Blue hen's chicken. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1848-1854, 1849-08-17
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE FRIDAY, AUGUST H. 1s4e

the poop where weather-beaten elderly ma,
stood looking up at the island. The youn
man went up 10 him TO light his cigar.
why thought you was gone aboard til
Chichester" said old Hammond.
Aimesbury mentioned the cause Of the delay
and touched on the scene he had jus, witness
ed.
"Oh !, observed Hammond, I" there's man,
fellow gets ashamed talking of his mother
and it is the fashion amongst all you young
slers TO rile one another about home and thos,
whe belong to i'll bu, the minute yen are lait
on your beam ends by debt, or sickners, or mis-
fortune, you know who will help you out viii
a hard father or stern master.-- But instead o
spinning long yarn about what every mar
must know, if he will fairly take soundings
in his own heart, can tell you story of the
high seas, where vagabond of pirate had
the grace to remember hi, mother Just at the
right time, as far as | was concerned.
The old mate and the young SUBJ. sat down
together on the poop, and the former began his
TALE OF PIRATE.
in words something like the following
! had made little money!" said Ham
mond, by small dealings in India goods,
when was third officer of the v, so got
pretty craft of my own, Of about two hun
dred tons, which called the Speculation,
and left the Downs, with cargo of merchan-
disc of various kinds. We were bound for
this island Of ST Helena, but were 10 touch at
Cape de verdes, on our passage. We anchor
ed od Porto Praya on such night as this xad
at daylight had an opportunity OF taking Oh
servalion concerning vessels lying in harbor.
There was one beautifully shaped thing. moor
ed so close to the shore that she lay almost all
day in shadow. She was suspicious affair,
and she took more water than her appearance
warranted as necessary and an American
captain who boarded us, said that his decks ha ]
been robbed the night before, as he concluded
by a party who knew how to handle munled
oars. Long before the day dawned she shook
out her lopsails, and wound herself round the
nearest point like snake. We sailed in a
direction some hours after, and to our
surprise, came in sight Of her about four in the
afternoon. She had played us trick and
changed her course and locking through the
glass, plainly saw man taking keen sur
yey of us from her man-top. Before long she
tackled, and bore right upon us. was now
certain Of her character and had full reason
to Judge of it, when set of fellows bronzed
as il they had spent the last year of their lives
in his black maiesty's dominons, leaped over
the gangway with yell. One of them swung
me over The ships side into boat, but not be-
fore my limbs were secured--otherwiss should
have tried what could do with the copper
colored rascals, the one steering and the other
pulling bat was quite helpless, and was
hove up like cast to the pirates deck. In
the meantime could hear them blazing away
at my own Speculation : but kept what
knew to myself, among crew Of wrotches
who could understand nothing but mischief
They flung mo down close 10 the skylight. A
minute after the head of fine handsome fol =
low was stretched out of this convenient OBJ
servatory, and giving some orders ia Poriu-
gueSe, no disappeared AGAIN. very lew men
were 'el' on o0aro inc pirate SNIP ana orll'-
'"s oaeN We ~e'e SUI" ''0"s ''O' o. 'ne
SPe'"'a''on'
knew nothing could save my crew If hey
resisted, for had only eight fellows, and three
Of them were very young boys. thought Of my
poor mate with shudder, for knew his spirit.
lie was engaged to be married at ST. Helena /;
and as he had share in the cargo, and depend
ed on making something towards beginning
life with wife, l dreaded making stand
Sure enough he did, though he could save
nothing and lost his life. They made him
walk the plank and the yell of derision which