Captain Flint's plan for the accomplishment of his last grand
enterprise was, as soon as it should be announced to him by those he
had constantly on the lookout, that the expected vessel was in sight,
to embark in a large whale boat which he had secretly armed, and
fitted for the purpose.
After killing the crew of the vessel they expected to capture, he
would tack about ship, and take her into some port where he could
dispose of the vessel and cargo.
As, in this case, it was his intention to abandon the country for
ever, he removed under various pretences, all his most valuable
property from the cavern.
The schooner he was to leave in charge of Jones Bradley, under
pretence that it was necessary to do so, in order to divert suspicion
from 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 too
tender-hearted to answer his purpose, he had determined to abandon him
and the schooner together.
At last, news was brought to Captain Flint that a vessel answering the
one they were expecting was in sight.
Flint who, with his crew of desperators, was lying at a place now
known as Sandy Hook, immediately started in pursuit.
Everything seemed to favor the pirates. The doomed ship was making her
way under a light breeze apparently unconscious of danger.
There was one thing about the ship, that struck the pirates as rather
unusual. There seemed to be more hands on board than were required to
man such a vessel.
"I'm afraid there's more work for us than we've bargained for," said
one of the men.
"They seem to have a few passengers on board," remarked Flint, "but we
can soon dispose of them."
The principal part of Flint's men had stretched themselves on the
bottom of the boat for fear of exciting the suspicion of those on
board the ship by their numbers.
As the pirate craft approached the merchant man, apparently with no
hostile intention, those on board the ship were watching the boat as
closely as they were themselves watched.
As soon as they came within hailing distance, the man at the bow of
the boat notified the captain of the ship that he wished to come along
side, as he had something of importance to communicate.
The captain of the ship commenced apparently making preparations to
receive the visit, when one of the men on deck who had been observing
the 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 the
boat is the notorious pirate Flint."
The pirates were approaching rapidly.
In a moment more they would be along side, and nothing could prevent
them from boarding the ship.
In that moment the captain of the ship, by a skilful movement suddenly
tacked his vessel about just as the pirates came up, coming in contact
with 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 horrid
curses while they endeavored to reach the ship or cling to portions of
their shattered boat.
The greater portion of them were drowned, as no efforts were made to
rescue them.
Three only succeeded in reaching the deck of the ship in safety, and
these would probably have rather followed their comrades had they
known how few were going to escape.
These three were Captain Flint, the one called the Parson and Old
Ropes.
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 daring
pirate with two of his men whose fearful deeds had caused all the
inhabitants of the land to thrill with horror.
And great was the surprise of the citizens to find in that terrible
pirate a well-known member of the community, and one whom nearly all
regarded as a worthy member of society.
Another cause of surprise to the good people of the city, was the
arrival by this vessel, of one whom all had long given up as lost, and
that was Henry Billings, the lover of Hellena Rosenthrall.
He it was who had recognized in the commander of the whale boat, the
pirate Flint, and had warned the captain of the ship of his danger,
thereby enabling him to save his vessel, and the lives of all on
board.
Captain Flint made a slight mistake when he took the vessel by which
he was run down, for the India man he was looking out for. It was an
ordinary merchant ship from Amsterdam, freighted with merchandise from
that port. Though in appearance she very much resembled the vessel
which 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 taken
passage for Europe, was attacked by the pirates, he was forced to walk
the plank.
By the pirates, he was of course supposed to have been drowned, but in
this they were mistaken. He had been in the water but a few moments
when he came in contact with a portion of a spar which had probably
come from some wreck or had been washed off of some vessel.
To this he lashed himself with a large handkerchief which it was his
good 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 could
not 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 over
him. Then he lost all consciousness.
How long he lay in this condition he could not tell. When he came to
himself, he found that he was lying in the birth of a vessel, while a
sailor 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, and
kindly cared for.
In a little while he recovered his usual strength, and although his
return home must necessarily be delayed, he trusted to be enabled
before a great while to do so and bring to justice the villains who
had attempted his murder.
Unfortunately the vessel by which he had been rescued, was wrecked on
the coast of Ireland, he and the crew barely escaping with their
lives.
After a while, he succeeded in getting to England by working his
passage there.
From London, he made his way in the same manner, to Amsterdam, where
the mercantile house with which he was connected being known, he found
no difficulty in securing a passage for New York.
Billings now for the first time heard the story of Hellena's
mysterious disappearance.
It immediately occurred to him that Captain Flint was some way
concerned in the affair not withstanding his positive denial that he
knew anything of the matter further than he had already made known.
The capture of Captain Flint, and the other two pirates of course led
to the arrest of Jones Bradley who had been left in charge of the
schooner.
He was found on board of the vessel, which was lying a short distance
up the river, and arrested before he had learned the fate of his
comrades.
He was cast into prison with the rest, though each occupied a separate
cell.
As no good reason could be given for delaying the punishment of the
prisoners, their trial was commenced immediately.
The evidence against them was too clear to make a long trial
necessary.
They were all condemned to death with the exception of Jones Bradley,
whose punishment on account of his not engaged in last affair, and
having recommended mercy in the case of Henry Billings, was committed
to imprisonment for life.
When the time came for the carrying out of sentence of the three who
had been condemned to death, it was found that one of them was missing
and that one, the greatest villain of them all, Captain Flint himself!
How could this have happened? No one had visited him on the previous
day but Carl Rosenthrall, and he was a magistrate, and surely he would
be 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 equally
true, that he could not have gone very far, and the community were not
in the humor to let such a desperate character as he was now known to
be, escape without making a strenuous effort to recapture him.
The execution of the two who had been sentenced to die at the same
time, was delayed for a few days in the hope of learning from them,
the places where Flint would most probably fly to, but they maintained
a 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, he
hesitated a moment, and then said he knew where the girl was, and that
she had been captured by Captain Flint, and kept in close confinement
by him.
He had no wish he said to betray his old commander, though he knew
that he had been treated badly by him, but he would like to save the
young woman.
Captain Flint might be in the same place, but if he was, he thought
that he would kill the girl sooner than give her up.
If Captain Flint, was not there, the only ones in the cave besides the
girl, were a squaw, and Captain Flint's negro boy, Bill.
For the sake of the girl Bradley said he would guide a party to the
cave.
This offer was at once accepted, and a party well armed, headed by
young Billings, and guided by Jones Bradley, set out immediately.