The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-02-11

been many days in his old home before
he determined to while away portion
of the time, which hung heavily enough
on his hands in that not too lively abode,
by indulging himself with little of his
favorite pastime, deep-sea fishing. Ac-
cordingly, one beautiful morning, when
there was scarcely a ripple On the water,
he got three of his fathers tenants, fish
ermen, to pull him out in their boat to a
place where he would be pretty sure of a
good days sport. When they had left
land behind mt some distance they sud
denly deserted a large vessel in the Of
fing, which young Hastings assumed to
be one of the English gunboats which
cruised about III those waters in that
perilous time.
The mldshipman thought it would be
good fun to pull out to her and board
her, with one chance of finding some
old friends among her officers accord
ingly he gave the order to pull with Il
will, and before very long they found
themselves under the bows of strange
looking man-of-wi,r, about whose appear
ance there was something strikingly un-
English. Hastings began TO feel rather
uncomfortable, and the men looked
blankly at each other but before they
had time to turn the boats head in the
direction of home they were greeted by
a shrill volley of words in tongue which
Hastings, knowing somewhat of the
language, recognized to be French a
bit of bunting, as to the nationality Of
which there could be no possible doubt,
was quickly run up and amid roars of
Ion tar from fhn ETann al l,pnar'c 1aoL OF
the trap into which they had so uncon-
sciously fallen, the unfortunate boats
crew looked up and found perfect
cheUauC dc .triSe of muskets levelled at
their heads. The fishermen's blood was
reused; and l think they would have
made gallant effort for liberty and
home had not Hastings i'll few words
showed them that the slightest resistance
would be nothing short of instant death
to all four. He himself stood up in the
stern-sheets, and after a short parley
with the French Captain surrendered
himself and his men, under protest, as
prisoners of war. They were taken on
board the st. Pierre, for so was the
French vessel called, their boat cut
adrift, and then they did the best thing
they could do, under the circumstances,
made friends with their captors, and
were consequently very well and court
eOusly treated. The French commander
assured Mr.. Hastings that he quite be-
! heved his story--in fact, were the truth
| of it not 50 apparent, he would have
| been under the painful necessity of ex-
ecuting him as spy. He was indeed
desOIe that he could not set NJ. Hastings
and his men at once at liberty, but, rs Il
naval officer of rival power with which
unhappily France was at variance, M.
Hastings would easily understand that
the exigences OF warfare forbade it.
That night, little before midnight,
the Erenchman weighed anchor, and
with all canvas spread and a steady breeze
on her quarter made for the port of
Brest They had fair weather for their
voyage, and the French and Irish char
acter harmonized wonderfully, though,
with the exception of Young Hastings,
the men did not understand word of
each others language. Indeed, had it
not been for the thought of the despair
into which the poor wives and children
at home would be plunged when the
empty boat drifted in with the returning
tide, they would rather have enjoyed
their trip than otherwise.
However, 1t was fated that matters
were not to go on quite SO felcitously.
A few hours before they expected to
sight Brest, the man on the lookout sig
nailed sail on the weather-board The
Captain looked first through his tele-
scope, and then exceedingly grave. The
stranger was a man-of war, three deck
er, with the British flag flying, and APP
parently bearing straight down on them.
Should the present wind continue she
would be alongside in n short time.
Flight was out of the question so the
St. Pierre was quickly hove to, and
orders given to clear the decks and run
out the guns ready for action. Hastings
afterward said that although all his
sympathies were on the other side, still,
when he saw the French sailors bustling
about stripped to the waist, he and his
companions being the only idle hands on
that busy deck, it was all he could do
to refrain from helping them.
at last, by the time their preparations
were completed, the English vessel was
so close that by the aid of the glass they
could count the men on her deck. Then
Captain de Con1igny walked up to the
young mldsmpman with outstretched
hand.
By right you should have no kindly
feeling toward us, mon ami" he said
"but you are sailor enough to know that
l have simply done my duty-what
would have been yours had our positions
been reversed. / think you bear me no
ill-will, and you will at least admit that
we have done all in our power to tighten
your situation. Now, adieu; we shall
have sharp work presently, and you and
your men must go below it would be
both dangerous and impolitic for you to
be seen on our deck. If We do not meet
again, mon ami, you will not think of
me as Gn enemy. Adieu."
And the gallant old Frenchman shook
the lad warmly by the hand. Before the
latter, with his three companions, was
halfway down the ladder which led TO
the cockpit, boom went one of the Eng
lishman's guns, carrying away n portion
of the Pierre's rigging, and laying two
of her seamen dead on the deck. Boom
boom went the st. Pierres guns in
answer and then the action began in
earnest, and the cockpit was soon full of
fIo 1ao1 op1 1vinn