Richland beacon., 1881-08-20

| stepping. 1uIucI returned ana took
| Cutcr aside.
"No noise now, Carter follow me as
though nothing had happened"
"Sartin."
The two approached the main hatch
anl stopped to raise it, when Dams hand
touched small ball that seemed TO have
been pinned up under the after break of
I'll" hatch.
ITS ball Of twine," said he
| "Don't touch it, but run and get
lantern" replied Tucker.
Carter sprung to obey, and when he
| returned number of the men had gath
"rcd about the spot. The hatch was
raised an1 the Commodore carefully
picked up the ball of twine and found
that it was made fast TO something h''-
low. RI" descended TO tho hold, and
there he found that the twine ran in l,"-
meath the lid Of the coffin. He had no
,!,nht now that there was mischief boxed
np below, and sent Carter for something
that might answ.y for scrcw-driyrr
The man soon r. .iirned with IA stuu,
knife, and the Commodore set to work.
VI" worked very carefully, however. at
the same time keeping briFlr lookout
for tn" string.
At l"ngth the screws were out, aud the
/ i worry carefully lifted from its place.
"G'ra' Go'l in heaven" burst from the
- "f "a" Commodore.
"By Sam hyde !" dropped like
thunder clap from tho lips "s :oung
Dan.
''uod bless you, Dan I" said the Com
mn1ore.
II know'd it, muttercd Dan.
The two men stood for a moment and
gazed into the coffin. There was no
dead man there. but in place thereof
there was material for the death of a
score. The coffin was filled with gun
powder and pitchwood; upon a light
framework in the center were arranged
four pistols. all cooked. and the string
entering sie coffin from without COM
municatId with the trigger Of cacn.
Thz first movement Of the Commodore
was TO call for cold water, and when it
was brought he dashed three or four
t1rketfuls into o. , Internal eontrivancp
and then breathed more freely.
"No. no." he uttered, as he lcaped
from the hold. "No, no-my men. Do
nothing rsshly. Let me go into the
cabin first. You may follow me-"
Commodore Tucker strobe into tho
cabin, walked up to the bunk where his
passenger lay, and, grasping hold of the
female dress, he dragged its wearer out
upon the floor. There was a sharp re-
sistance, and the passenger drew a pis-
tol, but it was quickly knocked away
the gown WAS torn off, and man came
forth from the remnants of calico and
linen.
The fellow was assured that his whole
plot had been discovered, and at length
he owned that it had been his plan to
turn cut in the course of the night
and get hold of the ball of twine,
which he had left in convcniepi
place then he intended to have gone
aft, carefully unwinding the string as
he went along, then to have got into
the boat, cut the falls, and as the boat
fell into tho water he would have
pulled smartlv upon the twine.
"And I think you know" he con-
timed. with q wicked look, "what
would have followed. l shouldn't have
been noticed in the fuss-Td have got
ont of the way with the boat, and you'd
have been in the next world in short
order. And all 1 can say is that I'm
sorry didn't do it."
1t was with much difficulty that the
| Commodore prevented his men from
killing the villain on the spot. He
proved to be one of the enemy's officers,
and WAS to have a heavy reward if he
succeeded in destroying the Commodore
and his crew.
>he prisoner was carried on deck anti
lashed to the main rigging, where he was
told to remain until the vessel got into
port.
"What a horrid death that villain
meant for u.s." uttered Carter.
| "Yes, he did," said Tucker, With g
shudder.
"He belongs to the same gang that's
been a robbin' and burnin' the pOol
lolks' houses on the eastern coast, said
one of the men.
"Yes," said I've Commodore. with
nervous twitch of the muscles about hi
mouth.
A bitter curse from the prisoner nov
broke on the air, and, with q clenchet
fist, the Commodore vent bAlou-
In the morning, when Tucker came oI
deck, Seguin was in sight upon tn
starboard bow, but when he looked fo
\ ,,ricopoY ba waS conc