CHAPTER XIII.
Captain Flint's plan for the accomplishment of his last grandenterprise was, as soon as it should be announced to him by those hehad constantly on the lookout, that the expected vessel was in sight,to embark in a large whale boat which he had secretly armed, andfitted for the purpose.
After killing the crew of the vessel they expected to capture, hewould tack about ship, and take her into some port where he coulddispose of the vessel and cargo.
As, in this case, it was his intention to abandon the country forever, he removed under various pretences, all his most valuableproperty from the cavern.
The schooner he was to leave in charge of Jones Bradley, underpretence that it was necessary to do so, in order to divert suspicionfrom him when the thing should have been accomplished.
The fact was, that as he should have no further use for the schooner,and having for some time past, feared that Bradley seemed to be tootender-hearted to answer his purpose, he had determined to abandon himand the schooner together.
At last, news was brought to Captain Flint that a vessel answering theone they were expecting was in sight.
Flint who, with his crew of desperators, was lying at a place nowknown as Sandy Hook, immediately started in pursuit.
Everything seemed to favor the pirates. The doomed ship was making herway under a light breeze apparently unconscious of danger.
There was one thing about the ship, that struck the pirates as ratherunusual. There seemed to be more hands on board than were required toman such a vessel.
"I'm afraid there's more work for us than we've bargained for," saidone of the men.
"They seem to have a few passengers on board," remarked Flint, "but wecan soon dispose of them."
The principal part of Flint's men had stretched themselves on thebottom of the boat for fear of exciting the suspicion of those onboard the ship by their numbers.
As the pirate craft approached the merchant man, apparently with nohostile intention, those on board the ship were watching the boat asclosely as they were themselves watched.
As soon as they came within hailing distance, the man at the bow ofthe boat notified the captain of the ship that he wished to come alongside, as he had something of importance to communicate.
The captain of the ship commenced apparently making preparations toreceive the visit, when one of the men on deck who had been observingthe boat for some time came to him and said:
"That's he. I'm sure I can't be mistaken. The man on the bow of theboat is the notorious pirate Flint."
The pirates were approaching rapidly.
In a moment more they would be along side, and nothing could preventthem from boarding the ship.
In that moment the captain of the ship, by a skilful movement suddenlytacked his vessel about just as the pirates came up, coming in contactwith 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 horridcurses while they endeavored to reach the ship or cling to portions oftheir shattered boat.
The greater portion of them were drowned, as no efforts were made torescue them.
Three only succeeded in reaching the deck of the ship in safety, andthese would probably have rather followed their comrades had theyknown how few were going to escape.
These three were Captain Flint, the one called the Parson and OldRopes.
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 ship bringing as prisoners, the daringpirate with two of his men whose fearful deeds had caused all theinhabitants of the land to thrill with horror.
And great was the surprise of the citizens to find in that terriblepirate a well-known member of the community, and one whom nearly allregarded as a worthy member of society.
Another cause of surprise to the good people of the city, was thearrival by this vessel, of one whom all had long given up as lost, andthat was Henry Billings, the lover of Hellena Rosenthrall.
He it was who had recognized in the commander of the whale boat, thepirate Flint, and had warned the captain of the ship of his danger,thereby enabling him to save his vessel, and the lives of all onboard.
Captain Flint made a slight mistake when he took the vessel by whichhe was run down, for the India man he was looking out for. It was anordinary merchant ship from Amsterdam, freighted with merchandise fromthat port. Though in appearance she very much resembled the vesselwhich 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 ship in which Billings had takenpassage for Europe, was attacked by the pirates, he was forced to walkthe plank.
By the pirates, he was of course supposed to have been drowned, but inthis they were mistaken. He had been in the water but a few momentswhen he came in contact with a portion of a spar which had probablycome from some wreck or had been washed off of some vessel.
To this he lashed himself with a large handkerchief which it was hisgood fortune to have at the time.
Lashed to this spar he passed the night.
When morning came he found that he had drifted out to sea; he couldnot 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 overhim. Then he lost all consciousness.
How long he lay in this condition he could not tell. When he came tohimself, he found that he was lying in the birth of a vessel, while asailor was standing at his side.
The whole thing was soon explained.
He had been discovered by the Captain of a ship bound for England,from Boston.
He had been taken on board, in an almost lifeless condition, andkindly cared for.
In a little while he recovered his usual strength, and although hisreturn home must necessarily be delayed, he trusted to be enabledbefore a great while to do so and bring to justice the villains whohad attempted his murder.
Unfortunately the vessel by which he had been rescued, was wrecked onthe coast of Ireland, he and the crew barely escaping with theirlives.
After a while, he succeeded in getting to England by working hispassage there.
From London, he made his way in the same manner, to Amsterdam, wherethe mercantile house with which he was connected being known, he foundno difficulty in securing a passage for New York.
Billings now for the first time heard the story of Hellena'smysterious disappearance.
It immediately occurred to him that Captain Flint was some wayconcerned in the affair not withstanding his positive denial that heknew anything of the matter further than he had already made known.
The capture of Captain Flint, and the other two pirates of course ledto the arrest of Jones Bradley who had been left in charge of theschooner.
He was found on board of the vessel, which was lying a short distanceup the river, and arrested before he had learned the fate of hiscomrades.
He was cast into prison with the rest, though each occupied a separatecell.
As no good reason could be given for delaying the punishment of theprisoners, their trial was commenced immediately.
The evidence against them was too clear to make a long trialnecessary.
They were all condemned to death with the exception of Jones Bradley,whose punishment on account of his not engaged in last affair, andhaving recommended mercy in the case of Henry Billings, was committedto imprisonment for life.
When the time came for the carrying out of sentence of the three whohad been condemned to death, it was found that one of them was missingand that one, the greatest villain of them all, Captain Flint himself!
How could this have happened? No one had visited him on the previousday but Carl Rosenthrall, an
d he was a magistrate, and surely he wouldbe 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 equallytrue, that he could not have gone very far, and the community were notin the humor to let such a desperate character as he was now known tobe, escape without making a strenuous effort to recapture him.
The execution of the two who had been sentenced to die at the sametime, was delayed for a few days in the hope of learning from them,the places where Flint would most probably fly to, but they maintaineda 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 Hellena Rosenthrall, hehesitated a moment, and then said he knew where the girl was, and thatshe had been captured by Captain Flint, and kept in close confinementby him.
He had no wish he said to betray his old commander, though he knewthat he had been treated badly by him, but he would like to save theyoung woman.
Captain Flint might be in the same place, but if he was, he thoughtthat he would kill the girl sooner than give her up.
If Captain Flint, was not there, the only ones in the cave besides thegirl, were a squaw, and Captain Flint's negro boy, Bill.
For the sake of the girl Bradley said he would guide a party to thecave.
This offer was at once accepted, and a party well armed, headed byyoung Billings, and guided by Jones Bradley, set out immediately.
Fire Cloud; Or, The Mysterious Cave. A Story of Indians and Pirates. Page 13
