The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-10-11

Parrott gun could keep out OF ner range
and sink her with ease.
Meanwhile the chase hoisted the
Spanish flag and ran out fore and main
top-mast and studding-sails. With the
glass we could see her crew swaying at
the halyards and checking the yards.
The enormous pressure on her masts
canted them over her bows, and in the
smooth water close in shore she was 60
ing through the water faster than an
average steamer.
Presently the long thirty-two blazed
away, and the round shot went hum
ming away towards the ship. Rising
higher and higher it at last reached its
highest speed, and then began to de-
scend in graceful curve. 1t was line
shot, but it fell short, taking the water
half a mile from the chase. The chase
lowered his Spanish ensign, and in its
place the ''meteor" flag was run up and
Skipped " three times as an acknOwl-
edgment for the honor, but he did not
mean to stop by the way, for presently
we saw something white go fluttering
aloft and in a twinkling tiny top-gal-
liant studding-sail was set. A round
shot or two was not going to scare this
British seaman with the nimble legs,
and so blue cartridge was slipped
into the fOrecastle gun and a round
shot, carefully grummeted, was rammed
on top of it. Then the gun was elevated
a trife, carefully trained, and the lock-
string pulled. The gun recoiled the
whole length of the slide, and the shot
went roaring up in the air, and present
" took the water little to the right of
the ship and considerable distance be-
yond her. Again the meteor flag ac-
knowledged "honors easy" but de-
clined to "heave to-"
Both ships were now passing North
Edisto Inlet, and the Harriet Lane, a
little to seaward, was slowly gaining.
Every sail that could pull was set, and
down below the fremen were working
like beavers to keep a steady pressure
of steam up. Every little while the
long thirty-two roared out to stop, and
though the shots fell about him he
seemed to be one of the lucky chaps
that never are hit.
As the morning wore along Stone In
let was passed, the chase still bowling
along at the rate of fourteen miles an
hour, and the two vessels about two
miles apart. She could not well get
outside the Harriet Lane, because that
vessel was outside of her, and she hug
ged the shore pretty close and seemed
to know the bottom better than those
on the cruiser.
Towards noon the chase was a mile
and half ahead, and we could hear the
voice of the seaman in her chains call
ing the depth of water. The wind had
freshened, and it gave an advantage to
the chase, who was keen enough to
know it. Every little while we could
. see her crew make the rounds of the
sheets and halyards, and when they had
nothing else to do they would cluster af
and watch us. There was no regular
,, dinner in the Harriet Lane, but the mer
! drew on the scuttle-butt to keep calm
; Already some of them were building
o castles on the prize-money they were
going to have, and those not directly
engaged either at the wheel or TIT
:. "long Tom" were discussing the game
ness of the chase and the cool daring hC
:, displayed.
? After two bells the low sandy shOre
: of Hilton Hill became visible on the star
board bow, and the long reach of coas
=, that trends little easterly to the ba,
" into which the Savannah River emptie
began to appear. Here was chanc
to head him off and shorten the pursuit
:, He would scarcely run into Port Roy
al, because that would end in his cap
ture, and his only hope of escape woul
be to keep on until night, that is, if h
could keep out of our reach until tn
-. shades of night should hide him.
Accordingly the same course wa
kept well to seaward until just off POI
= Royal, when, to our establishment, tn
. chase handed her light sails and brace
=" up to run up in the bay.
"By gracious! The - fool! No
~ we have himl" and such like expression
'1 were freely vented by those on the Hal
~ riet Lane, but her head swung aroun
~ I, promptly after the stranger, and ava
~ the two vessels went booming up til
" bay.
y The two vessels at this time wei
o. hardly 1920 pards apart, and the Cal
1t tain of the cutter had given orders
y. cease firing, as he was afraid it woul
re injure his prize. Besides, to most PEI
as pie it was hardly ship-shape to train
shotted gun on man who could not +
s. taliate. 1t looked cowardly, and so ev'
ut since noon the chase had quite a peac
e, able time. Now, however, when
= seemed plain that he was sailing into
e. trap, and, at best, could not 60 al
tx farther than the head of the bay, evel
er one began to feel that in a few momen
he the stranger would let go sheets al
- halyards and "come to-"
e. Presently light Whit of smoke sh
out of ridge of sand on Hilton Hea
ly and shot singing in high key fell b
OF tween us and the chase. The cha
to clewed up his top-gallant sails and boil
lg ly stood in towards the Head, then a
to other Whit of smoke and ten-inC
lie round shot came screaming over us al
lis struck the water 500 yards beyond us.
it "The devil! Stop her," roared Il
d. Captain, and each face on board Il
IL Harriet Lane became visibly sad. II
Il "Secesh " had already fortified Pc
st Royal, and while establishment h;
T. complete possession of us the rattlir
e Al. IL. hoard the oh a