Washington telegraph., 1852-07-07
make, and be ready to jump the moment


pirate lufed up under the fishernans lee
quarter, and in a moment more the latters
deck was graced by dozen as savage look
ing mortals as your eye ever rested upon.
Are you the captain of this vessel!" ask
ed the the leader Of the boarders, as he ap-
preached the old man
"Yes, sir.
"What is your cargo"' ..t.
"Machinery for steam ingins"
"Nothing else?" asked the pirate, with a
penetrating look.
At tisis moment Captain Spinnet's eye
caught what looked like sail off to the
south ard and cas- ard, but not sion be-
trayed his discovery, he hesitatingly re-
Piled aaf 'T.
swell, there is little something else ?
"IIa, and what is it!'' .....l
"Why, sir, p'raps | hadn't ought to tell,'
said Captain Spinnet counterfeiting the
most extreme perturbation. "You see, twas
given me as a sort of trust, an 'twouldnt
be right for me to give it up. You can
take anything else that you please, for /
s'pose can't help MYSELF
"You are an honest Old cbager, at any
rate" said the pirate; but if you would
live ten minutes. longer, just tell me what
you have on beard, and exactly the place
where it lays.
The sight Of cooked pistol brought the
old man to his senses, and in a deprecating
tone he muttered-
Don't kill me, sir, don't I'll tell YOU
all We have forty thousand silver dollars
nailed up in boxes, and slowed away under
some boxes, just for'ard O. bulk head, bat
Mr.. Defoc didn't suspect that any BODY
would have thought of looking for it there
Perhaps So chuckled the pirate, while
his eyes sparkled with delight. And then
turning to his own vessel he ordered all
but three Of his men to jump aboard the
Yankee.
In a few moments the pirates had taken
off the matches, and in tIleir haste 10 get at
the ''silver dollars they forgot all else; but
not so with Spinnet; he had his wits at work,
and no sooner had the last of the Williams
disappeared Below the hatchway. than he
turned to his boys.
'Now, boys, for your lives. Seth YOU
clap your knife across the forethroat and peak
halyards, an you, John, cut the main. Be
quick, now, and the moment you've done it,
jump aboard the pirate Andrew and Sam,
you cast off the pirates grapplings, an then
you jump-thcn well walk into them three
chaps aboard the clipper. Now far H"'
No sooner were the last words out of the
old mans mouth than his sons did exactly
as they had been directed The fore and
main halyards were cut, and the two grap-
plings cast off at the same instant, and as
the heavy gatis came rafting down. cur five
heroes leapcd on board the pirate. The
moment the clipper felt her liberty her head
swung off, and before the astonished bucca-
neers could gain the deck of the fisherman,
their own vessel was half cabels length to
the leeward, sweeping gracefully away be-
fore the wind, while the three men who had
been left in charge were easily secured.
"Halloa, there" shouted Capt. Spinnet,
as the luckless pirates crowded up round the
lee gangway Of their prize, "when you find
them ere silver dollars just let us know
will you?'' ~. r...'. ' ....... ...,.
Half dozen pistol shots was all the an
swer the old man got, but they did him no
harm; and crowding on all sail, he made for
the vessel he had discovered, which Law
leeward of him, and which he now made
out to be large ship. The clipper cut
through the water Ike dolphin, and in a
remarkable short space of time Spinnet
luffed up under the ships stern, and ex-
planned all that had happened The ship
proved to be an East Indiaman, bound for
Charlestown, having, all told, thirty men
on board, twenty of whom offered their SER
vices in helping to take the pirates
Before dark, Captain Spinnet was once
more within hailing distance of his own YES
sci, and raising trumpet to bis mouth, he
shouted "I
Schooner ahoy. Will you quietly sur
render yourselves prisoners, if we come ON
board !''
Come and try itn' returned the pirate
captain as he brandished his cut!ass above
his head in a threatening manner, which
seemed to indicate that he would fight to
the last.
But that was his last moment, for Seth
was couched below the bulwarks, taking
deliberate aim along the barrel of heavy
rifle, as the bloody william was in the act of
turning to hism the sharp crack of Seth
Spinnet's weapon rang its death peal, and
the next monet the pirate captain fell back
into the arms Of his men, with brace of
bullets through his heart.
"Now,' shouted the old man, as he level
ed the long pivot gun and seized lighted
match, "pll give just five minutes to make
up your minds in, and il you don't sluren-
der, I'll blow every one of you into the
other world
The death Of their captain, and withal,
the sight of the pointed pivot gun-the pc
culiar properties of which they knew full
well-brought the pirates to their senses,
/ fho,r