The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1877-09-13
THE STORY oFA GREAT PERIL.

In the autumn es the yeI, 1865,
business nocessitaied my leaving Hong
Kong, where ! had for some years re-
sided, and proceeded to Swatow, one OF
the ports upon the coast OF China, open
for foreign traffic. I arranged my ats
fairs at that place sooner than l ex-
pected; and as no steamer bound Tor
the South was in tho harbor, or ex-
pectcd for sorno days, I determining to
proceed in the Heather Een, o bark
riggod sailing vessel OF about three
hundred tons register. a.2s s
I 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.
Lotto Moore was q golden haired,
blued-eyed darling, upon whose fair
head some seventeen summers had
smiled. Upon her mothers demise.
she had Quilted her homo in England
to accompany her boreaved father in
his wanderings from Cline to CLINE.
The Heather Bell sailed from SwatoW
inst as day broke. On the evening OF
the next day, little before 10 o'clock,
I was sitting with Miss Moore in the
saloon. gadmiring some water color
sketches that young lady had executed,
when the chief mate entered.
s.There's large junk cor'nP right
toward us, sir. By tho number OF
sweeps she pulls, l reckon she carries
a considerable crew." he said.
I know what he meant, SO did the
sk;nner inst as we'll rs if he had spok
en- all that was passing il his mind;
moreover. appreciated his motive fol
roticence. for il he had said plainly thai
he feared she was pirate, 1t would
have alarmed the fair girl. who thought.
less of danger near, Sss chatting SO
vivaoiously with me.
Captain Moore ran upon deck; and
when I heard him shortly afterward tell
the mate 70 call all hands, I also pro-
coeded 10 the poop. and found him
pazine intentiy through pair OF bl
noc,,lar glasses Of q Chinese craft thai
was advancing, with furled sails, in tht
dead calm, being propelled by an array
OF oars that flashed and glittered In the
phosphorescent-w water.
"He's an ugly customer, and no mis-
take. We shant have much OF SHOW
| il he attacks US. but will lot him se'
chat we are on the abort. Perhaps We
can manage to intimidate him, ht
said as he stopped down and commence
ed casting adrift the lashings OF a small
cast.iron four>pounder that was only
useful as signal gun.
Directly this unformidable cannor
80 Ioodof with blank cartridge anl
discharged, tho junk altered her course
and nassed under our stern o consider
able distance away. Captain Moore
when he noticed this movement. was
inclined to think that she was mer'
trading Junk.
land had just sank in the sweet en-
brace of sleep, when I was startled u
| wakefulness by the boom OF heaV.
lrur. while the crash of falling spars
mingling with its echoiag thunder. told
mo plainly that our vessel was attack
led and that the first shot had taken ter
Tribe effect upon her.
I crasped my revolver, and rushet
tl,rouoh the saloon toward the compan
lionway, only halting for an instan
near the miz1ennaast to CLEAN q cut'ast
from the rack which surrounded itsa cr'
| I ascenlsd to the deck Tho. seen,
that met my eye on gaining it battles al
description. Tangled cordage, ren
| sails and riyen spars lay. in confuset
heaps around, and from under tn
Lchaotic ruins issued deep groans o
agony. fron, tho wounded and dying
| while myriads Of torches, aboard
huge junk that had ranged alongside
shed across the sea weird, yellO,
glare, revealing only too plainly th'
dread effects OF wanton carnage.
j AS the junk ran under our bows,
4 multitude OF fierce demons, powder
grinaed and unsuitable IN their lust TO