The Shasta courier., 1863-11-28
SHASTA COURIER.
Running Down a Pirate.
** "steer due north ?" said he, ike Q

ind dangerous mane1vre he had resolved TO
ttry.
The wind was W N W; he was standing
north one pirate lay on his lee beam, stopping
leak between wind and water, and hacking
the deck clear Of his broken masts and yards.
The other, fresh, and thsting for the easy pray.
came up from the y. E., to weather on him, and
hang on his quarter. pirate fashion.
When they were distant about a cables
length the fresh pirate, to meet the ships
change of tactics, changed his own, put his
helm up little, ana gave the ship a broadside,
well aimed, but not destructive, the guns being
loaded with ball.
~>fDodd, instead Of replying as was expected,
Six advantage of the smoke and put his ship
efore the wiad BY this unexpected stroke,
the vessels engaged ran swiftly at right angles
toward one point, and the pirate saw himself
menaced with two serious evils: collision,
which might send him to the bottom OF the
in d minute, or a broadside delivered at pistol
shot distance, and with no possibility of his
making return. He must either put his helm
up or down He chose the bolder course, put
his helm hard lee, and stood ready to give
broadside for broadside But he could
bring his lee guns to BEAR he must offer his
bow for one moment to the ships broadsGe;
and in that moment which Dodd had provided
for. Monk and his mates raked him fore and aft
at short distance with all the FIVE guns that
were clear on that side; the carronades follow
ed, and moved him slantwise with grape and
canister The almost simultaneous discharge
OF eight guns made the ship tremble, and en-
veloped her in thick smoke; loud shrieks and
groans were heard from the schooner; the
smoke cleared the pirates mainsail hung on
deck; his jibboom was cut off like a carrot and
the sail struggling; his foresail looked like
laV
writhing his deck. and his lee scuppers
blood into the sea.
The ship ran down the wind, leaving the
schooner staggered and all abroad But not
for long; the pirate fred his broadsde after
all, at the now flying Agra, splitting one of the
caronnades in two, and killed Lascar, and made
hole in the foresail this done, he hoisted his
mainsail again in trice, sent his wounded be-
low, flung the dead overheard to the horror OF
their foes, and came after the flying ship, yaw-
ing and firing his bow-chasers. The ship was
silent. She had no shot to throw away. Not
only did she take these blows like coward,
but all signs of life disappeared on her, except
two men at the wheel, and the captain on the
gangway.
Dodd had ordered the crew out of the rig
ging, armed them with culasses, and laid them
fat on the forecastle. He also compelled Ken
ealy and Fullalove to come down out of harms
way.
The great patient ship ran environed by her
foes lone destroyer right in her course, another
on her wake, following her with yels of yen-
geance, and pounding away at her-but no re-
ply.
Suddenly the yells of the pirates on both
sides ceased, and there was moment of dead
silence on the sea.
Yet nothing fresh had happened
Yes, this had happened, the pirates to wind
ward and the pirates to leeward. of the Agra,
had found out, at one and the same moment,
that the merchant captain they had lashed,
and hullied, and tortured, was patient but
tremendous man. 1t not only to rake the
fresh schooner he had put his ship beforo-''A
wind hf daring mastef
to hrA xly on thss
WitiI& never a.
the way a-%s- s.v ~-s'opped the le-@ 20
away and unshpped the broken masts, III a
were stepping in IA new mast, when they sa q
the huge ship bearing down in full sail. Nothing
easier thau to slip out of her way could they
get the foresan to draw but the time was
short, the deadly intention manifest, the coming
destruction swift
After that solemn silence came a storm of
cries and curses, and their seamen went to
work TO fit the yard aud raise the sail, while
their fighting men seized their matchlocks ani
trained the guns. They we're well commanded
by a heroic, able villain. Astern the consort
th'iadered; bat the Agra's response was a
silence more awful than broadsdes.
For then was seen with majesty the enduring
Anglo-S Saxon fights.
One of that iudomitable race on the gang
way, one At the foremast, two at the wheel,
conned and steered the great ship down n
hundred iuatchocks aud a griRning broadside,
just us they would have conned and sieered her
into British harbor.
Starboardl y said Dodd, in q deep, calm
voice, with motion of his hand.
"Starboard it is
The pirate wriggled ahead a little The man
forward made silent signal to Dodd.
" Port y said Dodd. calmly.
sport tits"
But at this critical moment the pirate astern
sent mischievouS shot, and knocked one OF
the men to atoms at the helm.
Dodd waved his hand without word. and
another man rose from the deck, and took his
place in silence, and laid his unshaken hand
on the wheel stained with that mans warm
blood whose place he took
The high ship was now scarce sixty yards
distant; she seemed to know; she reared her lofty
figure head with awful shoots into the air
But now the painting pirates got their new
foresail hoisted with joyful shout; it drew, the
schooner gathered way and their furious con-
sort, close on the Agra's heels, just then
secured her decks with grape.
"Port" said Dodd, calmly.
Port it is
The giant PROV now darted at the escaping
pirate. That acre of coming canvass took the
wind out of the sehooner's foresail; it tapped
oh, then she was doomed That awful mo-
ment parted the races on board her: the Pa
puans and Sooioos, their faces lived and blue
with horror, letped yelling into tle sea, or
crouched and whmpered the vel ow M;,lays
and brown Portuguese, though blanched to one
color now, turned on death-hke dying panthers,
fred two cannon slap into the ships bows. and
mapped their guns on their solitary executioner
the ships gangway, and out flew their
ives like crushed wasp's stings. Crash the
fmans cut-water in thick smoke beat in
hooner's broadsiie; down went her masts
yard ike fshing-rois whipping the wa
vrhere was horrible shrieking yell; yild
forms leaped of OF the Agra, aud were hacked
to pieces almost ere they reacked the deek-4l
surge, chaSm in the sea, filed with an instant
rush of engulpAiag wayes-a long, awful.
grating grinding noise, never to be forgotten in
this world, all aiong under the ships keel-and
r.. g..f