Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1851-11-17

4
ners out Of her. sPrang. into my boat, pull
ed wildly back to tt ffigote, rushed up
the commodore,5 and without pausing te
breathe, informed himsofwhat had heard
concluding by invoking him for the love
OF God, to rescue, our 6countrynen. il 9ul
the grey headed veteran needed no incen
live. Snatching the tfumpet in his hand,
he thundered out before my appeal had
been hall finished: iii .tssi=ss i7i' 3.
San hands make sail-quarter master
up with her, ...... AZ, g., 90
SAY, up SIR" growled the old sea.dogs
as the gallant trignte danced TO the wind
/ wards gsz91tA91 =; 5Itla>iE7& siat iss5@
| a"What doas she makeF, as.-z9E t'.s
| a." Twelve knots. Sir" Z. .zs.5. =. .ss! al
| "a point more, quafter master" ., -,.
cay, .ay sir" 80. H..
-"We are nearing her now, thnk?"
-"Rapidiy, sir.'''.aas*s' 's+i ii '@i't..'. 'ts'
"Then keep her to it-and now gentle.
men make up your minds for warm work.
Away up here where the haze bangs on
the horizon. is the coast of. Africa; and /
know enough of these rascals to predict
that unless we overtake them before they
reach it, they will fly to their boats, carry
off their booty and prisoners, blow up
their prize, ,nnd plunge our fellow country
men inlo a lingering slavery and as he
spoke, turning momentarily away, he took
his solitary station on the weather quarter
'.Fhe prediction Of the pged commodore
doubly inHamed our impatience Not a
man on board, but in the prog, ess of the
zchase, became wrought up to the highest
pitch of excitemenl; and before the pur-
suit had been continued an hour, officers,
landsnen, and weather stained veterans,
We'd with each other, in the intensity Of
their feeling. 1t was still uncertain wheth.r
er we should overlake the craft before she
could reach the coast; for though our ve>
Iocily was almost Incredible, it but little
exceeded thai Of our opponent. She was
besides already dangerously near the land,
and before we could hope to board her
she would be ashore. What were my
feelings during these moments of suspense?
w ords cannot describe, nor Imagination
picture them. ..-e .s....s. r.. .~... b..
Hope and fear alterna,ed rapidly in my
bosom, thousand dreadful surmises fol-
lowed each other in terrible succession
Now trembled lest our approach should
inhame The capiors to desperation, and she
| loved so deeply, become the victim of
their rage,-and ! shuddered as saw how
slowly we gained upoa them, and that in
all human probability it would be in vain
to hope for rescue. These conflicting
emotions which racked my bosom with an
guish, presented a hopeless prospect on
either hand. But we were now approach
ing within a range Of shot and at once a
brisk aud well aimed fire was opened up
on the chase. -. ......s ..- x-..: -.
My own feelings seemed TO have taken
possession Of the crew; and NOT a shot but
was sent with the precision OF a rifle ball.
They burned 10 release their couulrymen
from a bnndage worse than death. They
knew that al depended upon disabling the
foe; AID as lhey grew warmer in the work
the balls told with unerrng certainty, spin-
tering of a spar, or pei ioratng Il sail at
every discharge. Sill, however, nothing
of Consequence had been shot away; but
after fifteen minutes firing avid .huzzah
run through the lrgale, as The nainmast.
f the chase weut crashing over the Sides
be.rlng with it the royal sky sni n web
oi ha'nper, that clinging to the other rig
gmg, dragged "a wreck beside her. and
brought her at once sharp with her stern
at right ang les 10 our brohdsde. .....s.
q. Pour 1t IN, my lads-we have her now;
rake her fore and aft shouted the com mo-
dore on The instant springing on gun to
reeonnoitre the chase, Oar brave fellsws
needed no incentive. From stern to bow,
along the whole deck the fiery torrent
burst forth, making the old hull shiver TO
her kelsen; and when. the thick. smoke
cleared away we saw the ill.fateo
chase with nothing but a fragment of her
foremost, rolling wreck upon the waters.
Yel her obstinate captors, though their en-
sign had been shot away, hoisled another
on temporary staff, as if to defy us TO the
last. .r=...--.s
The commodore, fearing the pirates
would blow themselves upIf the irigate ap.
preached nearer, ordered her TO heave 10,
and said: ....-a F. ........: .5-..-
"Now. gentlemen. the time has come
for warm work Much as wish, if pos
sible, TO rescue our counirymen, proper
regard for the lives Of my crew will not
sanction a nearer approach to the lrigaie,
We must attack them with boais, and by
volunteers fsa='.+
& Ii took but moment to obtain our vol
unthers, the boats were manned with in.
Conceivable rapidly, we pushed from the
frgate's side, amid q roar of cheers, and
while an utter silence was maintained, our
gallant crew bent TO their oars, and were
urged through the water with u velocity ol
q falcon The few moments Of deep sus
pense, ensuing before we REACHED the
chase, were spent in hasty observation
of relative positions.
The dismas,ed ship was lying nearly
broadside on the shore, and not more than
n mile and half from the coast. At
distance of few hundred yards from the
land ledge of rocks ran parallel, serving
as q wall for the okers to shiYer upon,
a secure retreat within from their power,
The land behind was unusually bold, ris-