Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-03-11
famlLg Circle.
The Buccaneers Last Battle.

looking men, stood beside their leader,
upon the sandy beach of a small island in
the Spanish Main, neal the usual track of
the homeward bound Spanish traders
They were thin and haggard their
sunken eyes glared out horribly from be-
meath their rough and frowning brows F;
their cheeks and lips were bloodless ;
their whole appearances spoke Of suffer-
ing and hardship. They were armed
with curved .cutlasses, daggers and pis.
tolls, and their weapons9like their attire,
denoted in their looks long and hard
usage.
Drawn up on the sand beside them lay
a long barge or row boat, her painless
sides and rough seam suiting well the
haggard and woe begone appearance OF
the crew.
The leader Of these desperate looking
men, Pierre Legrand, was a stern, dark.
Drowned person of forty or more years,
whose hair already gray, hung in long
curls about his swarthy neck his beard
half covering a face marked with strik-
ingly strong aud bold features. He had
long been a buccaneer captain, and his
name was widely known over the ocean
and along the Main, as bold and dar-
ing man, but one possessed of more NOBLE
traits than many of the pirate leaders Of
the day but his ship had been wrecked
for a long time no prizes had fallen in
his way and now with a half starved and
disheartened crew, he stood beside his
only boat, a weak shattered and leaky
vessel. But as he stood there his dark
eye was bright with hope, for he pointed
with his drawn blade toward a vessel
which with tapping sail and dropping
banners, lay becalmed upon the glass
ocean not more than five miles distant.
"See!' cried he, to his almost disheart-
ened men, " there is the Admirals gal
peon, Of the %homeward bound feet, from
Chagres to Spain she is laden with gold +;
she must be ours T.
"Her crew are over an hundred most
probably, and she is armed with cannon
said one Of his followers"
1t is true, but shall we perish here
by famine? Shall we die like slaves p
No let US rather perish like men, or in
the glorious attempt risk and make all?
We can but die, we may succeed"
Lead ON we follow!' was the low
firm response Of the desperate crew.
Il will when the hour has arrived r
answered the daring leader.
At the same moment that this little
band stood upon the shore thus debating
and determining upon the attack, an officer
on board the Spanish galleon, deserted
the band with his glass and pointing
them out to the Admiral, advised him to
beware of them, as doubtless they were
pirates.
The spaniard haughtily and carelegsly
replied:
What them? Shall | be afraid of Sc
pitiful a band? No not even had they
as good a ship as mine own!'
Darkness came over the sky, but still
the winds were asleep, and the a of
the ocean unruffed.
Then the %buccaneer in a low tone told
his crew that the time was come for them
to decide their fate, and it must be vic
tory or death destruction or f~ortunei
Their reply was the loosening Of their
cutlasses Ia their s%cabbards they spoke
not nor shouted this was their dernier
resort, victory or death.
They launched their frail and leaky
boat off from the strand they tore the
ragged shirts from thier backs, and with
them muf1ed the oars, and then with a
long steady stroke, they rowed oyer the
still waters towards where the 'galleon's
pinnacle carelessly CLEANED.
They spoke not nor breathed, the dash
of their oars was lighter than the dew
drop falling on the flower, as on in the
darkness they swept.
On board the galleon all was careless
gayety, and confident security. From
her cabin came the sound Of the thinking
guitar, gathering castanet, and ringing
wine cup from the deck arose the gay
mariners song. They dreamed not that
death was so near.
On, on in silence and darkness swiftly
swept the pirate barge. Now she nears
the galleon's. side. and still she is not seen
by the careless s%entinels. Now she touch
es the galleon's side. and ere one man
had left the frail boat, Pierre Legrand
drove his heavy heel through her trail
bottom, and as the pirates clambered up
the galleon's sides they saw that there
was no retreat, their boat was sank, vic
tory or death was now to be their lot
With a wild and fierce cry they sprang
upon the galleon's deck. and dashed
among the astonished Spaniards, dealing
death at every blow. Oh, God. how
murderous was the first wild moment
Hewn down before they could raise a
weapon, unknown the number OF their
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