Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1849-09-12

the vessel in which they had taken passage had
been ovcrhauled by the pirates, plundered and
burnt. she and her sister having been alone re-
served from the horrid massacre OF all on board.
She chung to me with the nervousness OF de-
spair, begging me to rescue her from the fate
that seemed impending over her. felt then,
as her tear-bathed face was brought close 10
mine. that | loved her, and felt that she loved
NE in return. 1t was a joyful knowledge, and
nerved my heart for the work had on hand
At this moment, though | felt my power was
nothing against that of the desperate crew, |
vowed to her that | would save her OF perish
with her. The look of confidence that beamed
from her eye more than repaid me for all the
dangers | subsequently underwent.
looked from the window of the cabin, and
finding 1t close to the water, endeavored to IN
duce her trust herself in the liquid element with
me. Icould have swan with her to the shore,
but the generous girl utterly refused to leave
her sister. who was unwell in. a neighboring
state room. and | determined to remain with
her and defend her to the last. Looking mar
rowlv in the cabin and state-room, | soon had
the satisfaction of finding three or four brace of
pistols, several loaded muskets, and a large
amount of ammunition. My resolutions were
soon made, and after piling all OF the furniture
in the cabin against the door, | charged the
, firearms and awaited the course Of events. 1t
was a desperate resolve, but it was a desperate
case; and the winning manner OF the lovely, yet
terrified Emily, for whom I now felt a most
intense anxiety, impelled me to brave every
danger.
A few minutes after, the sounds on deck told
me the sails were being hoisted; after that the
motion of the vessel indicated that she was I'M
der weigh. Ten minutes elapsed and footsteps
were heard descending the stair to the cabin
Then some one turned the handle and essayed
to open the door. At last the man, whom |
supposed to be the commander, cursed and
swore in a storm of rage, and called out to those
on deck to know who had locked his door and
taken away the key. At this several persons
spoke, and after much conversation with their
angry captain, lights We're brought down, and
looking through the key-hole | perceived half
| dozen of the pirates with hammers prepared to
break open the door. knew the moment for
action had come, and grasping firmly a brace of
pistols, awaited in silence the denouement.-
| Crash, crash, crash, the hammers struck the
lock from without; it was broken, and the door
opened on a crack, but the furniture | had piled
apainst it prevented ingress. had extinguish-
ed the lights in the cabin, and placing one of
the pistols in the aperture l fired, and one of
the villains fell,-another pistol was discharged
with like effect, and not till yet another had
laid a third ofthe astonished wretches groaning
at the foot of the gangway, did the rest hastily
betake themselves to the deck. But even there
they were not secure, for | could see one stand
ing at the top of the stair, relieved against the
| starlit sky. | knew there was little hope for
me, except in the death of the pirates, and
thrusting a musket through the crack of the
door, | deliberately shot the person whom |
saw.
The Rubicon was crossed, the deed was
done, and | prepared to meet the consequences.
| felt that it was now life or death with me, and
on nv fate hung that of one who was dearer to
me than my W life.
Reloading the weapons ofdestruction,I stood
ready at the door, but for some reason the pi-
rates did not seem inclined to renew the attack.
was unable to conjecture the cause of their
silence, till Emily sprang to my side, whispered
in terror, "'The window.the Window" 1stepped
lightly to the stern windows through one OF
which a man was softly clambering, and by
the indistinct reflection of the water, | saw
that in his teeth he held Il glittering knife. The
danger was imminent. | dashed my foot forci-
bly in his face and he fell heavily into the water.
His cry for help was stilled by. the suffocating
brine of the wave, and he sunk with all his
crimes upon his head into a watery grave.
At this moment a voley of musket balls
was fired from the deck, at the cabin door heavy
footsteps Numbered down the gangway, and
the axes eff the pirates soon reseunded on the
echoinp wood. It would have been an easy
matter to have shivered the door to pieces, but
ere they could do so | was again at the portal,
and fred seven or eight pistols at random
through the aperture as fast as | could do so.
This had its effect for the wretches retreated
again to the deck and consulted together. But
nv horror and alarm may be conceived, when
| heard the captain order his crew to unloose a
six FOUNDER 'FRONT.' it's tacklings, wheel it to the
gangway, and fire a few rounds of grape at the
cabin door. | knew if this were done that my
barricade would be shattered to pieces, and the
doom of myself and Emily sealed. | listened
attentively, heard them throw off the fasten-
ines of one of the schooner's guns, roll it to the
gangwav, and prepare to fire it. In their eagerness
thew forgot prudence, for to enable themselves
to see better they placed a lantern near the
gun. | saw the gun pointed toward the cabin
door, a pirate stood ready to apply the deadly
match; watching the motions of the villain, |
raised a musket, and ere he could effect his pur-
pose a bullet laid him dead baside the gum
Another picked up the match; again | aimed
but my weapon flashed in the pan without ex.
ploding g. / sprang aside from the doorway, but
instead of the volley Of grape which expect:
ed would crash through my barricade, the SOUND
of a distant gun echoed over the waters, and
heard a ball strike on the deck of the schooner
In an instant all was confusion above, the cap
tain cried out that they were discovered, and or
dered them to %extinguish every light, that they
might escape in the darkness: knew from
their conversation that the gun | had just heart
was fired from some pursuing vessel and con
iectured it to be the Semiramis, my own sloop
of.war. determined to defeat the intention
of the pirate captain. Springingg to the state
room where lay Emily's sister, took down tn
lo.4orn which hunn from the ceiling. and fasten