Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-06-19
BY r. T. VAN HORN.
TnE DIsMAsTED FISHERMAN,
AND W
THE ENGLISH IG-oF-WAR.
A SEA SKETCH.
sr srLsASrs cosD, IS.

and America previous 10 The declaration
Independence. there were continually bcins
captured by The private armed vessels Of tn
colonies numerous transports and store ships
-of The British. and in many instances, these
captures KEEP, up private by those who hac
engaged in Them, so tha, orr history bear
The record Of but compare lively lew oil lhem
Some Of those exploits were US deep inthei
consumalion, as those brillian. deeds which
illumine The names of naval heroes Of 1919
'but many Or them af6 stiif slowei 'dwdy y
the brains OF those who have Immediately
descended from the principal actors, and oc
casiona'l y you may get q, one OF 'hesc mu
den pems, of 49, through ihe recollecloi
Of some old yarn spinning fisherman, wh'
sill plies his nets and casts his lines where
his father and grandfather did before
him.
|, was early In the morning OF the 24'f
of February, l776. The uir was sharp ant
piercing, and good fresh breeze was set
ling inlo the harbor Of Portsmouth from lh'
southwark and eastward. Off Gerish Poln
lay fishing schooner Of abou, one hundred
ions burlhen, which bore upon The stern the
simple name Ka,,.' upon her deck sioot
TWO men habi,ed in the rough garbs oil Yam
kee fishermen, one OF whom, powerful
bull, person of some lhiry-five years, was
earnestly engaged in looking through Ions
glass, while the other seemed 10 await The
result of his companions investigation.
Il tell you, Frank Hardy said the holder
OF The glass, as he lowered it TO his side
thai brig will keep her station ou! there I'LL
she gets peep al Tom Sawyer's clipper
Them cussed Britshers mus. ave found ou
that Tom was off on q cruise an they think
to catch him. The tarnal things out there
for some thin, that's sartan, replied Hardy
who was younger than The other, but yet full
as stout, 'or else she wouldn't be layin' OF
an on in that fashion. P'aps she's lookin'
out for some Of our fisherman, you know
there was Two of them went down to Ned
dock day before yesterday Again Captain
Sam Peuingill--!hal was his name took
look At the British biig.ofwar off the har'
Dor, and al length when he lowered his glass,
he turned round 10 his companion with o
sparkling eye and flushed counIenance, and
remarked:
That's heavy brig, Frank
Yes sir
'Sho carries Twelve guns
And must have seventy or eighty men,
added Frank.
AS many as lhal,' said Captain Peuingiil
And then looking at Hardy with peculiar
twinkle he conlinued:
'Twould be a joke if The old Kale should
lake that fel low would't ii2' ....
Kate p said Hardy looking at his cap
tain with doubtful expression, Dha
Kalel'
'Why, khlS ono 10 be sure. Our ole
schooner. She's the only floating Kase tha
| know Of
'Ah, yes--ha, ha, ha,-he, he,' returned
Frank, feeling in duty bound 10 laugh a
what he considered wuicism.
But I'm in earnest ssid The captain, witt
q look.h his companion knew mean, some
Thing.
In earnest, Take that brig exclaimed
Hardy utterly asIonished.
'Yes,' quietly responded Pe,iingill, take
that brig,-and i'll can gel seventy'fye gooc
fighting men, III take her before tomorrow
night, and that. 100, by broad daylight
why she'd blow our old schooner TO Ihun
der in about ten minutes,' said Hardy, utter
ly aslounded at the reckless idea Of laying
a clumsy, unarmed fisherman along side o
British brig.oi.war.
Il don't think she would replied the cap
tain. while a very meaning smile played
around his mouth and eyes.
THAT brig will stay in these waters I'll
she gets what she's after, or Illl she gets Ia
ken in herself. you may depend upon il
and now | lel you, Hardy, she shan't Ia!
there forty. eight hours longer Just yol
say ON board here and look out while lPul
ashore and go up to iown, and if there's sew
enty five men 10 be found who dare 10 shar'
my luck III have 'em aboard before night.
Captain Sam. .Peuingill jumped inlo hi
boat, IN less than half an hour ne was II
the Town OF Portsmouth. he looked arount
among the hardy tars upon the wharves, ant
also among The other robust and daring son
ol New Hampshire, and he raised his dc
sired compliment Of men much more easily
than be had expected. There was some
thing so novel and exciiing in The proposed
attempt, aud At the same time so glorious in
its success, that they joyfuIIy grasped al 'h'
privilege 10 being one Of the party. Eacf
man procured brace OF boarding pistols
and heavy cullass, and just as nigh. hegar
10 obscure the surrounding scenery. seventy
FIVE men armed we'll and faithfully pulled
along side the fishing schooner, and climbed
upon her deck.
As soon as it was dark the schooner's an
chor was hove up, and crawling round tn
point, she hugged the coast Of Maine' an
ran on down beyond the Neddock, %her
she hauled upon The wind and stood toward
Boon Island. The wind still held from III,
soulhward, and passing under the lee Of tn
Island, Capt. Pettingil brought his craft a
near TO Inc wind as possible, and stood o.
until two o'clock in the morning, when h
lacked and stood 10 the soulhward so iha
a, five O'Clock The 'KaIe,' was about thiri
miles dead on the windward Of the cruisin
ground Of the English man.
/ Nov, boys said the Yankee captain q
he hove the schooner TO, I'm going 10 la
this sraf alongside Of that English bril-
| Will you stand by me y
'Ay, ay,' came from every lip. ie
| 'Thenshe's s oursl exclaimed captain 20
I,ingill, this wind will hold for several houl
vel, intend 10 run down I'LL gst the brig