The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-11-26
CHAsED BY A PIRATE.

twenty Year, y L was nadteI VI N.N
shin Atticus. sailing out of Casino. She
would be thought q small ship nowadays,
being Of but three hundred and ten tons
burden, but she was large for those days,
and was the fastest ship that ever sailed
out Of Penobsoot Bay. Well that she was
80, my dear children, or / should not be
here to-day.
II was in the West India trade, and hav-
ing taken in about one third of a cargo at
a windward island, that is, one lying farth-
est to the east, was running down TO a lee
ward island, about six hundred miles, to
fll up my ship.
One third OF a cargo just made a perfect
set Of ballast for a heavy wind, so that my
ship could not have been in a condition to
sail faster. And this, too, was providen-
tial," said the old man, piously. "as you
will soon see. for had she been either fully
laden or in light ballast we should have
been overhauled and lost
eat that time there were great many
pirates in the West Indian seas. They
were merciless creatures, aud killed oil
whom they captured
20 "What did they want TO kill them tory
| said, cit didn't make them any richer.
40, IL they had spared one, he might
sec them afterwards, IN Boston or New
York, when they came there so spend thor
money, and 30 might bear witness against
them, and cause them 10 be punished. In
earlier years the pirates were more merciful
but when some had been convicted by cham
cling to meet persons whom ~theyelad spar
ed, the others said, "Dead man tell no
tales. and murdered oil whom they took.
"One morning, when We were about
halfway 10 our port, n fair wind was blow
-. -. r...tT,T f,IaaA anH up wara ruu-
ming under short sail. AZ sunrise ] came
ON deck, and took my glass, ns I alwayr
| did in the morning, to look around and sec
| il any sail we're in sight. And far away to
the east, straight astern, j could barely
| discern a schooner standing TO the north
j had lust fairly made her out, when her
course was suddenly changed, and she DO
gan sailing directly after us. In u few
minutes / saw more sail spread upon her
First n reef was taken ont Of the topsail
then the ~top-gallant sailwas set, and thei
a great square-sail was lot down from th'
| fore-yard. Evidently she WAS chasing us
IL did notlike 10 alarm tho crew; 30
said nothing about the vessel aston, 80
called tho mate and said, MIR. Mason, IL
beat 10 make the most Of n fair wind, yol
may shake out the reef from the topsails
and seS the top-gallant sails"
"'AlF hands aloft TO make sail : u
, shouted. Then coming up 30 mo, lookiu
A little pale, he said, What is 1t Captain
for he had noticed that l bad kept th
glass at my eye agood while.
" 'Nothingof greatconsequonce lguess
! said I.
' Something, I'm certain he said
himself, but went away.
+, az didn't keep the secret long, for who
: the sailors had done making sail, n
= them spied the schooner, aud cried Sa
no = They all saw her, and knew in
moment what it meant. Coming down
the deck, they stood in n group, lookir
pretty anxious, but keeping quiet, NJ
gazing 10 me as il / carried oil their liv
In my hands. Before long we could s.
4 tho schooner plainly, from tho dock wi
: the naked eye. How swiftly she camo OF
J And we, too, were rushing forward ut
great speed.
! ''Soon'the mate came aft agaiu. Coz
Dunbar, we are ready to set moro sail,
you say So
: "'Not now / said, 'we1l see. II
4 wind freshens fast, and I'm not sure '
! could carry more sail with safety"
4 SIN an hour more the pirate was on
three or four miles nstern. We could =
: her decks crowded With men. And preseI
i ly up won't tho black flag
! "'My God there it is! cried all {
" crew rs with one voice.
eyes, there IL was; and now If we cou
outsail the pirHte, we lived, ii not, we die
"The wind had been ireshening fast
the while, and was now n sharp gallo,
q had never in my life, perhaps, had 30 mu
= canvas on in so heavy q blow, but we It
spread more.
"'Set the courses. .'
"You should have seen tho meu fly
y obey. They had tho courses on in abe
= the time il COMMONLY takes n seaman
shift his quid of tobacco from one cheek
the other .
Il 81 now waited TO see five were goi
" fast enough; but soon perceived, only {
- plainly, that tho pirate still gained up
: us, though slowly at last. I looked up
!; the masts. They were bending Ii
coach whips-that they did not 60 oy
q board seemed u miracle-and yet
az must carry more sail
" "'Gct on the ~studding Sails l said; @
= must trust in God TO mako the ship bC
il through
- "At any other time had / ordered I
M seamen aioft when the masts were thre
- sning each moment Il go by the boai
they would have refused, now they spra
up tho shrouds like cats. Studding-s
~ after s~tudding-sail was set; then we {
out the boats sails, and spread them VIII
70 ever they would catch a capful of VIII
"a And still not a spar nor a yarn parted.
seemed to me that they were held only
the mighty power Of God.
"There were a few moments Of deep 81
pense. l stood turning my eye now al
at the bending, groaning masts, then
m tern at our fierce pursuer. Courage boy
IL | cried; she no longer gains
'FWhat a hurrah But next momI
20 they we're still az death again, for ii d
10 not seem possible that the top-hAml
'r could not hold out; and the swapping
er n spar or rope would have doomed us
- 'tAnd SO for an hour, that soemedaye
n The ship flow. but the moments Tagged
how they Jagged Still the wind increas,
a / could see that the pirate was ploughi
terribly into the sea, and that ii the vi
n went on increasing she must soon take
sail. Presently there was a puff of smC
M at her bow, and a "cannon-ball plunl
n into the sea, a quarter of q mile aste
IL The men quailed n little, but l said Go
n boys they begin 10 see that they cam
o. catch rs Soon another ball which W
n farther, but was wild. She kept firing
* halt an hour. some of the balls wo.
Nv have struck, had they been well ain
n but the fire hindered her speed, and
I'd lost ground considerably.
I'd at was now nine o'clock. by this u
10 the gale was too much for her, and
~ great square-sail was taken IN. She
oy eaten saPidly AZ Vne o'clock her hull 90
I'd no longer be seen, and she gave up
:" chase, hauling 10 and shortening sail
It, now had the studding-sails and 70,
IT, taken in. and ordered dinner, for as yet
IN man had tasted food. We soon left
i'll out Of sight. But if God did't hold
Ie. masts in that day, / don't know what di
10 DAVID A wEssOl