Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-19
NOW CONQUERED THE PIRATE.
BY HARRY BoLINGBROKE.

BY HARRY BoLINGBRoKE.
'Let's have sea-fght !
every well-lets p
There: that was all the challenge, which
resulted in one of the most destructive con
tests in the annals of naval warfare: that il
within the limits of our duck-pond.
Cousin Charlie and I had grown tired o
rigging, painting, altering, and launch
ing our boats. Even racing had lost it
charms lat least for me, as my craft always
came in last) She was handsome boat
but DOOR sailer. "But we had heard Of
battles, and we longed" for an opportunity
to signalize ourselves on the 'sdeck." More
over, we had just been reading -devour
ing [ should rather say-a volume Of "PI
ratical Adventures, that had the effect O
firing our imaginatiors up to white heat
What jolly thing it seemed to have
*'long, low. rakish looking craft" come
skimming up alongside about daylight IL
the morning; and then just as she get:
within a quarter of mile, to give her {
laundering broadside, and send her II
s'Davy Jones Locker" with all her crew O
cut-throats That's the fun
Or, suppose we were pirates ourselves
what a splendid thing to pounce on rich
East Indiaman, put the crew IN irons, fill
up our vessel with silks, and wines, ant
gold, and monkeys, and coffee, and sugar
plums, and gingerbread, and ostriches, and
everything else and then go and sell ou1
plumber, and hide the money in a desert
island Hey
Well, noble and generous thoughts like
these filed our souls with such warlike as
pirations as led to the above challenge.
'IlI be pirate r' cried my cousin
jumping up and down, and clapping hif
hands against sides in a manner that made
him look more like goose.
And I'll be "a corvette p said I, a
hap-hazard, without the faintest idea O
what a corvette was-whether man or
vessel; only I knew it was something il
the nautical way. In fact, [ rather admir-
ed the word it sounded smart and fierce
So we declared war against one another
and resolved to commence hostilities be
fore breakfast the next day.
In the meantime there was much to b.
done.
Our vessels nee ded considerable fixing
up. Peace and war are very different things
quite opposite. one may say. The ropes
and spars, and deck arrangements, tina
would do very well for mere pleasure voy
ages from one mud bank to another, would
not do when shot and shell were whizzins
round. Then we had to ship our cannon
and fix them in position, and put every
thing in fighting trim.
Our maynard was the corner of an atti
room; we had it in common: and so will
our tools. When the pirate was chipping
away with my jack-knife, I was punching
with his brad-awl; when he was splittin,
his sticks with my gimlet, I was cutting m.
fingers with his chisel; and so forth. Il
truth, the awl and knife were about all tn
instruments we found use for; they served
every purpose.
For time we worked very amicably to
gether, perspiring and chatting side b,
side, just as if we were sworn friends instead
of pirate and corvette, each bent on ut
terly demolishing the other.
o, it was q most charming autumn after
noon. The open window let in the sweet
fresh air, and the incessant chirp of katy
dds. We could see the blue, hazy hills
and the white, still clouds, and could heal
the village sounds come mingled and soft
ened up to our little workshop. We were
filled with energy, and life, and hope, an(
as desperately in earnest as ever were tive
hostile commodores. Ny cousin, the pi
rate, was certain of knocking me into
cooked hat" and ] equally confident o
blowing him out of the water.
My cousin, the pirate, had rather a disa
greeable way of haunting and jeering, tina
used to annoy me very much. He wal
also given to brag, which didn't relish a
all and so we used often to have little spatl
which, however were soon over.
"How shall we know when either of us
beaten, though ?" asked the captain O.
The Rouer, wiping his face with his shirt
sleeve.
s'Let me see, said I, refectively. ''Why
whoever has his foremost shot away first
go no I wouldn't give in for that, " said
the pirate.
''Well, but your flag would be gone"
81 know it; but can't rig up juryma5t
for my flag p
Yes, I suppose So" said l. ''but we
might 60 on all day that way, and neither
of us give in"
''Wel I'll tellyou," said he; ''whoever
is out of powder first"
Now, he had twice as much ammunition
as |, but, to be sure, his gun was about
twice as large; STILL l thought it best to
object. unless we had equal quantities OF
powder.
Let US each have pill box full, said I
''and I'll agree"
'.Pshaw what's pill-box - said the
pirate, contemporary. "4ou mean a
magazine p
-ga-zine p / exclaimed scornfully;
''no, don't mean magazine y
"Ha, ha l don't suppose you know what
a magazine is, )" said he.
''Humph don't [ indeed ! I suppose l
don't know magazine from a spelling
book, or a"
Here the pirate reared right ont; and
got bewildered and mad, and didn't care
how soon the war commenced.
Did you ever hear of a powder maya
zine ?" asked tie pirate, wiping his eyes.
Powder your granny" said with much
bitterness.
Yes, powder magazine, said he, per-
tmaclousiy sticking to his point; ga place
to keep powder in; every fool knows that
There's my magazine" continued he,
squeezing up big lump, in his pants
pocket; land if l don't give in till that's
out, your old tub won't be good for much,
[ can tell you-coryette or borvette r'
Now, this was plaguy provoking talk, but
it was his way. He was older, and strong
er than l. or perhaps l might have been for
fighting him in very different style from
what we intended. However, [ swallowed
my anger, being somewhat used to his
style.