Litchfield enquirer., 1861-11-21
1fttsGeI[o111,.
A MARROW ESCAPE.
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IN the siuing of the year l9-, ] was return ing home from the East India Station, On pro- motion, as passenger in a merchant ship of abont 5GG tons burden, hamc tie An3ae of Lon don. She was terribly overiad,n. and our pro- gress, though favored by fair weather and propi- tous winds had been slow and tedious. We had, however, successfully rounded the Cape and had watercd at St. Helena. when in due course we found ourselves becalmed in the horse lati- tudes," so dreaded by all persons in hurry.
 Here the Goosl ship lay, pot only "a! that day. as the cid song says, Eut for more than fourteen days, under cloudless sky and broil- ing sun, with the pitch bubhling up between every plank Of the scoGched deck. The brass rails on the poop and elsewhere, and every DOT tion of metal within the influence of tie sun, were not to De touched with inEunity and it was not even quite safe, if clad in thick duck or nam keen, to trust to a wooden seat! Time hung heavily on the hands of all on board both pas sengers and crew. Every ono was grumhling at everything.
 Among the passengers I Lad made tie ac quailtaice Of ye.y aHrGoa:;!e French gentle man, w!io, with his wife u:.; little children, wer; returning, 10 Ia belle France, ;!;yr 3 rotractpi sIiourn : "lio oi te islands iii the Indian Seas was t}!e:r sole domestic. Guu5l II. de s3---- q l;al nf great intelligence, cid very agy2ca- bic colnrInion, aud lis :*l!y, Lat oyer rettcI wife vas a's'o very c;!F!E, particularly to 6 young iaiur like myself.
 ENtJ.ii:.f,y had been tried to cm;iTIn tie ,!o notOny Of OUT li,es, from dancing down to l;leii anGtcss, and devoteli} t!il We pray for another kind O.! pitch -!nys, wt:l wet sheet" and a cartul ot wind. Ii were beginning to hate everything eur compa"ions in grief, and almost lalcied that we were bewitched within the magic blue ring ot tie horizon and doomed to remain there spell bound forever.
 Matters were in this Stata when, one day. as M de S- and myself were mootily pacing the deck under t!e awn'n@, a small object far away astern of us caught ny eye saw at once cuarly attracted my attention was the rapid way in which, though still many miles distant, it ap peared to be approaching. ih;s puzzled me greatly as the sea WAS of an oily calmness and not a G. cat paw ru:Eeu tEa bosom! of the deep.
 l drew my companions s attention to the ob- ject and hurried below for my glass. When returned on deck, Ri. de S-eXciaimed :-- " This vessel must be a steamer as she seems to move very fast" Even he. q landman, had ob- served the very that lad astonished me.
 soon got the glass settled upon the object. and then terrible solution of the mystery burst upon ne.
 The vessel was long, low, rakish-looking I craft, hermaphrodite rigged, and with tremen- duous rake laft in her tall tapering masts; but l that which absorbed all my senses and faculties 1 was the steady rise and fall, the successlve flash l and disappearance of sweeps, and long oars, from each side of the bri gantine What could this l mean? Had been cruising among the Malays or even up the Mediterranean, could have bet ter understood the matter; but here, out at sea hundred miles away from any land what could this small, villainous looking craft be sweeping about for? My heart sckened at the very thought. Improbable though it appeared, this vessel must be pirate
 At this moment felt some person touch my arm, and turning around I saw the master of the ship (Mitchell) He appeared pale and agitatel and whispered in husky voice: What do you make of her, sir?'
 Alas this was no time for mncing matters so l at once told him my suspicious. "Great Heavens ]" said he, i've are lost; for I do not think have fire arm on board fit for service and but trife of powder; my crew, also, are only twenty four men all told P
 Certainly this was not very cheering pros pect, with pirate under our lee but, however 1 begged him at once to call a council of war of all the officers of the ship, and the three male passengers, including myself, in order to consult what to do in this frightful emergency. . This he at once did, and without disturbing Madame de 5 -, who fortunately was no visible that day, being somewhat 'indisposet (that is to say too lazy 10 get upO We at one. proceeded to the " cuddy ; the council consist ing of the master, his two mates the boatswain , and the carpenter; NJ. de S--, Mir. John son, and myself. It would be tedious to describe the meeting but the upshot of the matter wa that was requested to undertake the warlik preparations; and the male passengers, togethe with the skipper and his officers, swore to assis and obey me in everything. This was great re sponsibility to be thrust upon a young man o about twenty-two years of age but did not hesitate to undertake it.
 My first step was to get Mitchell to muster tht crew on the quarterback, where I made them short speech, telling them the suspicious we hae of the craft in our wake, and that we must mak, the best of very bad job; that if it came to brush, felt confident that every mothers son them would fight to the last, to defend the goot ship and the two helpless women and the poo little children who were among us. Mitchell also told them to obey me in everything, as
 was kings officer, and up to fighting affairs.
 The men answered with cheer and one ol' fellow, who was called "Old Joe." at once step ped forward and said "Hyou please, your hon or, was captain of gun for many years o board kings ship and if so be there should b
 any thing of that sort on board, and Bill here j. with jerk of his thumb over his shoulder
 "can show them how to handle them." Mi &Iak nY1pl