildered, she yet contrived to cling to the end of some running rigging; a minute later, it slipped from her grasp, and, unseen by the sail- ors, who were busily occupied, she must have gone overboard, but for the sudden rolling of the craft to windward. Now she found herself on deck; her brain reeled, her vision was dimmed; but she had sense enough remaining to prompt her to seek the mizzen-mast, and clutch the fife-rail. To this she clung desperately, growing calmer and glancing round for the seaman. He was not visible; the murmur of voices from the waist proclaimed that all hands were busy in this quarter. She was endeavoring to muster sufficient courage to seek them, when a warning cry broke upon her ears. “Look out! hold on hard, all hands!” She heard also a booming, swashing, hissing noise, that made every nerve in her body tingle; and, glancing to windward, she saw something tipped with white, tow- ering up through the darkness. As the object came nearer, she perceived that it was a sea, a great wall of water, bearing down upon the vessel with terrific velocity. She sbrieked, and tightened her hold of the fife-rail. At the same instant she heard a cry of surprise behind her, then the com- panion-slide was closed with a sudden click, a nimble form bounded to her side, and she felt a strong arm around her waist. But for the strength of that arm, sh? must the next moment have been swept off to her doom; for the sea, rolling over the struggling vessel with tremendous power, loosened the girl’s hold of the fife-rail and lifted her off her feet. The galley, a part of the wheel-house, one of the best boats, and a cask of fresh water, were swept away; the hull itself, rolling like a sullen drunkard, seemed to hesitate whether to “ right” or to go down. “Up helm! loosen foresail !” cried Cap- tain Burt, in a voice that tore through the booming of wind and ocean like the crack of a rifle. An active sailor sprung into the fore- rigging ; he was quickly followed by sey- eral shipmates, and they were soon in the yard-arms. “Stand by tacks and sheets! luff a little theré at the wheel, if you can!” was Burt's next corgmand. “You had better.go below ; you are too frail to breast the torrent. You may be swept overboard in spite of all I can do for you,” said a musical voice in Julia’s ear, rousing the young girl from the bewildered state caused by her recent narrow escape, and the present dangerous situation of the vessel. The soft, bright eyes of Hassan, the Arab, met the fair passenger's glance as she turned, and inspired her with a feeling of strange confidence. Recalled to herself, she thanked him hurriedly but fervently, and permitted him to conduct her to the companion-way. s Sa apna SS TS ea ee 14 THE CUTTER’S CRUISE. “Ts there much danger ?” she inquired, as she passed through the opening. “ Tell me truly ; I would know our peril, so that ie may prepare my mother and myself to meet it bravely.” “There is always danger in a tempest like this,’ he answered, calmly, “ but the ship is a stout one, and I trust will weather the storm. Go below, and let your heart be quiet.” She obeyed, and closing the companion- slide, Hassan hurried off to assist his ship- mates. That part of the sail on the lee yard-arm was loosened, and the men on deck had obtained a hold of the sheet. The canvas slatted so furiously, however, and the plunging of the vessel was so violent, that the rope was jerked from their grasp while they were hauling upon it. “ Ay, ay, there’s an end to our setting that foresail, which would ease the craft mightily in such a sea as this, if it could only be done,” cried Burt. “Once let us get another grip of that sheet, and Pll war- rant you we could hold on to it until it was made fast.” The sheet now was whipping about in all directions ; it was evident that unless it were soon secured, the canvas would be torn to tatters. The yard shook so violently, that the men aloft were obliged to quit it; they stood in the fore-shrouds awaiting further orders, “Lay out there, and haul up the sail!” exclaimed Burt; “perhaps you can’ do that.” The men hesitated; -one sailor, bolder than the rest, ventured upon the yard; leaning too far over, he was hurled from his position into the sea. A hoarse shriek for help was heard as he disappeared in the darkness to leeward; but the poor fellow was left to his fate, for no boat could be lowered in the sea that was now raging. : “Come down, the rest of you,” cried Burt. “I don’t want to lose any more of my men; the sail isn’t worth that, It would be a mercy to the poor craft, how- ever, if somebody could get that sheet,” he added, wistfully eyeing the rope. Without saying a word, Hassan now sprung into the fore-rigging and proceeded aloft. “What are you going to do?” yelled Burt. ‘Come back, here. D’ye suppose I'm going to lose the best man I have in the ship ?” But Hassan did not pause. “You are mad, my poor boy; you can | not do it, although you are a remarkable climber. Come down! I command you!” A sudden blast of wind sweeping through the vessel's rigging, with a roar like that of thunder, drowned the last part of the cap- tain’s speech. Before he could say another word, Hassan was upon the yard, “ laying” out toward the end of it. This he soon reached, when, stooping, he succeeded by a sudden nimble twist of his supple limbs, in grasping the leech of the sail. To this he clung, until a lull in the blast, consequent upon the plunging of the vessel into a wa- tery valley, between two gigantic seas, en- abled him to slip from the foot-rope and Increase the security of his hold with his knees, which he pressed firmly against the twisted rope. In spite of the violent slat- ting of the sail, he clung firmly to the leech, and began to descend it. The men below watched him with breathless interest ; every moment they ex- pected to see him thrown from his difficult hold into the angry waters of the ocean. He was tossed hither and thither, like a mere football; but he hela on to the leech with the grasp of a tiger, and continuing to descend, he finally contrived to seize the sheet. Clinging to it with tenacious strength, he succeeded in bearing it in- board by the force of his’ weight, when it was grasped by his shipmates, and a turn with it quickly taken around a cleet, The young officer now descended with ease to the deck. His shipmates received him with hearty congratulations, while Burt fairly hugged him in a transport of joy and gratitude. ‘* God bless you, lad! Name any thing that I can do for you, and it shall be done at once.” “ Release old Bill,” said Hassan. “He is a good man—an honest man, and ought to have his freedom !” ; “ Any thing but that—ask me to do any thing but that!” cried the captain. “I can’t go against my duty.” A hand was laid upon his arm, and turn- ing he saw Julia Howard. Her face was very pale, and her eyes glittered strangely ; her lips moved, but she seemed unable to speak. “Poor child; what is the matter? in- quired Burt. “ There is no cause for fear ; DEATH AND GRIEF. the gale is going down; we shall weather it safely.” Still she was unable to utter a word; she could only point towards the cabin. The captain, officers, and men were much puzzled. “Something has occured to frighten her very much,” said the Arab. “ Perhaps the cabin is flooded. Come—let us go and see.” : “My mother—my poor mother !” gasped Julia. This was all she could say. Captain Burt and his third mate followed her into the cabin. She conducted them to her room; they found Mrs. Howard lying upon her back—dead | A shower of tears relieved the anguish of the young girl sufficiently to enable her to answer Burt’s questions. Her mother must have died just after she (Julia) went on deck to make her inquiries ; for, when she returned, her parent was cold and lifeless. “ Ay, ay, it’s heart ‘disease,” replied the captain. “I know by her hand resting on her breast. Mrs. Burt went off in that same way.” CHAPTER II. A Startling Accusation. On a cloudless morning, two days after the gale, there was an ocean burial. The feelings of the young girl, when she heard the dull splash of her parent’s body ‘in the water, were too deep to be expressed in words. As she passed the assembled tars, on her way to the cabin, to indulge her grief in solitude, every man took off his hat, while here.and there a rough hand might have been seen dashing aside an unbidden tear. There was something in the present situation of the poor girl—deprived as she was of a fond mother, and left without a single companion of her own sex, among a ship’s rough crew—that appealed strongly to the sympathies of the sailors. The grave face of Hassan, the Arab, now looked even graver than usual.' When Julia had passed into the cabin, he turned to the men and cautioned them against making any loud noise when they should move over the quarter-deck in the execution of their various duties. «When you uncoil a rope,” said he, “let it be dropped softly to the deck; and let _ your tread be light. Your voices, too, must 1 15 not be louder than the sighing of the wind over the sea; for remember there is one below who suffers much; and grief is al- soln el cn eee the grief of a wo- man.’ Several days pica before Julia came on deck, when the change in her appearance saddened every man. The rose color was banished from her cheeks, which had lost much of their natu- ral, rounded outline; the springy lightness was no longer visible in her step ; her eyes were languid and downcast. “The poor child will go into consump- tion, I’m afraid,” said the captain, turning to his third mate. “No,” replied Hassan, “her mind and spirit are strong; they will bear up the body. She will recover her health now that she has come up into the pure air.” « “It is to be hoped—earnestly hoped that you are right,” said Burt. “I wish we could do something to amuse the girl— something to distract her mind. There’s that stolen ring; if we could only get hold of that and give it to her, I think it would please her mightily, for in my experience, Ive found that young girls take to rings as ducks do to the water. But, there’s no use of talking about it; old Bill will never tell us wbere he has stowed it away; he still persists in denying that he knows any thing about the matter,” “Ay; and he speaks the truth. The poor fellow ought to be released at once. He is unused to confinement, and I feel con- fident that this, together with the grief and indignation excited by a false accusation, will soon destroy him.” “Nonsense,” replied the captain. “ A rough knot like him can stand any amount of hardship.” As he spoke, Julia Howard glided to his side. “Captain,” she said, “I am going to ask you to do me a favor. Will you grant it?” “Certainly,” he replied, “ any thing that I can do for you shall be done with the greatest pleasure.” “Thank you. The favor I shall ask of you is to release the man you have shut up in the hold. If you do not,” she added solemnly, “he will soon die, for he is an old man, and the bad atmosphere of the run is too much for him. Last night I heard ‘him talking nee and groaning in his sleep.” 2