The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-12-16

which was not more wild than, the tenn
pest within her breast.
! From her elevated position she could
look over the tree tops and the serried
4 clouds, as like a battling host, rushing to
the charge, amid suiphurous flame and
smoke, they rose and spsd athwart the
sky She could see Hurl Gates eddying
with whirls, tossing the foam caps, white
as drifting snow, in the air--the breakers
tumbIing up against the black rocks, as if
they would hide their dangers from the
mariners view.
Suddenly the booming sound of a can
non was heard. and as she looked upon
the Sound, she saw that ship OF war had
hove TO above the narrow gorge of the
Gate A signal for a pilot was flying at
the foretop and the hated cross of ST.
George few from her spapker gaff.
With one wild cry of fierce delight the
fair girl bounded from room. LIFE for
:; Iife-Nathan Hale shall be revenged |!
! she cried.
What was her idea Within another
! room in that house was the clothing of a
brother, who long since had been laid to
| rest beneath the sod and to his room she
fed, and soon was arrayed in suit OF
such clothing as the young men generally
/ Without hesitation she cut the long glossy
tresses of hair from her head, and in
very brief period bore the appearance of
young man of eighteen, but more thau
her age Having made these arrange
ments with. a rapidity that only desperate
resolve could cause, she instantly left the
house, passing down the avenue towards
the Sound, before her fathers eyes, he lit
| ~ Al. ~ ba
Young water man, who chose to breast
such storm, was the person of his accom-
plished daughter
Hurrying down to boat house, which
| fronted the avenues, she loosened one Of
model of pilots of Hurl Gate, hoisted a
small sail, and in few moments, was out
upon those angry waters, running upon
the last of the food tide as freely and
boldly as if she had been In stout ship,
| instead of so small and fra1 a boat. 1t
was no new thing for her to be upon the
water; being reared so close to it, hun
dreds of times had she been dashing over
those waves, but never in such gale as
| that Yet coolly she steered her tiny
craft, avoiding the dangerous whirlpoois
and rocks and heading towards the frigate,
fred another gun.
Within less than txsntx saifatss from
the time She lad started, she lad inhsd
along side Of the man of war, aud having
caught the line cast out for her, and fast
ened the boat, and mounted the vessels
side stood. upon the quar- er deck, in tho,
| presence of the commander
ssAre you pilot?n asked the/fatter,
tome ga aa laaS
4 am sir was the reply
'Young for such bus5dess Could you
take us through Hprf Gate p
AS well as my father, who has been a
pilot here<these thirty years. was the
ready reply.
why did he not come out, instead of
sending boy like yau in a blow as fresh
as this p
because he is laid up with the rheuma-
tisn, sir, and then he knows that can
pilot you through as we'll IS be can. Sir
Henry CLIFTON knows me, sir !!
sAh, does he ?-well, that's all right.
Can we bear away yet ?,
No sir, not for an hour-till the tide
runs ebb'
That is bad-this gale keeps rising
Is there no anchorage hereabou p
No sir; not within twenty miles above,
where your anchor would bold
Then We must go through
~ es sir-as soon as the tide comes-I
would rot risk ii yet, for if the current
should catch on either bow, you'd go on
the rocks, sure.
That is true, young man. Let me
know the earliest moment that We can go
through?'
AYE, aye, sir -
And while the English commander
turned off to speak to one of his officers,
the patriot calmly went to the mnin gang
way, and looked over theiside asif watch
ing for the change of time.
But what was passing in her head then?
There were between three and four hum
dred souls in that fated vessel She had
lost the only loved thing beside her faith
er, on earth, when Nathan Hale was hang
ed as spy on that morning She was
not thinking how many hearts would be
broken by her intended act, she was not
thinking of the mothers and sisters and
wives In England, who would soon mourn
for her deed -she was only thinking, that
soon, very soon, she would join him in the
spirit land, and that dearly would his loss
be avenged. For her own life she cared
not, thought not--not even did she think
of that worshipping father, who sadly
paced his room, believing that she was
praying for patience to bear his loss.
Meantime there were those three or
four hundred hearts beating with glad
ness that they had got over long and
sickening voyage and soon would be an
chored in front of shores that looked SO
lovely in their sheen of green even though
the storm clouds hovered over them.
Atlast, after looking towards the home
in which she was born-aud she knew it
would be her last look-she turned and
went to the commander and said:
The tide is slack, it changes suddenly
and we had better fill away at once
The commander gave the necessary or
ders to his lieutenant, and the next mo-
ment the main top sail, hich had been
laid aback, was braeed around, the head
sheets eased away and the vessel headed
for ths narrow channel, where thousand
crafts hayesser this laid their oaken