Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1864-04-19
The Pirates Attack.


light breeze from the shore and knew of
nothing to detain US unless we were over
hauled by pirates, who were reported near
the island. We had been cautioned to
look out for the rascals, as they were in the
habit of dropping alongside of vessels and
numbering all on board.
One evening, as we were lust moving
through the water, called the masters
attention to something near the land. lie
started as be looked in the direction iudi.
Gated
There they are = said the captain, the
rascals have rowed clear of us, and are
coming on the st. Domingo side. Stand to
your arms, boys the rogues are upon u.s.
In an instant every man was at bis post.
ana on the alert. Stand in the shadow
OF the spars and rigging to be out ofsighs,'
continued the captain, and not man of
You IRE TIL give the word
'Ay, ay, eir,' responded the crew, with
nautical precision.
And now said the captain, who really
went to work in business liz g style. let's
get this gun on the other tack, Mr.. Bry, to
be ready fer the gentlemen
The music OF tho piece was according
ly thrust through the opposite port, keep
ing dead aim at the boat, which was now
little more than a quartz. of a mile dis
tant from US.
Strange said l, that the fellow shoold
choose to row against the moon, when by
so doing, they must know We should see
the glitter of their oars
i suspect replied the captain, that
they had no choice about it. You forget
that We have more or less wind of the land
since sunset. and are at least six miles
from where we were then. The probabl>
ity is, that the rogues lost us after night
fall but it seems that they have found US
! at last
The boat was now very near Ne, still not
| a sound came from her. The closest and
most painful attention could not hear the
dip of her oars, which rose and fell like
pieces Of mechanism gittering in the moon
! light like blades of silver.
! Boat ahoy! cried the voice of Captain
| BoltrOp, in its most startling tones. No
! answer was returned to this summons, and
the oars were piled more lively. Keep off
you Iascels,' again shouted our command
er, I'll! or III blow you cut of the wa
| ter y
This threat and the frebrand which l
fourished with great fsrceness, seemed to
make the pirates hesitate. The motion Of
| thought the victory already achieved, and
he again raileG his voice IN tones Of au>
| tho-ity:
Throw your arms overheard, and come
alongside
A volley Of musketry was the reply 10
this summons-a dozen bullets wbistled by
and the captains hat flew across tbs deck,
! 4 deep imprecation burst from bis lips
ba of
| issued from the quarter deck, and the ex-
! plosiOu of the piece broke upon the dead
stillne.s Of the elements with a noise like
! thunder. A distant crash, a heavy splash
| ing in the water, above which cry Of
mortal agony was terribly distinct, had
| risen in the direction Of the foe before the
smoke dispersed sufficiently - enable us
to see the effect Of our shot No boat was
! then to be seen, nor any trace Of her crew;
we had in all probability sent every soul
into eternity.
BY Georgev cried the captain, with
something like compunction in his tone.
aud rubbing his head with his heudker-
| chief, Il would rather have taken the ras.
Gals and had them decently hanged, than
sent them to the bottom IN this uffhand
manner. You couldn't have made bet
ter shat. Mr.. Bry, if
4 hurrld yell, rising apparently from
! the very depths beneath the ship, stopping
| HIM III the middle Of his speech. A boat
! glded cut Of The smoke, and, shooting un-
| der our bows, a dozen dark forms were
seen springing from it to the side of the
| ship. But our precautions had been wise-
! ly taken, and were comI letely successful.
| No sooner did they touch the slippery yes-
sci than most of them, with the most hor.
rid llIsphemies, fell back into the sea,
| swapping their pistols at US even after they
were filed with water. At the same mo-
ment their boat, which had been COM
! plet,ly riddled by our shot, filled and sunk
to the bottom. Three only got upon deck,
and were Immediately overpOwered and Sc
| cured. Five more were with great diff.
Guilty dragged out Of the water. and dispos-
! ed uf in the came manner. One powerful
! felDw, however, was not so easily oueled,
| lie had succeeded in getting one foot upon
deck, when young seaman, named Ralph
| flew at him with the ferceuess of tig-
| er.
| They closed, and after balancing a mo-
mept between the deck aud the water, the
! pirate who was mucb the heavier man.
| fell backward overheard, dragging his an
| tagopist with him. They both sunk, but
soon rose about four rods from the ship,
cliuging closely together. Then commence
ed a combat the most singular and appal-
| ling [ had ever witnessed. No one on
board seemed to think of deviying means
! of assisting our champion. No enc dared
! to fire upon the pirate for so closely were
! they coied together, so rapid their eYolu>
tions, and so dim the light shed by the
mnou, that it was impossible to hit one
without eDdangering the life of the other.
At the commencement of the struggle,
their efforts seemed to be aimed solely at
drowning each other. They whirled over
on the top of the water, dashing it about
like wcun1ed sharks. Both then sunk and
for while were lost to our sight Pres
emily they arose again, and exchanged
thick and heavy blows, and closing with
redoulled fury, sunk again. Neglectng
TO use their weapons, which would have
put q speedy end to the fray, they fought
more like savage beasts of prey, bent on
tbFOttling each other, than like human be-
ings.
Shall we stand and see our man muir
dered 2 at length exclaimed voice from
among the crew. 1t operated like mag
ic to break the spell that had fallen upon
all.
Clear away the boat there = shouted the
captain, and SIX men sprang to execute
the order. just then, after an effort of
unusual ferceness. both Of the combatants
sunk. They remained out of sight so long
that the men who were letting down the
boat suspended their operations, and we
all stood breathless with uncertainty and
anxiety awaiting their re-appearance.-
At length. about thirty yards eff the wa.
tiers parted but only one man was seen to
rise.
is it you, Ralph p cried the captain 10
a suppressed voice.
Here is some of him, at least, on nv
knife biede,' responded the freebooter, with
| ha Il.