Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1846-01-01


| As Slah spoke he threw down move
able section Of the buIwark amid ships
leaving an open space to the sea, before
the muzZies of three of the enormous
cannon that lay across the deck. He
| then took up his huge cartridge and
thrusllng II into The muzzle Of one of
them, began to ram it down with hand.
spike.
What on air,h is the crit,er a,!' cried
| the Deacon.
Siah made no reply, bn, having rammed
| the cartridge home, he rolled thirty two
pound shot towards it, and giving ii lfl
showed il in after the powder.
Now for printing her and then | guess
if don't give 'em Fourth of July salute
they never had one
As he spoke. he poured handful OF
| powder upon The vent. and then Jumped
to the caboose caught up lighted pine
knot, and waving il to keep ii bright,
approached the gun.
Stop, Slsh, slop' shouted the skipper,
at the top of his voice; You'll blow the
Polly Ann to Jericho if you fire tina, are
gun aboard ON her!
i don't calculate I'll be took pris 'ner
by the BriiIshers. Deacon. and be put in
Dartmoor, guess don, mean To fire
Jl-t YET, hu, take chance for good aim
and give 'em satpeire'
'ltll shake every bone QUITO the Polly.
said the captain in alarm.
A. ha
mile of them. fired shot across her
| bows.
'Iha, means heave 10. Lot said the
skipper, 'Siah put ont tina, pine knot
| mean TO. by 'em by. Deacon. Wait
I'LL get shot a. 'em. | amt afTeerd of
hurtn' the sloop mite. You jest yaw
her htte bit. and eff | don't show EN-
how yankee gun can speak, don't
never want TO see the inside of Kennebeck
river again.
second gun came from the brig. and
the shot passed within ten feet of the
Deacons head. made rent falhom long
in the main sail. and the shock caused his
| peak halyards To part, and let the peak of
the malnsail down--Ths caused the sloop
10 tall OIL poin or Two. and while the
skipper, uhflnchlng. and with quiet
look was bringing her TO the wind again,
Siah, taking advantage of moment a.
she swung. in which his loaded gun bore
upon the brig, instantly applied the torch
TO the vent. The roar the flame and the
concussion, were terrific.
| The lllie vessel feeled under the recoi;
of the vas, gun. until the waves poured in
over her bows and stern The skpper
and Lo, were laid flat upon The deck
while Siah fund himself hanging by the
heels IN the lee shrouds.
| For a few minutes the Deacon thought,
his vessel would 60 down. she widowed
and plunged so-but she soon s,eadied
herself. though with her deck flooded. her
Jib blown away andh windlass unship.
ped.
Il guess, if they've 90, that shot, it'll
settle 'rm. said Siah. a~ he dropped fee,
frs, ont of The rigging, into which he had
been blown. and fell upon deck, and tried
to see through the smoke
You ought 10 he settled, YOU ,arnal
crit'er, cried the Deacon enraged; you
like 10 have sunk her, darn ye.'
Don't swear, Deacon, | want to see if
the brig got it,
Got II, YOU fool! ] guess you'll get i,
| if ever see you ashore agin.'
| As the smoke rolled slowly away, the
brig was discovered no longer standing
| down. but knocking about at The mercy of
the waves and wind, her foremas. gone
BY the board, and dragging over the side
with all It's Yards and sails. The shot
had cut off her mast within ten fee, of the
derk
why what is the matter! Why don'l
YOU hnllop said the Deacon. taking breath
''oz il amt nnihin' more'n | meant 10
do responded Siah with inmitable sang
froid; Il ain't surprised. if you be Deacon.
In twenty minutes more, the sloop with
her valuable cargo. was safely sheltered
under the guns of Fort Huntwel. The
sloop of war lay upon the rock I'LL the
next tide, and the brig lay by her, rigging
up a jury mast. Before sunset, both
vessels made sail. and steering eastward,
on the way towards Halifax TO repair
damages. Thus the block AIDE was rails
ed, greatly to the relief of the river.
'Siah' is now one Of the most popula,
of our Eastern steamboat captains.