Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright Tom Wright

download

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-
tom-wright-59634222

Explore and download more ebooks at ebookbell.com

Here are some recommended products that we believe you will be
interested in. You can click the link to download.

Billion Dollar Whale The Man Who Fooled Wall Street Hollywood And The
World 2018 Uncorrected Advance Copy Tom Wright

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-the-man-who-fooled-
wall-street-hollywood-and-the-world-2018-uncorrected-advance-copy-tom-
wright-50419592

Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright Hope Bradley

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-hope-
bradley-22158998

Billion Dollar Whale Bradley Hope Tom Wright

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-bradley-hope-tom-
wright-49849250

Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright Bradley Hope

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-bradley-
hope-50504012
Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-36282324

Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright Chenjin5com

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-
chenjin5com-36282402

Billion Dollar Whale Tom Wright

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-whale-tom-wright-36745300

Billion Dollar Burger Inside Big Techs Race For The Future Of Food
Chase Purdy

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-burger-inside-big-techs-
race-for-the-future-of-food-chase-purdy-46506532

Billion Dollar Spy A True Story Of Cold War Espionage And Betrayal
Hoffman

https://ebookbell.com/product/billion-dollar-spy-a-true-story-of-cold-
war-espionage-and-betrayal-hoffman-55957758
Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
 While the Blossom was executing this manœuvre, which it did in a
most clumsy manner, as if the two men that worked her had never
been entrusted with the care of a lighter before, the Buffer turned
towards the Resurrection Man, and said in a whisper, "We must
remain outside all the barges, 'cause of having room to run our boat
alongside the Fairy and get the things on board easy, when we come
back from the expedition down to the Lady Anne."
"To be sure," answered the Resurrection Man. "You did quite right
to make those lubbers get lower down. I'm pleased with you, Jack;
and now I see that I can let you be spokesman on all such occasions
without any fear that you'll commit yourself."
"Why, if you want to keep in the back-ground as much as possible,
Tony," replied the Buffer, "it's much better to trust these little things
to me. But, I say—I think there's something queer about them chaps
that have just put in here."
"So do I, Jack," said Tidkins. "They certainly know no more about
managing a lighter than you and I did when we first took to it."
"Yes—but we had a regular man to help us at the beginning,"
observed the Buffer.
"So we had. And I precious soon sent him about his business
when he had taught us our own."
"Well—p'rhaps them fellows have got a reg'lar man too," said
Wicks. "But let 'em be what and who they will, my idea is, that
they've taken to the same line as ourselves."
"We must find that out, Jack," observed the Resurrection Man. "If
they're what you think, they will of course be respected: if they don't
belong to the same class, we must ascertain what they've got on
board, and then make up our minds whether any of their cargo will
suit us."
"Well said," returned the Buffer.
"But in any case you must be the person to learn all this,"
continued the Resurrection Man. "You see, I'm so well known to a lot
of different people that would show me no mercy if they got hold of
me, that I'm compelled to keep myself as quiet as possible. There's
Markham—there's Crankey Jem—there's the gipsies—and there's the
Rattlesnake: why—if I was only to be twigged by one of them I
should have to make myself scarce in a minute."
"I know all this, Tony," cried the Buffer, impatiently; "and therefore
the less you're seen about, the better. In the day time always keep
below, as you have been doing; but at night, when one can't
distinguish particular faces, you can take the air;—or on such
occasions as to-morrow will be, for instance,—when we run down
the river, and get away from London——"
"Yes, yes," interrupted Tidkins: "don't think that I shall throw away
a chance. Those lubbers have managed to make their lighter fast to
the chalk barge now: just step across and try and find out what you
can about them."
The Buffer immediately proceeded to obey this order. He walked
across the barges, which, as we before stated, were so closely
moored together that they formed one vast floating pier; and
approaching as close as possible to the Blossom, without setting foot
upon it, he said, "Holloa, friend, there! You mustn't think that we
meant any thing by telling you not to lay alongside of us: 'twas only
'cause we expect to be off to-morrow or next day."
"No offence is taken where none's intended," answered the man
who had before spoken.
The Buffer now perceived that the other individual on board the
Blossom, and who had charge of the helm, was a Black, of tall form,
and dressed in the rough garb of a sailor.
"You seem well laden," said the Buffer, after a pause.
"Yes—pretty deep," answered the first speaker.
"Do you discharge here, at Mossop's?"
"Don't know yet," was the laconic reply.
"And what may be your freight?"
"Bales of cotton," returned the man.
"Then I suppose you're the master of that lighter?" continued the
Buffer.
"Yes," was the brief answer.
"Well, it's a pleasant life," observed Wicks. "Have you been at it
long?"
"I've only just begun it," replied the master.
 "And that sable gentleman there," said the Buffer, with a laugh,
—"I should think he's not a Johnny Raw on the water?"
"Not quite," returned the master. "Poor fellow! he's deaf and
dumb!"
"Deaf and dumb, eh?" repeated the Buffer. "Well,—p'rhaps that's
convenient in more ways than one."
"I believe you," said the master, significantly.
"Ah! I thought so," cried Wicks, who now felt convinced that the
Blossom was not a whit better than the Fairy. "Ain't there no one on
board but you and Blackee?"
"What the devil should we want any more hands for?" said the
master, gruffly.
"Oh! I understand," observed the Buffer. "Capital! you're the
master—to do as you like; Blackee's deaf and dumb, and can't blab;
and you and him are alone on board. I've hit it, you see."
"You're uncommon sharp, my fine feller," said the master. "Step on
board and wash your mouth out."
The Buffer did not hesitate to accept this invitation. The Black had
lighted his pipe, and was lounging on the deck over the after cabin.
The master disappeared down the hatchway of the small cabin, or
cuddy, forward; and in a few moments he returned with a bottle and
two tin pannikins.
"What's the name of your craft?" he said, as he poured out the
liquor, which exhaled the strong and saccharine flavour of rum.
"The Fairy," replied the Buffer.
"Then here's a health to the Fairy."
"And here's to the Blossom."
The master and the Buffer each took draughts of the raw spirit.
"Now let us drink to our better acquaintance," said the master.
"You seem an honest, open-hearted kind of a feller——"
"And to be trusted, too," interrupted Wicks.
"Well—I'm inclined to think you are," said the master, speaking
deliberately, as if he were meditating upon some particular idea
which then occupied his mind; "and it's very probable—it may be, I
mean—that I shall want a little of your advice; for which, remember,
I should be happy to pay you well."
 "You couldn't apply to a better man," returned the Buffer.
"And here's to you," said the master. "What sort of a fellow is
Mossop, that keeps this wharf?"
"He has no eyes, no ears, and no tongue for things that don't
consarn him," answered Wicks.
"Just the kind of agent I want," returned the master. "But I shall
also require two or three good fellers in a few days,—chaps that ain't
over partickler, you understand, how they earn a ten-pound note, so
long as it's sure."
"And you want two or three chaps of that kind?" asked the Buffer.
"Yes. I've a good thing in hand," returned the master. "But I shan't
say too much now."
"Well, you may reckon on me at any moment—to-morrow
excepted," said Wicks; "and my pal in the Fairy will also be glad to
row in the same boat."
"What sort of a man is your pal?" demanded the master: "one of
the right kind?"
"If he wasn't, him and I shouldn't long hold together," answered
the Buffer. "But when do you think you'll want our services?"
"Very soon. You say you're both engaged for to-morrow?"
"Yes—both of us."
"The day after to-morrow, in the evening, you and your friend can
come and smoke your pipes with me; and we'll talk the matter over,"
said the master.
"And if any thing should prevent us coming the day after to-
morrow, the evening after that will do p'rhaps?" remarked the Buffer,
interrogatively.
"Well—we must make that do, then," answered the master. "Good
night."
"Good night," said Wicks; and he then returned to the Fairy.
"What can you make of them, Jack?" demanded the Resurrection
Man, who was smoking his pipe on the after deck.
"They're of the right sort, Tony," was the reply. "The master seems
a good kind of a feller: the only other man on board with him is a
Black; and he's deaf and dumb. The master sounded me about
Mossop; and that shows that he knows what's what. Besides, he
hinted that he'd a good thing in view, but wanted more hands, and
so he made an appointment for you and me to smoke a pipe with
him in the course of two or three evenings, to talk over the matter."
"You didn't say much about me?" exclaimed the Resurrection Man,
hastily.
"Not more than was proper. It's all right—I could tell that with half
an eye."
"Well, business seems dropping in upon us," observed the
Resurrection Man; "but we must be very cautious what we do. And
now let's turn in, for we have to get up early, recollect."
 CHAPTER CLXVIII.

THE PLAGUE SHIP.

It wanted half-an-hour to day-break, when the splash of oars

alongside met their ears; and in a few moments Swot, the foreman,
made his appearance.
"I've got all ready for you, my boys," said that individual; "a good
boat, and two stout chaps to help."
"Have they got their barkers?" demanded the Resurrection Man,
thereby meaning pistols.
"A brace each," replied the foreman. "But they must only be used
in case of desperation. There's a false bottom to the boat; and there
I've stowed away five cutlasses."
"All right!" cried the Buffer. "Now, Moll, you make yourself
comfortable till we get back again."
"You're a fool, Jack, not to let me go along with you," observed
the woman.
"Nonsense," answered her husband. "Some one must stay on
board to take care of the lighter."
"Well, don't say that I'm a coward—that's all," exclaimed Moll.
"We won't accuse you of that," said the Resurrection Man. "But
now let's be off. Where shall we meet you at Gravesend?"
"You know the windmill about a mile below the town," returned
Swot, to whom this question was addressed. "Well, close by is the
Lobster Tavern, and there's a little jetty where the boat can be
fastened. Meet me at that tavern at ten o'clock this evening."
"Agreed," answered Tidkins.
The three men then ascended to the deck.
 The dawn was at that moment breaking in the east; and every
moment mast after mast on the stream, and roof after roof on the
shore, appeared more palpably in the increasing light of the young
day.
On board of the Blossom, the Black was busily employed in
washing the deck, and seemed to take no notice of any thing that
was passing elsewhere.
"The tide will be with us for nearly three hours," said Tidkins.
"Come—we won't lose a moment."
The foreman retraced his steps across the barges to the wharf;
while the Resurrection Man and the Buffer, each armed with a pair of
pistols, leapt into the boat, that lay alongside the lighter.
Two stout fellows, dressed like watermen, and who were already
seated in the boat, instantly plied their sculls.
The skiff shot rapidly away from the vicinity of the barges, and
was soon running down the middle of the river with a strong tide.
The morning was beautiful and bright: a gentle breeze swept the
bosom of the stream:—and when the sun burst forth in all its
effulgent glory, a few fleecy clouds alone appeared on the mighty
arch of blue above.
Here and there the mariners on board the outward-bound vessels
were busy in heaving up their anchors—a task which they performed
with the usual cheering and simultaneous cry,—or in loosening the
canvass that immediately became swollen with the breeze.
At distant intervals some steamer, bound to a native or foreign
port, walked, as it were, with gigantic strides along the water, raising
with its mighty Briarean arms, a swell on either side, which made
the smaller craft toss and pitch as if in a miniature whirlpool.
Alas! how many souls have found a resting-place in the depths of
those waters; and the spray of the billow seems the tears which old
Father Thames sheds as a tribute to their graves! Then, at dark
midnight, when the wind moans over the bosom of the river, the
plaintive murmurs sound as a lament for those that are gone!
Vain are thy tears, O River! But if they must be shed, let them
flow for the living, whose crimes or whose miseries may, with Orphic
spell, awaken the sympathy of even inanimate things.
 The boat shot rapidly along, the sun gilding its broad pathway.
What evidence of commercial prosperity appears on either side!
The clang of mighty hammers denote the progress of new vessels in
the various building-yards; and in the numerous docks the
shipwright is busy in repairing the effects of past voyages, and
rendering the gallant barks fit to dare the perils of the ocean once
more!
The river-pirates, whose course we are following, pursued their
way: the old Dreadnought, stripped of the cannon that once bristled
on its lofty sides, and now resembling the worn-out lion that has lost
its fangs, was passed;—the domes of Greenwich greeted the eye;—
and now the boat merged upon the wide expanse which seems to
terminate with Blackwall.
But, no! the stream sweeps to the right; and onward floats the
skiff—skirting the Kentish shore.
At length the gloomy and sombre-looking hulks off Woolwich are
reached: the boat shoots in between the shipping; and there the
pirates landed.
At Woolwich they repaired to a low public-house with which they
were acquainted; and, as the fresh air of the river had sharpened
their appetites, they called into request every article of food which
was to be found in the larder. Liquors in due proportion were
ordered; the Resurrection Man paid the score for all; and in this
manner the four pirates contrived to while away the time until the
tide turned once more in their favour in the afternoon.
At three o'clock they retraced their steps to the boat; and in a few
minutes were again gliding rapidly along on the bosom of the river.
"Now," said the Resurrection Man, "as we have drunk a glass and
smoked a pipe together, we are better acquainted with each other."
These words were especially addressed to the two men whom the
foreman at Mossop's wharf had provided.
"Of course," continued the Resurrection Man, "I needn't ask you if
you know the exact nature of the business which we have in hand. I
didn't think it prudent to talk about it when we were at the crib in
Woolwich just now, because walls have ears; but I took it for
granted, from certain words which you two chaps said, that it's all
right."
"Yes, yes, master," returned one, who was called Long Bob, in
consequence of his height: "Swot put us up to the whole thing."
"We know the risk, and we know what's to be got by it," added
the other, who delighted in the name of the Lully Prig,[1] from the
circumstance of his having formerly exercised the calling with which,
in flash language, the name is associated, before he became a river-
pirate.
"Then we understand each other," said the Resurrection Man,
"without any farther wagging of the tollibon."[2]
"We cut the same lock that you do,[3] old feller," answered the
Lully Prig; "and as long as we snack the bit[4] in a reg'lar manner,
we're stanch to the back-bone."
"So far, so good," said the Resurrection Man. "But you're also
aware that the swag must be taken up the river and put on board
the Fairy, where it must stay some time till Swot can find a safe
customer for it, because it's sure to be chanted on the leer."[5]
"We're fly to all that," said Long Bob. "But Swot promised us ten
neds[6] each, if the thing succeeds to-night; so that we shan't object
to waiting for the rest of our reg'lars till the swag is dinged."[7]
"Who knows that we shan't find some gobsticks,[8] clinks,[9] or
other things of the same kind?" exclaimed the Lully Prig; "and, if so,
they can soon be walked off to the melting-pot fence,[10] and the
glanthem will be dropped[11] in no time."
"That's understood, my boys," exclaimed the Resurrection Man.
"Now, give way with a will, and don't let's delay."
On went the boat with increased rapidity, the Lully Prig and Long
Bob plying the oars with strength and skill. Then, when they were
wearied, the Resurrection Man and the Buffer took their turns.
Occasionally Tidkins handed round his flask, which he had taken
good care to have replenished with rum at Woolwich; and at
intervals the Buffer or the Lully Prig cheered their labours with a
song.
In this manner Erith was reached and passed:—Greenhithe and
Ingress Abbey, the front of which splendid mansion is built with the
stones of old London Bridge, were in due course left behind;—and
soon the antique windmill and the tall tower of Gravesend greeted
the eyes of the river-pirates.
At the two piers of the town were numerous steam-packets;—
there were large merchant-vessels riding at anchor in the middle of
the river;—and, on the opposite side, Tilbury Fort commanded the
expanse of water with its cannon.
"Since we're to meet Swot at the Lobster Tavern," said the
Resurrection Man, "we may as well run down to that place at once."
"So we will," returned the Buffer.
The boat continued its course; and in a short time it was made
fast to the little jetty which affords a convenient means of landing at
the point mentioned.
The Lobster Tavern is a small isolated place of entertainment,
upon the bank of the Thames, and is chiefly frequented by those
good folks who, in fine weather, indulge in a trip on Sundays from
London to Gravesend.
There are sheds, with seats, built in front of the tavern; and on a
calm summer's evening, the site and view are pleasant enough.
The four pirates entered the establishment, and called for
refreshments.
They thus passed away the time until ten o'clock, when Mossop's
foreman joined them.
In another half-hour they were all five seated in the boat; and, in
the darkness of the night, they bent their way towards the plague-
ship.
They kept close along the Kentish shore; and when Swot imagined
that they must be within half-a-mile of the place where the Lady
Anne was stranded, the oars were muffled.
The sky was covered with dense black clouds: no moon and not a
star appeared.
The water seemed as dark as ink.
But the foreman knew every inlet and every jutting point which
marked the course of the Thames; and, with the tiller in his hand, he
navigated the boat with consummate skill.
 Not a word was spoken; and the faint murmurs of the oars were
drowned in the whistling of the breeze which now swept over the
river.
At length the foreman said in a low whisper, "There is the light of
the police-boat."
At a distance of about a quarter of a mile that light appeared, like
a solitary star upon the waters.
Sometimes it moved—then stopped, as the quarantine officers
rowed, or rested on their oars.
"We must now be within a few yards of the Lady Anne,"
whispered Swot, after another long pause: "take to your arms."
The Buffer cautiously raised a plank at the bottom of the boat,
and drew forth, one after another, five cutlasses.
These the pirates silently fastened to their waists.
The boat moved slowly along; and in another minute it was by the
side of the plague ship.
The Resurrection Man stretched out his arm, and his hand swept
its slimy hull.
There was not a soul upon the deck of the Lady Anne; and, as if
to serve the purposes of the river-pirates, the wind blew in strong
gusts, and the waves splashed against the bank and the vessel itself,
with a sound sufficient to drown the noise of their movements.
The bow of the Lady Anne lay high upon the bank: the stern was
consequently low in the water.
As cautiously as possible the boat was made fast to a rope which
hung over the schooner's quarter; and then the five pirates, one
after the other, sprang on board.
"Holloa!" cried a boy, suddenly thrusting his head above the
hatchway of the after cabin.
Long Bob's right hand instantly grasped the boy's collar, while his
left was pressed forcibly upon his mouth; and in another moment
the lad was dragged on the deck, where he was immediately gagged
and bound hand and foot.
But this process had not been effected without some struggling on
the part of the boy, and trampling of feet on that of the pirates.
 Some one below was evidently alarmed, for a voice called the boy
from the cabin.
Long Bob led the way; and the pirates rushed down into the
cabin, with their drawn cutlasses in their hands.
There was a light below; and a man, pale and fearfully emaciated,
started from his bed, and advanced to meet the intruders.
"Not a word—or you're a dead man," cried Long Bob, drawing
forth a pistol.
"Rascal! what do you mean?" ejaculated the other; "I am the
surgeon, and in command of this vessel. Who are you? what do you
require? Do you know that the pestilence is here?"
"We know all about it, sir," answered Long Bob.
Then, dropping his weapons, he sprang upon the surgeon, whom
he threw upon the floor, and whose mouth he instantly closed with
his iron hand.
The pirates then secured the surgeon in the same way as they
had the boy above.
"Let's go forward now," cried Swot. "So far, all's well. One of you
must stay down here to mind this chap."
The Lully Prig volunteered this service; and the other pirates
repaired to the cabin forward.
They well knew that the plague-stricken invalids must be there;
and when they reached the hatchway, there was a sudden hesitation
—a simultaneous pause.
The idea of the pestilence was horrible.
"Well," said the foreman, "are we afraid?"
"No—not I, by God!" ejaculated the Resurrection Man; and he
sprang down the ladder.
The others immediately followed him.
But there was no need of cutlass, pistol, or violence there. By the
light of the lamp suspended to a beam, the pirates perceived two
wretched creatures, each in his hammock,—their cadaverous
countenances covered with large sores, their hair matted, their eyes
open but glazed and dim, and their wasted hands lying like those of
the dead outside the coverlids, as if all the nervous energy were
defunct.
 Still they were alive; but they were too weak and wretched to
experience any emotion at the appearance of armed men in their
cabin.
The atmosphere which they breathed was heated and nauseous
with the pestilential vapours of their breath and their perspiration.
"These poor devils can do no harm," said the Resurrection Man,
with a visible shudder.
The pirates were only too glad to emerge from that narrow abode
of the plague; and never did air seem more pure than that which
they breathed when they had gained the deck.
"Now then to work," cried Swot. "Wait till we raise this hatch," he
continued, stopping at that which covered the compartment of the
ship where the freight was stowed away; "and we'll light the darkey
when we get down below. You see, that as they hadn't a light hung
out before, it would be dangerous to have one above: we might
alarm the police-boat or the guard ashore."
The hatch was raised without much difficulty: a rope was then
made fast to a spar and lowered into the waist of the schooner; and
Long Bob slid down.
In a few moments he lighted his dark lantern; and the other three
descended one after the other, the Lully Prig, be it remembered,
having remained in the after cabin.
And now to work they went. The goods, with which the schooner
was laden, were removed, unpacked, and ransacked.
There were gums, and hides, and various other articles which the
western coast of Africa produces; but the object of the pirates'
enterprise and avarice was the gold-dust, which was contained in
two heavy cases. These were, however, at the bottom of all the
other goods; and nearly an hour passed before they were reached.
"Here is the treasure—at last!" cried Swot, when every thing was
cleared away from above the cases of precious metal. "Come, Tony
—don't waste time with the brandy flask now."
"I've such a precious nasty taste in my mouth," answered the
Resurrection Man, as he took a long sup of the spirit. "I suppose it
was the horrid air in the fore-cabin."
 "Most likely," said the foreman: "come—bear a hand, and let's get
these cases ready to raise. Then Long Bob and me will go above and
reeve a rope and a pulley to haul 'em up."
The four men bent forward to the task; and as they worked by the
dim light of the lantern, in the depths of the vessel, they seemed to
be four demons in the profundities of their own infernal abode.

Suddenly the Resurrection Man staggered, and, supporting himself

against the side of the vessel, said in a thick tone, "My God! what a
sudden headache I've got come on!"
"Oh! it's nothing, my dear feller," cried Swot.
"And now I'm all cold and shivering," said Tidkins, seating himself
on a bale of goods; "and my legs seem as if they'd break under me."
 The Buffer, the foreman, and Long Bob were suddenly and
simultaneously inspired with the same idea; and they cast on their
companion looks of mingled apprehension and horror.
"No—it can't be!" ejaculated Swot.
"And yet—how odd that he should turn so," said Bob, with a
shudder.
"The plague!" returned the Buffer, in a tone of indescribable terror.
"You're a fool, Jack!" exclaimed the Resurrection Man, glaring
wildly upon his comrades, and endeavouring to rise from his seat.
But he fell back, exhausted and powerless.
"Damnation!" he muttered in a low but ferocious tone; and he
gnashed his teeth with rage.
"The plague!" repeated the Buffer, now unable to contain his
fears.
Then he hastily clambered from the hold of the schooner.
"The coward!" cried Swot: "such a prize as this is worth any risk."
But as he yet spoke, Long Bob, influenced by panic fear, sprang
after the Buffer, as if Death itself were at his heels, clad in all the
horrors of the plague.
"My God! don't leave me here," cried the Resurrection Man, his
voice losing its thickness and assuming the piercing tone of despair.
"Every man for himself, it seems," returned Swot, whom the panic
had now robbed of all his courage; and in another moment he also
had disappeared.
"The cowards—the villains!" said Tidkins, clenching his fists with
rage.
Then, by an extraordinary and almost superhuman effort, he
raised himself upon his legs: but they seemed to bend under him.
He, however managed to climb upon the packages of goods; and,
aided by the rope, lifted himself up to the hatchway. But the effort
was too great for his failing strength: his hands could not retain a
firm grasp of the cord; and he fell violently to the bottom of the
hold, rolling over the bales of merchandize in his descent.
"It's all over!" he mattered to himself; and then he became rapidly
insensible.
 Meantime the Lully Prig, who was mounting sentry upon the
surgeon in the after cabin, was suddenly alarmed by hearing the
trampling of hasty steps over head. He rushed on deck, and
demanded the cause of this abrupt movement.
"The plague!" cried the Buffer, as he leapt over the ship's quarter
into the boat.
The Lully Prig precipitated himself after his comrade; and the
other two pirates immediately followed.
"But we are only four!" said the Lully Prig, as the boat was pushed
away from the vessel.
"Tidkins has got the plague," answered the Buffer, his teeth
chattering with horror and affright.
Fortunately the police-boat was at a distance; and the pirates
succeeded in getting safely away from that dangerous vicinity.
But the Resurrection Man remained behind in the plague-ship!

1. A thief who steals damp linen off the hedges in the country.

2. Talking—palaver. "Tollibon" is the tongue.

3. Get our living in the same way.

4. Share the money.

5. Advertised in the newspapers.

6. Sovereigns.

7. Sent to the receiver.

8. Silver spoons.

9. Silver milk jugs or sugar basins.

10. Persons who receive and melt down stolen metal.

11. Money will be obtained.

 CHAPTER CLXIX.

THE PURSUIT.

We must now return to the Blossom—the lighter which had only

arrived at Mossop's wharf the night before the incidents of the last
chapter occurred.
When the boat which conveyed the pirates to Gravesend had
pushed away from the Fairy at day-break, as already described, the
Black, who was cleaning the deck of the Blossom, cast from beneath
his brows a rapid and scrutinising glance at the countenances of the
four men who were seated in that skiff.
As soon as the boat was out of sight, the Black hastened down
into the after-cabin of the Blossom, where a person was lying fast
asleep in bed.
The Black shook this person violently by the shoulder, and awoke
him.
"I have found him, sir,—I have found him!" cried the Black.
"Indeed!" cried Markham, starting up, and rubbing his eyes.
"Where? where?"
"He has just gone with three other men in a boat, down the river,"
answered Morcar; "and one of these men is him that spoke to
Benstead last night."
"Then they both belong to the Fairy?" exclaimed Richard.
"Both," replied Morcar; "at least they both came from it just now."
"Go and rouse Benstead," said Markham; "and in the meantime I
will get up."
The gipsy, who had so well disguised himself as a man of colour,
hastened to the cuddy where Benstead was wrapped in the arms of
Morpheus.
The police-officer was delighted, when awakened and made
acquainted with Morcar's discovery, to find that the Resurrection
Man had been thus recognised; and he lost no time in dressing
himself.
The gipsy and Benstead afterwards proceeded to Richard's cabin,
where they found our hero just completing his hasty toilet.
"Thus far our aims are accomplished," said Markham, when they
were all three assembled. "It has turned out exactly as I anticipated.
Morcar, by aid of his disguised appearance, was enabled to keep a
sharp look out on all the vessels; while the report which you
circulated that he was deaf and dumb prevented him from being
questioned. Had Tidkins himself seen Morcar as closely as we are to
him now, he would not have known him."
"My suspicions, too, are fully confirmed," observed Benstead. "The
moment I saw that feller hanging about us last night, I suspected he
was up to no good. But how I managed to pump him, when he
doubtless thought that I was the soft-pated one! By my short,
evasive, or mysterious answers, I allowed him to think that the
Blossom was no better than she should be; and then I saw by his
manners and language at once, that he was a pirate. But when I
dropped a hint about wanting two or three hands for a good thing
which I had in view, how eager the chap was to enlist himself and
his pal in the business!"
"And to-morrow night they are coming to talk over the matter with
you?" said Richard, half interrogatively.
"To-morrow night, or the night after," returned Benstead. "The pal
that the man spoke of is sure to be Tidkins, since our friend Morcar
saw the villains leave the Fairy together."
"But there were two other men in the boat," observed the gipsy.
"You say that they sculled the boat round to the Fairy, from some
place higher up the river?" said Richard.
"Yes. But I could not see where they came from, as it was nearly
dark when they got alongside the Fairy."
"Well," exclaimed Benstead, "it is very clear that those two men
who came in the boat, don't belong to the Fairy; but that Tidkins
and the person who spoke to me last night do. I should think there's
no doubt about Tidkins being the pal that the man alluded to."
"Not the slightest," said Markham. "And yet, to make assurance
doubly sure, we will not alter the plan which we laid down yesterday
afternoon when we first came on board the lighter. You, Benstead,
must remain spokesman—the master, in fact, of the Blossom; you,
Morcar, will continue a deaf and dumb Black," continued Richard,
with a smile; "and I must keep close in this cabin until the moment
of action arrives. If, to-morrow night or the night after, that man
should bring Tidkins with him, our object is accomplished at once: if
he bring a stranger, our precautions must be strictly preserved, and
we must devise a means of seizing the miscreant on board the Fairy
or any other lighter to which we can trace him."
This advice was agreed to by Benstead and Morcar; and while
Richard remained below, the others took their turns in watching
upon the deck.
But all that day passed; and the pirates did not come back to the
Fairy—they being occupied in the manner related in the last chapter.
Morcar undertook to keep watch during the night; but hour after
hour stole away,—another day dawned, and still the Fairy was
occupied only by the woman whom the pirates had left behind.
That day also passed; and it was not until midnight that Morcar's
attention was attracted towards the Fairy. Then a boat rowed
alongside of the pirate-barge.
The night was pitch dark—so dark that Morcar could not see what
was going on in the direction of the Fairy: but his ears were all
attention.
He was enabled to discover, by means of those organs, that the
boat transferred one or more of its living freight (but he could not
tell how many) to the Fairy: then a brief conversation was carried on
in low whispers, but not a distinct word of which reached the gipsy.
At length the boat pushed off, and rowed away up the river.
Morcar stood upon the deck of the Blossom for a few minutes,
attentively listening to catch a sound of any thing that might be
passing on board the pirate lighter: but all continued silent in that
quarter.
 Then Morcar descended to the cabin, where Richard and the
policeman were waiting.
To them he communicated the few particulars just narrated.
"It is clear that the pirates have returned from their expedition,
whatever it might be," said our hero; "and most probably Tidkins
and his friend have just been put on board their lighter. We must
contrive to watch their motions; and should they keep their
appointment with you, Benstead, to-morrow night, our enterprise
will speedily be brought to a conclusion."
"I will keep my watch now on deck till three o'clock," said the
policeman; "and Morcar may turn in."
This was done; Richard also retired to rest; and the night passed
away without any further adventure.
But at day-break Morcar, who had again resumed the watch,
observed some activity on board the Fairy. The Buffer and his wife
were in fact making evident preparations for departure. They raised
the mast by means of the windlass; they shook out the sail; fixed
the tiller in the rudder, and performed the various preliminaries in a
most business-like manner.
Morcar speedily communicated these circumstances to Benstead
and Markham; and these three held a rapid consultation in the after-
cabin of the Blossom.
"You are certain you saw no one but that man who first spoke to
Benstead, and the woman?" asked Markham.
"Not a soul," answered Morcar. "But that is no reason why Tidkins
should not be below."
"Certainly not. He has numerous reasons to conceal himself."
"But what is to be done?" said Morcar.
"Benstead must go and speak to the man," observed Richard,
after a pause.
The policeman immediately left the cabin.
He crossed the barges and approached the Fairy, which was just
ready to put off.
"Holloa! my friend," cried Benstead: "you seem busy this
morning?"
 "Yes—we're going up above bridge a short way," answered the
Buffer: "the tide is just turning in our favour now, and we haven't a
moment to spare."
"And the appointment with me?"
"Oh! that must stand over for a day or two. How long do you
mean to remain here?"
"Till I get a couple of good hands to help me in the matter I
alluded to the night before last," answered Benstead.
"Well, I don't like to disappoint a good feller—and that you seem
to be," said the Buffer, "but I really can't say whether I shall be able
to do any thing with you, or not. I've something else on hand now—
and I think I shall leave the river altogether."
"You speak openly at all events," said Benstead. "It's very
annoying, though; for I relied upon you. Can't your pal—the man
that you spoke of, you know—have a hand in this matter with me?"
"No," answered the Buffer shortly. "But I'll tell you who'll put you
up to getting the assistance you want:—and that's Mossop's
foreman. He's a cautious man, and won't meet you half way in your
conversation; but you can make a confidant of him, and if he can't
help you, he's sure not to sell you. So now good bye, old feller; and
good luck to you."
With these words the Buffer loosened the rope that held the Fairy
alongside the barge next to it; and then by means of a boat-hook he
pushed the lighter off.
"Good bye," exclaimed Benstead; and he hastened back to the
Blossom.
"Now what must be done?" asked Morcar, when these particulars
were communicated to him and Richard.
"It seems clear to me that these men have endangered
themselves by something they have just been doing," observed
Benstead; "and so they're sheering off as fast as they can."
"And most likely the Resurrection Man is concealed on board the
Fairy," added Markham. "We must follow them—we must follow
them, at any rate!"
"If we take our skiff and pursue them, they will immediately
entertain some suspicion," said Benstead; "and if you go, sir, the
Resurrection Man will recognise you the moment he catches a
glimpse of you."
"We have no alternative, my good friends," observed Richard. "Let
us all three follow them in our skiff: we will dog them—we will watch
them; and if they attempt to land, we will board them."
"Be it so," said Benstead.
This plan was immediately put into operation.
The skiff was lowered: Markham, the policeman, and the gipsy
leapt into it; the two latter pulled the oars; and our hero, muffled in
a pilot coat, with the collar of which he concealed his countenance
as much as possible, sate in the stern.
"Just keep the lighter in view—and that's all," said Richard. "So
long as it does not show signs of touching at any place on shore, we
had better content ourselves with following it, till we are assured
that Tidkins is actually on board."
"Certainly, sir," answered Benstead. "We might only get ourselves
into trouble by forcibly entering the Fairy, unless we knew that we
should catch the game we're in search of."
The rowers had therefore little more to do than just play with their
oars, as the tide bore the skiff along with even a greater rapidity
than the lighter, although the latter proceeded with tolerable speed,
in consequence of being empty, and having a fair breeze with it.
Thus, when the boat drew too near the barge, the rowers backed
their oars; and by this manœuvring they maintained a convenient
distance.
On board the lighter, the Buffer and his wife were too busy with
the management of their vessel—a task to which they were not
altogether equal—to notice the watch and pursuit instituted by the
little boat.
In the manner described, the two parties pursued their way up the
narrow space left by the crowds of shipping for the passage of
vessels.
The Tower was passed—that gloomy fortalice which has known
sighs as full of anguish and hearts as oppressed with bitter woe as
ever did the prisons of the Inquisition, or the dungeons of the
Bastille.
 Then the Custom House was slowly left behind; and Billingsgate,
world-renowned for its slang, was passed by the pursued and the
pursuer.
To avoid the arch of London Bridge the Buffer lowered his mast;
and then midway between that and Southwark Bridge, his intentions
became apparent.
He was about to put in at a wharf on the Surrey side, where a
large board on the building announced that lighters were bought or
sold.
"Pull alongside the Fairy," cried Markham: "we must board her
before she touches the wharf, or our prey may escape."
Benstead and Morcar plied the oars with a vigour which soon
brought the boat within a few yards of the Fairy. The Buffer's
attention was now attracted to it for the first time; but he did not
immediately recognise the two rowers, because they had their backs
turned towards the lighter.
"I should know that man!" suddenly exclaimed Richard, as he
contemplated the Buffer, who was standing at the tiller, and who had
his eyes fixed with some anxiety upon the boat, which was evidently
pulling towards him.
"Who?" asked Benstead.
"That man on board the lighter," was the reply.
Benstead cast a glance behind him, and said, "He's the man that
spoke to me."
"I remember him—the villain!—I recollect him now!" cried Richard.
"Yes—he is a companion in iniquity of Anthony Tidkins: it was he
who brought me that false message concerning my brother, which
nearly cost me my life at Twig Folly!"
These words Richard spoke aloud; but they were unintelligible to
his two companions, who were unacquainted with the incident
referred to.
They had no time to question him, nor had he leisure to explain
his meaning to them; for at that moment the boat shot alongside of
the lighter.
"Markham!" cried the Buffer, in alarm, as he recognised our hero
who immediately sprang upon the deck.
 "You know me?" said Richard: "and I have ample reason to
remember you. But my present business regards another; and if you
offer no resistance, I will not harm you."
"Who do you want?" asked the Buffer, somewhat reassured by
these words.
"Your companion," replied Richard.
"What! my wife?" ejaculated the Buffer, with a hoarse laugh. "Do
you know this gen'leman, Moll?"
"Cease this jesting," cried Richard sternly; "and remain where you
are. Benstead, take care that he does not move from the deck:
Morcar, come you with me."
The Buffer cast looks of surprise and curiosity upon Richard's
companions, who, having made the boat fast to the lighter, had leapt
upon the deck.
"What! you, my fine feller?" cried Wicks, addressing himself to
Benstead. "I suppose, then, this is all a reg'lar plant;—and you're
——"
"I am a police officer," answered Benstead coolly. "But, as far as I
know, we have no business with either you or your wife—since you
say that this woman is your wife."
"Well—so much the better," remarked the Buffer. "And I also
suppose your negro is about as deaf and dumb as I am?"
"About," replied Benstead, unable to suppress a smile. "Keep
quiet, and no harm will happen to you."
"But who is it that you do want?" asked the Buffer.
"Your friend Tidkins—better known as the Resurrection Man."
"Then you won't find him here."
In the meantime, Richard and the gipsy had descended into the
after-cabin; and they now re-appeared upon the deck, their search
having been fruitless.
"He is not there," said Richard. "Let us look forward."
He and Morcar visited the cuddy; but the Resurrection Man was
evidently not in the lighter.
They returned to the after deck; and questioned the Buffer.
"I don't know where Tidkins is," was the reply of that individual,
who did not dare reveal the truth relative to the expedition to the
plague ship, and its result; "and even if I did, it is not likely that I
should blab any thing that would get us both into a scrape, since I
see that the whole thing with you is a trap, and that man there," he
added, pointing to Benstead, "is a policeman."
"Now, listen," exclaimed Richard. "It is in my power to have you
arrested this moment for being concerned in a plot against my life—
you know how and when; but I pledge you my honour that if you
will satisfy me relative to Anthony Tidkins, we will depart, and leave
you unmolested. I scorn treachery, even among men of your
description; and I will not offer you a bribe. But I require to know
how he came to separate from you—for I am convinced that he was
with you a day or two ago."
"Well, sir," said the Buffer, who had found time, while Richard thus
spoke, to collect his ideas and invent a tale, "Tidkins, me, and some
other pals went on a little excursion the night afore last—you don't
want me to get myself into a scrape by saying what the business
was; but we fell in with a Thames police boat some way down the
river; and Tidkins had a swim for it."
"Did he escape?" demanded Richard.
"Yes," answered the Buffer, boldly. "I saw him get safe on land;
and then of course he took to his heels."
"This looks like the truth, sir," said Benstead aside to our hero.
"These fellows have been baulked in some scheme—the river-police
have got scent of 'em—and that's the reason why this man gets off
so quick with his lighter."
"And as I do not wish to punish this man for the injury he has
done me," said Richard, glancing towards the Buffer,—"as I can
afford to forgive him,—our expedition seems to have arrived at its
close."
"Without success, too, sir," added Morcar.
"We shall now leave you," continued Richard, turning towards the
Buffer; "but rest well assured that, though we forbear from
molesting you, justice will some day overtake you in your evil and
wayward courses."
"That's my look out," cried the Buffer, brutally.
 Markham turned away in disgust, and descended to the boat,
followed by Morcar and Benstead.
"We will now proceed to the wharf where I hired the Blossom,"
said Richard, when they had pushed off from the Fairy; "and, my
good friends, there I shall dispense with your further services. The
owner of the lighter can send his men to Rotherhithe to bring it up,
and thus save us a task which is somewhat beyond our skill."
"It is a great pity we have failed to capture the miscreant,"
observed Morcar.
"But your reward has not been the less fairly and honestly
earned," replied Richard; "as I will prove to you when we land."
 CHAPTER CLXX.

THE BLACK VEIL.

Return we now to one whom we have long left, but whom the
reader cannot have forgotten.
In a sumptuously furnished room at the house of Mr. Wentworth,
the surgeon of Lower Holloway, Diana Arlington was reclining upon a
sofa.
She was dressed in an elegant manner; but a large black lace veil,
doubled so as to render it more impervious to the eye of a beholder,
was thrown over her head. The folds were also so arranged that the
elaborately worked border completely concealed her countenance.
She was alone.
An open piano, a harp, and piles of music, together with a choice
selection of volumes on the shelves of a book-case, denoted the
nature of her amusements during her residence of several weeks at
the surgeon's abode.
It was mid-day.
The damask curtains at the windows were drawn in such a
manner as to reduce the light of the effulgent sun to a mellow and
soft lustre within that apartment.
Beautiful nosegays of flowers imparted a delicious fragrance to the
atmosphere.
The bounty of the Earl of Warrington had furnished the room in a
style of luxury which could scarcely be surpassed.
But was Diana happy?
Were those sighs which agitated her heaving bosom,—was that
restlessness which she now manifested,—was that frequent listening
as the sounds of wheels passed along the road,—were all these
signs of sorrow or of suspense?
Patience, gentle reader.
The time-piece on the mantel had chimed mid-day.
"He is not punctual," murmured Diana.
Ten minutes elapsed.
"He does not come!" she said aloud.
And her restlessness redoubled.
At length a carriage drove rapidly up to the door; and a long
double knock reverberated through the house.
"'Tis he!" cried Diana.
In a few moments the Earl of Warrington entered the room.
"Diana—dearest Diana!" exclaimed the nobleman, starting back
when he beheld her countenance covered with that ominous dark
veil: "is it indeed thus——"
"Thus that we meet after so long an absence?" added the
Enchantress. "Yes, my lord: Mr. Wentworth must have told you as
much."
"No, Diana," answered the Earl, seating himself upon the sofa by
her side, and taking her hand: "you know not by what a strange
idiosyncrasy my conduct has been influenced. I entrusted you to Mr.
Wentworth's care: I enjoined him to spare no money that might
procure the best advice—the most efficient means of cure. Then I
resigned myself to a suspense from which I might at any moment
have relieved my mind by an inquiry;—but at the bottom of that
suspense was a fond, a burning hope which made the feeling
tolerable—nay, even vested the excitement with a peculiar charm of
its own. I took it for granted that you would be cured—that your
countenance would be restored to that beauty which had originally
attracted me towards you;—and now, may I not say—without
detriment to my own firm character as a man, and without indelicacy
towards your feelings,—may I not say that I am disappointed?"
"And is this my fault?" asked Diana, in a soft plaintive tone. "Does
your lordship suppose that I have not also suffered—that I do not at
present suffer?"
 "Oh! yes—you have—you do," answered the nobleman, pressing
her hand with warm affection. "When we were happy in each other's
society, Diana," he continued, "I never spoke to you of love: indeed,
I experienced for you nothing more than a fervent friendship and
profound admiration. But since I have ceased to see you—during the
interval of our separation—I found that you were necessary to me,—
that I could not be altogether happy without you,—that your
conversation had charms which delighted me,—and that your
attachment was something on which I could ponder with infinite
pleasure. My feelings have warmed towards you; and I—I, the Earl
of Warrington—experience for you a feeling which, if not so romantic
and enthusiastic as my first affection, is not the less honourable and
sincere."
"Ah! my lord," said Diana, in a tremulous tone, "why raise the cup
of happiness to my lips, when a stern fatality must dash it so cruelly
away?"
"No, Diana—it shall not be thus dashed away," answered the Earl,
emphatically. "I am rich—I am my own master: not a living soul has
a right to control or question my conduct. The joy which I
anticipated at this meeting shall not be altogether destroyed. Here,
Diana—here I offer you my hand; and on your brow—scarred,
blemished by an accident though it be—that hand shall place a
coronet!"
"My lord, this honour—this goodness is too much," said Diana, in a
tone of deep emotion. "Remember that I am no longer possessed of
those charms which once attracted you; and now that they are gone
—gone for ever—I may speak of what they were without vanity!
Remember, I say, that you will ever have before you a countenance
seared as with a red-hot iron,—a countenance on which you will
scarcely be able to look without loathing in spite of all the love which
your generous heart may entertain for me! Remember that when I
deck myself in the garments befitting the rank to which you seek to
elevate me, that splendour would be a hideous mockery—like the
fairest flowers twining round the revolting countenance of a corpse
on which the hand of decay has already placed its mark! Remember,
in a word, that you will be ashamed of her whom, in a moment of
generous enthusiasm, you offer to reward for so much suffering—
suffering which originated in no fault of yours:—remember all this,
my lord—and pause—reflect—I implore you to consider well the step
you are taking!"
"Diana, I am not a child that I do not know my own mind,"
answered the Earl: "moreover, I have the character of firmness: and
I shall never repent the proposal I now make you—provided you
yourself do not give me cause by your conduct."
"And on that head——"
"I have every confidence—the deepest conviction, Diana,"
interrupted the Earl, warmly.
"Your wishes, then, are my commands—and I obey," returned
Diana, her voice thrilling with tones expressive of ineffable joy. "But
shall we not ratify our engagement with one kiss?"
And as she spoke she slowly drew the black veil from her
countenance.
The nobleman's heart palpitated, as she did so, with emotions of
the most painful suspense—even of alarm: he felt like a man who in
another instant must know the worst.
The veil dropped.
"Heavens! Diana," exclaimed the Earl, starting with surprise and
indescribable delight.
For instead of a countenance seared and marked, he beheld a
pure and spotless face glowing with a beauty which, even in her
loveliest moments, had never seemed to invest her before.
Not a scar—not a trace of the accident was visible.
Her pouting lips were like the rose moistened with dew: her high,
pale forehead was pure as marble; and her cheeks were suffused in
blushes which seemed to be born beneath the clustering ringlets of
her dark brown hair.
"Ah! Diana," exclaimed the Earl, as he drew her to his breast,
"how can I punish thee for this cheat!"
"You will pardon me," she murmured, as she clasped her warm
white arms around his neck, and imprinted a delicious kiss upon his
lips, while her eyes were filled with a voluptuous languor,—"you will
Welcome to our website – the perfect destination for book lovers and
knowledge seekers. We believe that every book holds a new world,
offering opportunities for learning, discovery, and personal growth.
That’s why we are dedicated to bringing you a diverse collection of
books, ranging from classic literature and specialized publications to
self-development guides and children's books.

More than just a book-buying platform, we strive to be a bridge

connecting you with timeless cultural and intellectual values. With an
elegant, user-friendly interface and a smart search system, you can
quickly find the books that best suit your interests. Additionally,
our special promotions and home delivery services help you save time
and fully enjoy the joy of reading.

Join us on a journey of knowledge exploration, passion nurturing, and

personal growth every day!

ebookbell.com