Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-10-15
MARROW ESCAPE.

In the spring of the year IS, I was re-
turning home from the East Indian station,
on promotion, rs passenger in a merchant
ship Of about 500 tons burden, named the
Anne of London She was terribly over
laden, and our progress, though favored by
fair weather and propitiops winds. had been
slow and tedious. We had, however, sue
cessfuly rounded the Cape, and had waits
cred at St. Helena, when in due curse we
found ourselves becalmed in the horse lat
itudes,' So dreaded by all persons in a hur>
Ty.
Here the good ship lay, not only all that
day, as the old song says, but for more than
fourteen days, under cloudless sky and
broiing sun, with the pitch building up
between every plank Of the scorched deck
The brass rails on the poop and elsewhere,
and every portion Of metal within the in
nuence Of the sun, were not to be touched
with IMMUNITY and it was not even cutie
safe, If clad IN thin duck OF nankeen, to
trust to a wooden seat! Time hung heavi
ly on the hands of all on board; both pas
sengers and crew. Every one was grumb.
ling at everything.
Among the passengers, | had made the
acquaintance Of a very agreeable French
gentleman, who, with. his wife and little
children, were returning t. la belle France,
after protraeted soj0urn in one of the is
lands in the Indian seas under the British
flag. a pretty colored ayah was their sole
domestic. l found NJ de s. q man Of
great intelligence, a very agreeable CONS
panion, and his pretty. but ever petted wife
was also very charming, particularly to a
young sailor like myself.
Everything had been tried to enliven the
mouotory of our lives, from dancing down
to pitch and toss, and devoutly bid we pray
for another king of pitch and toss, with a
wet sheet and a 'capfuP of wind. We
| we're beginning to hate everything. even
our companions in grief. aud almost fancied
that we were bewitched within the magic
| blue ring Of the horizon, and doomed to re-
main there spell bound for ever
Matters were In this state when, one day
as NJ. de s. and myself were moodily
I pacing the deck under the awning, a small
object far away astern of US caught my
eye. / saw at once that it was sail CT
come kind, but what particularly attracted
my attention was the rapid way which, tho
still many miles distant, it appeared to be
approaching. This puzzled Inc greatly, as
the sea was Of an oily calmness, and not q
cats paw ruffied the bosom Of the deep
] L
ject, and hurried below for my glass
When l returned on deck, Nj. de s. ex
claimed: This vessel must be steamer
as she seems to move very fast" Even he
| landsmau, had observed the same thing
than had astonished ne.
soon got the glass settled upon the OBJ
ject, and then a terrible solution of the
mystery burst upon me.
81 T., l,nl-
ing craft. hermaphrodite rugged, and with
tremendous rake aft in her tall tapering
masts but that which absorbed all my
senses and faculties was the steady rise
and fall, the successive fash and disappear
ance of sweeps of long oars, from each side
of the brigantine.
What could this mean? Had | been
cruising amongst the Malays, or even VI
the Mediterranean, / could have better un'
derstood the matter; but here, out at sea
hundreds Of miles away from any land
what could this small villauinous locking
craft be sweeping about for? My hear
sickened at the very thought. Improba'
bic though it appeared, this vessel must bt
a pirate
AT this moment, l felt some person
touch my arm, and turing round | saw the
master OF tue SUPP thitCueiI'I he appear
ed pale and agitated, and whispered in 4
husky voice: What do you make Of her
STRIP
Alas this was no time for mincing mat.
tiers, so at once told him nay suspicious
Great Heaven 7 said he, we are lost; fol
l do not think have frearm on board
fit for service, and but trifle of powder
my crew, also, are only twentw-four men
/ all told ~
Certainly this was not very cheering
prospect with pirate under our lee but
however, l begged him at once to call q
council of war OF all the officers of his ship
and tie three male passengers, including
myself, in order to consult what to do il
! this frightful emergency.