The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-08-18
CATCHING A TARTAR.

CATCHING A TARTAR.
$50 you want grandpa to tell youa
story, do you? Well, you have been
a pretty good boy, my lad, and you
shall have a yarn-one that your
grandma there will remember, I'll be
bound. She says I like to spin the
yarns as well as you do to hear them,
and, to tell you the truth, it does re-
mind me OF the days that are now past
and gone.
"Ah, well, we can't always be
young, eh, Betsy? You and | have
sailed in company now nigh on to fifty
four years; but you are getting i'm
patient, youngster. You'll get over
that when you have drifted about the
world as long as I have.
cit wa in the year 1880 that I took
command of the clipper schooner Ma
bel. She was a beauty, and no mis-
take-long, low and rakish, with spars
and canvas that would have answered
for a boat almost twice here size. She
was well manned, carried one gun just
abaft the foremast-for you must
know, youngster, she was destined for
a dangerous trade-at least dangerous
lat that time. We were destined for
Campeachy, Laguna and Tampico, in
in the gulf of Mexico, which was re-
ported as swarming with pirates.
st owned an interest in the Mabel,
and your grandma then was anxious to
take a voyage with me; SO, as the &C,
commodations were fine, I concluded
to crafty her but l never did ap-
prove of petticoat on board ship, no.
how"
You had better tell your grand
IfS5 GGnmheE # days you spent
teasing me to get ready, before I
would consent to CO., replied the sill
- 1--~, 5IoLIoihs uvor noE
spectacles at her ancient spouse, who,
however, paid no attention to the in
terruption.
Well, we got away all right, and
stood to the southwark with a fresh
breeze, no incident occurring until I
reached Catouche bank. It is a dam
gerous shoal, and caused me many an
hour of anxiety, I was under short sail,
feeling my way along with the lead,
and what with want of sleep and anx-
iety | was pretty well worn out both
in mind and body.
".Your grandma finally prevailed
uaon me- TO take some rest, and, leav-
ing the deck at midnight in charge of
the chief mate, I went below, after
charging him strictly to call me if any
strange sail hove in sight.
II always have thought, and al
ways shall, that the mate fell asleep,
taking a pretty long wink, for he came
down suddenly, rousing me off the
transon, where I was sleeping soundly.
saying there was a sail close aboard of
us.
81 sprang on deck in considerable
alarm, I can tell you, closely followed
by your grandma there, who heard the
mate call me. Now you must know
that in her day Betsy Huntress was
the prettiest craft that ever flung a
ribbon to the breeze. Small, neat and
natty, she was as rakish a clipper as
the Mabel. lee.tle full in the bows,
think, and perhaps a trife heavier
on the codp-"
"There, grandpa, that will do with
that portion of your story. That boy
probably knows a great deal of your
sea terms"
" You attend to knitting, Betsy, and
I'll spin the yarn. Your grandma's
fgure-head did not have o wrinkle in
it then, and her cheeks we're as red as
roses.
When / got on deck there was
the stranger close under the stern ;
and no wonder the mate was excited
when he called me, for a more fright
full piratical craft I never run across.
Bang went q musket shot whizzing by
my ears, and passing through the fore
sail, as he rounded to under nv lee.
HE hailed me in broken English.
ordering me to heave to and he would
send boat aboard.
81 saw that her deck wa crowded
with men, that she carried a number
of guns, but all hope did not desert
me for by running his craft to leeward
Of me the lubber displayed his igno-
rance.
q deemed it unfortunate that
your grandma should have been seen
by the ~rascals, but it was too late to
bemoan over that fact. The murder
Gus devils were already rushing eagerly
aboard, and d dozen stood ready to
jump into the light shallop which they
were hosting out.
. had come TO the wind, taking
care to keep steerage way on her, edg.
ing up TO windWard the whole time,
while the pirate was drifting bodily to
leeward. I watched my opportunity.
and, as the boat was being lowered, I
went about on the other tack, dancing