Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-10-17
HIDING FoRLIFE.
BY J. VI. SINS.

In the autumn of the year 1866. bus
mess necessitated my leaving Hon
Kong, where | had for some years re
sided, and proceeding to Swatow. on,
OF the ports upon the east coast of Chi
IA. open for foreign traffic. / arranged
my affairs at that place sooner than
expacted; and as no steamer bound
for the South was in harbor, or expect
ed for some days, determined to pro
eeed in the Heather Bell, barque
rugged sailing vessel of about thres
hundred tons register. saa az
4 / was we'll acquainted with her cap,
\ tain, but what perhaps chiefly induced
me to take passage IN his vessel was
the fact Of his daughter being aboard
Lottie Moore was a golden haired
blue-eyed darling, upon whose fair head
some seventeen summers had smiled.
Upon her mothers demise. she had
quilted her home in England to accom-
pany her bereaved father in his
wanderings from cline to cline.
The Heather Bell sailed from Swa-
tow just as day broke. On the evening
of the next day, little before ten
O'Clock, | was setting with Miss Moore
In the saloon, admiring some water
color sketches that young lady had ex-
ecuted, when the chief mate entered.
There large junk coming right
towards US, sir. By the number of
sweeps she pulls, | reckon she carries
considerable crew." he said.
l knew what be meant, and so did
the skipper, Just as we'll as if he had
spoken all that was passing in his
mind; moreover, | appreciated his
motive for retieence, for if he had said
that he feared she was a pirate, It
would have alarmed the fair girl, who,
thOughtless of danger near, was chat
ting so vivaciously with me.
Captain Moore ran upon deck and
when l heard him shortly afterwards
tell the mate to call all hands, l also
proceeded to the poop, and found him
gazing intently through pair of BIZ
nocular glasses at Chinese craft that
was advancing, with furled sails, in the
dead calm, being propelled by an array
of oars that flashed and glittered in
the phosphorescent water.
He's an ugly customer, and no mis-
take. We shan'n't have much OF a
show, if he attacks US ; but I will let
him see that we are on the alert Per-
haps We can manage to intimidate
him, he said, as he stopped down and
commenced casting adrift the lashings
OF a small cast iron four FOUNDER, that
was only useful as a signal gun.
Directly this unformidable cannon
was loaded with blank cartridge and
discharged, the junk altered her course
and passed under our stern, consid-
erable distance. Captain Moore, when
be noticed this movement, was inclined
to believe that she was mere trading
junk.
At midnight retired TO my berth. |
and had just sunk in the sweetembraee
of sleep, when I.was startled to wake
fulness by the boom of heavy gun,
while the crash of falling spars ming
ling with its echoiug thunder, told me
plainly that our vessel was attacked, !
and that the first shot had taken terri |
BILE effect upon her. br- -.f
| grasped my revolver and rushed |
through the saloon towards the COM
panion-way, only halting for an instant |
near the mizzen-mast to CLEAN a cut |
lass from the rack which surroun ed !
it, ere | ascended TO the deck. The !
scene that met my eyes on gaining it |
battles all description Tangled cord |
age, rent sails and riven spars lay in
confused heaps around; and from un-
der the choatic ruins issued deepgroans
Of agony from the wounded and dying,
while myraids of torches aboard a |
huge junk that had ranged alongs de, |
shed across the the sea a wierd, yellow
glare, revealing only too plainly the
dread effects of wanton carnage.
As the junk ran under our bows, a |
multitude of fierce demons, powder
grimed and Unsuitable in their lust for |
blood, elambered to our deck and |
pressed their way aft. The fallen |
spars and multifarious impediments
efectually prevented any one passing
along the port side; so Captain Moore,
three seamen, and myself, the only sur
vivors, rushed into the alley-way to |
starboard of the deck house, and there
stood resolutely at bay hg-
Our murderous antagonists possess
ed no firearms, but each one CARRIED
short, ponderOus, native sword, called |
pa keen these, however, were of but
little avail against the winged messen-
gers of death our trusty revolvers sent
into the midst of advancing hOrdes, un-
I'll it became apparent to them and to
us that our ammunition was giving |
out.
Find Lottie, Mr. Carter. We have |
no chances; but, for heaven'ss sake,
save her from these merciless wretches. |
| have my death-wound now" cried |
the skipper.
| sprang down the cabin stairway,
and found the fair girl kneeling at the |
table implOring succOr from. on high. |
Her face was ghastly pale. and |
tremor yisibly eonvulsed her frame |
when she saw my bloOd-stained brow.
Are they subdued? Where is my
father?' she cried, as she sprang to
her feet.
| caught herin my arms, and bore |
her bodily on deck II had it been
my intention to place her in the cap
tain's 5 gig, that. hung in the quarter
davits, and lower it in the sea; but, |
hardly had We emerged from the COM
panion hatch, when, above the clash of
steel and the groans of the wounded,
| heard ring out from three hundred |
throats, a word of dreadful import
3" Shing =. (Victory } and knew my |
brave comrades had been beaten down
that the pirates held undisputed |
possession of the vessel.
While in Swatow the ships jolly |
boat or dingy had been injured, and,
since our departure, the carpenter had |
been employed repairing her bottom.
as she lay inverted on the poop. | |
knew that / should not have time to
lower the gig, when | heard the war
cry change to a note of triumph. and |
| instinctively felt that our only chance |
of escaping death lay in concealing |
ourselves beneath the little dingy, as
the cabin and hold would be thorough
" searched for plunder.
Crawl under, quickly | will follow
you" | whispered in the ear of the
terrified girl, as i raised the stern Of
the light craft. I
As if mechanically, she obeyed me
then, with much difficulty, | managed |
to creep under, myself, an1 scarcely /
had | Recovered our frail tenement to /
the deck, ere it was surrounded by a !
horde of misereants, who were voci- |
ferating loudly. I
Even at this hour | shudder. when
| remember the agony OF suspense |