Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-10-12
From the Knickerbocker.
THE ESCAPE: A TALE OF THE SEA.
ny THE AUTHOR OF JACK nARLISsPIKR's YARN"
List We Iandsmen all to mel

THE ESCAPE: A TALE OF THE SEA.
by THE AUTHOR OF "JAcK nARLIssprKn's YARN"
List We landsmen all to mep
The morning broke hazily upon the Atlan-
tic, with fresh breeze from the eastward,
attended by frequent squalls of light rain.
The sea had assumed that dead lead-color
which always attests the absence of the sun !;
and a dark curtain of clouds, that were slow.
ly heaving up to windward, threatened an
interval of heavier weather before the close
of the day. About an hundred miles from
that part Of the coast of South America
situated between the Brazil shoals and Cape
Frio, large and beautiful ship was dashing
along under press of canvass. She had
the wind abeam, and every thing that the
weather would allow was packed on allow
and aloft. On her quarterback group,
consisting of the passengers and officers Of
the ship, had collected TO observe strange
sail, which, since daylight, had been dis
covered two or three points forward of the
beam.
"Give me the glass;" said stout, good
looking middle-aged man, whose counte-
nance betrayed, or more properly indicated,
fondness for glasses, and whose authorita.
tive tone at once christened him skipper.
Taking the proffered instrument, he adjust.
ed it at the proper focus, and commenced
studying the stranger, whose hull, by the
aid of the telescope, was but Just visible, as
she rose upon the crests of the waves.
"He's edging away for U.S." muttered
Captain Bangem; just got pull Of his
weather braces ; devilish suspicious-lookine
craft, too"
"a guineaman, from the coast, perhaps
said Skysail.
"The fellow thinks it's getting too black
to windward for all his duck" resumed the
captain; she's reefng his foretopsail, and
we must follow suit.
"Passing the glass to a sailor at his ell
bow, he took up the trumpet, and looking
at the mouth-piece for moment, applied j
to his lips, and gave the order to take in the
studding sails, royals, and hyingjib. Wher
this movement had been executed, Bangen
again Numbered forth:
"Man the top-gallant clew.lines-clea
away the sheets-clew up-man the topsai
reef-tackles and buntlines-clear away tn,
bowlines; round in the braces-settle ava,
the halliards--clew down, haul out the reef
tackles, and up the buntlines--trice up tn
booms-lay out, and take in the secon'
reef"
The ever-ready seamen sprang upon tn
yards, and extending themselves along eithe
extremity, caught up ndsecuredto the spa
the canvass contained between the first an
second reef-brands. When all three of tn
top-sails had been reefed, the yards wer
again mast-headed and trimmed, the top
gallant.sails sheeted home, and the Magyar
once more freshened her speed through tn
water.
In the meantime, the stranger was fa'
coming down, and SO rapidly had he over
hauled the Niagara, that those on board {
the latter were able to distinguish her bull
and rig with the naked eye. She was
: long, low-clipper-schooner, with spars thu
seemed much too taut and square for tn
little hull out of which they rose. Captai
Bangem had been watching her for som
moments with the utmost interest, whel
turning to Skysail, he ordered him to ho
the ensign. "Now," said he, swell sc
what bunting the fellow wears. All, thei
| it goes the stars and Stripes" A rollin
biIlow of smoke rose from the bows of II
schooner, and the report Of gun thundc
ed along the breeze.
"Man the weather main-braces-cle'
away the bowlines--put the helm down.
ease off the jib-sheet y shouted Bangen
: and in another moment the Niagara w
lying to, with tho main-topsail 10 the mas
. The skipper again resumed the spy-glas
!, but scarcely had he raised it to his ey
when, reiinquishing il to another, he seiz'
: the trumpet, and in voice that betray'
unusual excitement, he sang out, Haul
the iib-sheetl-hard up, hard up!"
"IIard up ~ answered the man at I