"Ingraham, Joseph Holt - Rafael-The Twice Condemned" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ingraham Joseph Holt)

Rafael
J. H. Ingraham

CHAPTER I. THE ARMED SCHOONER.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III. THE DISAPPEARANCE.
CHAPTER IV. THE LAST SHOT.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER VI. THE CONSPIRACY.
CHAPTER VII. THE VISIT.
CHAPTER VIII. THE LEAPER.
CHAPTER IX. THE PRISONER.
CHAPTER X. THE WHEEL.
CONCLUSION.


RAFAEL:
OR,
THE TWICE CONDEMNED.
A Tale of Ken West.

CHAPTER I. THE ARMED SCHOONER.
It was towards the close of a summery afternoon in October, 1840, that the U. S.
schooner of war, Dolphin, was riding at anchor in the port of Key-West. Around
her were several ships, brigs and schooners which a gale of the preceding night
had driven in for shelter. One of them was the packet ship on which I had taken
passage sixteen days before at New York for New Orleans; and as she had lost her
fore-topmast and received some other injuries which it would take some days to
repair, I accepted the invitation of the lieutenant commanding the armed
schooner to take a three days cruise with him across the channel to Cuba.
I had therefore dined with him on the day in which my story opens, and was now
his guest. We were seated upon the taffrail enjoying a cigar and watching in
contemplative silence the golden sunset, which at that season in that latitude
is ever gorgeous, when a midshipman who was idly lolling over the quarter gazing
seaward, turned to the commander and said,
`I have had my eye on that ship standin' in, sir, for some time. She acts
queer!'
We followed the direction of his gaze and observed about six miles out a large
ship under press of sail standing for the post. She had everything set she could
carry,studdenstails a-wing and sky-sails aloft. While we were looking at her she
broached to, and seemed about to wear, and then filled away again and stood on.
As the wind was on her quarter, her lee studden-sails were constantly flapping
or else set back, while her starboard sails kept full.
`That is the way she has been rearing and hauling, noddin' and bobbin' this ten
minutes, sir,' said the reefer, nodding and bobbing his own head by way of
illustration.
The commander took his glass and placed it to his eye. For fall a minute he
looked at her steadily, and then said,
`That fellow is making for harbor with his best foot foremost; and the way he
works his vessel I should think he was ignorant of the way to come in, and was