The Plymouth pilot. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1851-1852, 1851-12-24

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cbmmaEd of the trumpet, and displaye,
her ensign. which had been hidden by til,
mountain canvass that lowered before t
4 heavy foar followed volume os fir
and woolly smoke from the American
vessels bows, and then a sharp ant
cracking sound from the chase, as though
a heavy body had fallen from a grea
height upon thin lattice of la,hs. anr
had passed through it. accompanied by q
cry OF agony, that echoed fearful'y ovel
the still waters, told but too plainly the
work of bloody death had commenced.
They have felt the sting of the Wasp
cried the American captain. as he scan
ned the chase through the night glass;
STEADY your helm, quarter master, this
is but the opening Of the ball"
STEADY So" answered the attentive
gunner al the wheel. And the gallant
ship was as silent as before.
'fAn1 still the sale went on,
\ pleasant noise till noon,
A noise like hidden brook
J In the leaiy month of June,
TIT TO the sleeping woods all night
Singc..h quiet tune"
At fifteen mincctes past one, A. NJ.
the Wasp tacked--the Stranger also tack
ed to preserve the weather-S age. At 3.
p NJ. the enemy bore down N the
WaspS weather quarter, answered he
cannon of defiance, and stood calamity
down to close. When within sixty yards
of the American, the chase fred shift
ing gun from his top gallant forcastle, and
repeate the So me unwelcome salute for
several mi:.utes. This destructive fire
was, however, borne without a murmur
by the Wasp, which vessel could not
bring gun to bear on her antagonist
\ favorable moment had now arrived.
Put your helm downi' shouted Blake
iy from the quarter deck.
In mona mt the broadside of his yes
sci began TO show its teeth to the enc
my, and soon the stranger received his
former double -shotted salute with inter-
st.
Haul in the mainsailr, thualered The
deck trumpet.
TIE order had scarcely died away, be-
Fore The heavy sail hung in the (esloons
upon the main yard. The fire Of the
Wasp now became dreadful-every shot
told; anil feeling that any risk was safer
than the one he was now running. the
C,pt. of the British cruiser, at forty min
uteS past three. ran the Wasp aboard on
the s.arhoaIl quarter, his laboard coming
ioul. The English commander now at
tered the mhgic Command" BoarderS,
awiyl and placed himself at the head of
his crew, endeavored to crrry the deck of
his antagonist Three times in succes-
sion the attempt was made. and three
times the Americans drove the aSsailants
back with great slaughter. AT the third
rush, the gallant Capt. of the enemy fell
from the WAsp's mizen rigging while in
the act of flourishing mis- sword-two
bullets had pierced his brain, and he was
dead ere hs touched the deck.
Al foriyfour minutes past three, Capt,
Bldkcly gave the order to board in turn.
The American seamen now started en-
mass, bounded over the hammock netting
of the enemy like living torrent; and
III one minute, amid the claslling of cut
lasses. the sharp reports of boarding pis
tots, the sroans of the dying and the yells
of the wounded, were master of the foe.
As the sword of the dying Manners was
leiI upon the capstan, the hrg of Britain
dropped su tdcnly upon the bloody deck
of the Reindeer, and ere the spectator
Of freedom Roatel mphantly in its
place.
The Reindeer was an eighteen gun
sloop of war. and had complement. Of
lis souls. She had twenty-five killed
and forty-lwo wounded; while the Wasp
had but & ve killed and twenty two W woun-
ded.
After burning his shattered prize, the
victorious Blakely shaped his course for
L'Orient, where he arrived Oh the Sth of
July, with his ensign waving above the
tattered flag of England, and his vessel
crowded with prisoners Of war.
On the 9th Of August, having under
gone thorough repair. the Wasp drop
ped down to the outer anchorage, and de
parted from the shores of France. Hav-
ing made few prizes she stood farther
out to sea. and Oh the morning of the lst
of Sc ptembef found herself in the midst
of fleet of merchantm,n, under convoy
of the Armada, seventy-four.
With his accustomed skill and gallant
ry, Capt. B!akely now beat to quarters,
and dashed in among the unsuspccted
deet. A vessel loaded with guns and
military stores was soon captured, and
while the boarding officer was busily en-
gagged with another. the seventy four
came down upoc the wind, and stopped
the havoc with her heavy thunder.
Evening now crept IN long and dusky
shadows along the silent waters, and the
look out man from his airy height, watch