The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-06-06
geIeft MiseeIla
PIRATES IN HOT WATER.
By HAwzER MARTINeALE.

It is nearly forty years'since the brig Blue
Pigeon of Hallowell, in Maine, was bound
from Port Petre, in Guadaloupe, to New Or
leans The brig was commanded by Captain
Mangrove, a worthy and intelligent man, who
was gifted with respectable share of Yankee
shrewdness and moreover, was not In the ha5-
it of being frightened at shadows. His wife
was on board; and a. charming young woman
was Mrs Mangrove, whose presence seemed to
throw a halo of brilliancy all over and around
| the vessel. This woman was greatly respected
| and admired by the sailors, any one OF whom
| would have risLed his; limbs in her service.
!, Passing along through the Caribbean Sea,
within sight of the Island of Porto Rico, the
rugged outline of st. Domingo was soon visi-
BILE. Leaving Cape Tburon, they soon came
! in sight of Jamaica, on the left; and then
again on the right they caught a glimpse of
the high mountains on the southern side OF
1 Cuba. the Sierra de Cobra. It was delightful
sailing among these seas. The breezes were
! Gentle and balmy; and the surface of the ocean
was unrufHed. The worthy Captain Mangrove
4 and his fair companion, ocheered by the pres
ence of each other fully appreciated the bless
ling with which they were favored, and during
the week or ten days, inthe course OF which the
brig, propelled by the light trade wfads, with
studding sails set on both sides, sailed about
thousand miles, this happy couple enjoyed the
4 true poetry of the ocean. No visions of hur
ricanes. pirates or shipwrecks intruded on their
!. minds for moment to lessen their enjoyment
by the contemplation of troubles In the dis
tance. -. -
The Blue Pigeon, on her direct route to the
!, strait which separates Cuba from Yucatan, and
1leads into the gulf of Mexico, came in sight
of the Grand Cayman,. Fan inhabited island OF
.incopsiderable extent, which hes to the west
a ward of Jamaica; and here, the wind dying
: ing away, Captain Mangroye boarded an En-
/ eiish schooner, bound from Sisal to Kingston
: in Jamaica. The news which he heard caused
j some little commotion, and tended to disturb
= somewhat the tranquility arising from fancied
! security from every i'll, which until then hao
It reigned throughout the vessel.
o Captain Mangroye was informed that bane
: of pirates had established themselves on thu
o coast Of Cuba, near Cape st. Antonio. IheI
were desperate men, who made war upon al
unarmed vessels of all nations, to gain plum
i lder and crafty a morbid appetite for blood
t. They carried on their fendish work in larg
omen launch or barge, propelled by sails ant
: oars: and within the last two months had chase
several vessels bound to ports in the Gulf o
: Mexico, which had with difficulty escaped b
!. carving sail. Others, however, were not 8
Z fortunate. There was reason to believe tha
Sc the pirates had actually boarded ana capture
h. more than one unresisting merchantmen, an
be murdered the whole crew. Their mode {
le proceeding was to pull for their intended Vii
AZ AZ tim in light winds; to fire guns and give
alarm: to range up under the counter, hail th
er vessel, and give preparatory orders to shea,
to and surrender under the pain of instaI
i'd massacre" !" then dash quickly alongside, sprin
an hoard do the work of death, rifle the We
sci of money and all other articles of valu
on and then scuttle her, and escape to the shor
:, This intelligence, although supposed to
~ greatly exaggerated, was of character tru
= alarming, especially as the Blue Pigeon W
= not we'll provided with weapons of defenc
on nm Indeed the only engines of destruction, pro
er, erly SO called were, one single gun, In t
: ishape of short twelve pound cannonade, al
a half-dozen old and heavy muskets. The
= was some powder in the run, but no cann
= balls, bullets, boarding pixies, or cutlasses;
=, Captain Mangroye, however, although he
sd sd not repose implicit belief in the Englishmal
- story, was determined not to be caught ns
sri pine and as there was no other way open
I've him to get to New Orleans, without passi
lty f,ape sc. Antonio, he made immediate pre-
d a 'rations to defend his vessel with the limit
nd means in his power, from the attack of
re re blood-thirsty piratesL He also by his maj
,'-' hearing. infused noble spirit among his m
- and thew. one and alI,1 declared that in case
an attack from pirates, they would rather
int braye1y defending their lives, than to give
.ths the ship without striking blow, with the {
5 Of tain prospect of being ruthlessly and detit
pie ately put to DEATH ii error n 10 30.
- u Captain Mangrove examined the condit
Liz of his Armament The big gun was out,
and / put in good fighting order A heavy cha
: ,ss a. of gunpowder was deposited in its breech,
',ts then, it was filed to the muzzle with paw
- stones in lieu of cannon balls. The musl