The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-06-26

instant, and then s9Iocpihg down to the
surface.
"It that doesn't mean fish," said
Joaquin in rather 8 sulky manner, "msy
l never catch another sardine SIS long as
l live"
Right, my lad" replied the patron
| cheerilv there are sardines there by
millions, and ss they are to IeeWard We
can strike them where We choose. Now
then, my lsds, have everything in readi-
ness, and stand by to down sail when
siEs the word"
In about a GGGarter kf an hour We were
/ right on to, and apparently neat the
center of the shoal, which must have
been q mile in length. Every rising
wave was literally slive with fsh, and
IS we struck in they leaped from the
water in every direction round the
galley.
Down ssil," shouted the patron, and
with good way still on the boat the net
vas east. Then came the hauling in,
and by the dead weight there eoald be
no doubt as to the take; indeed, IS the
net neaTed, the whole o the surface cons
fined became solid with sardines. Half
dozen men with scoops leaped on t.
thwart and gunwsie, ana eomHneDced
lsding the fish in, while those hauiidS
had to keep easing to give them time to
work at the dense mass; and when at
last th5 rergnants were shaken out of the
strands of the net, the patron sRid, turn
ing to me:
There, senior, you have brought US
luck. never saw a finer take, and if
there were millions more, we haven't
room Tor another hundred"
II II e.
deep, and as for the flooring, the boards
were just cast loosely over the fish.
Then, in the exubersnce of his spirits,
Clement OTue served out q glass of
aguardiente and cigar all round. As
he passed me the cup, he indicated with
the hand holding the bottle the land:
"And now for LequeitiO with as many
sardines on board ..as Pedro Artegui and
Jose Echevarria have between them.
There, abreast of US, lies ElanchOve,
and,' turning slightly, "there is Cape
MsGhiChaeo, wheTs'--
His eyes and Jaws became hzed, the
fingers opened, and The bottle fell into
the water. Following the direction of
his gaze, saw steamer rounding the
beadland, and apparently pointing
di ectly for us.
Holy Nary yonder is the govern
ment cruiser FerrOlano-up sail. lads.
and pray for the bTeeze to freshen, or
we're likely to see Cuba or the Philip
pines on board q man-of-war."
We had a good ten miles to run, with
the wind, which was increasing, on our
beam. The steamer, to cut US of, would
have to do the whole in fourteen though
when we sighted her she was not more
than seven distant. We both would be
going on diagonal lines, and ours was the
shorter 1t may readily be imagined
that the chicos needed no recommends
ton to bestir themselves. The sails
were hoisted in Iiffy, the galley trim
med to bear the strain, the course laid,
aud as the boat felt the "draw'' she
seemed to leap forward. Pedro AItegui
and Jose Echevarris were already under
the land, so they, at any rate, were sa e.
For some minutes no one spoke, the
whole attention being concentrated to
the Ferrolsno; and it soon became evil
dent, from the increasing volume OF
smoke, that she hsd caught eight OF
us and was firing up. We
were well baIlasted with the fish and
stood the spread of canvas admirably,
though tn list to port, now and again,
brought the gunwale level with the
seething water. The wind treshened
considerably, and under other circum>
stances it might have been q questiun
of taking in q reef, but We held on,
banking saTdines and men well over to
stan board. l should think we must
have been going eight or nine knots, but
for all that the FerrolanO rose percep
tibly every lew minutes, and when we
were within five miles of the entrance
to Lequeitio l could distinctly zee the
group of officers on her bridge. At tour
miles rhe was not more than fifteen
hundred yards of, and she soon let Us
know it; for following a white puff
from her bows came q shrieking howl
across our stern, which made ali hands
duck like lot If salaaming mandarins.
The FerrolanO gunner was trying his
hand, and it was pretty certain that
each succeeding shot would come closer,
and so it proved, for the next struck the
water on our starboard quarter, COM
pletely drenching the patron and my
self.
What do you think about it, senior :;
we have no chance; have we ?" asked
Clement Orue OF me in low voice.
With tolerably decent attempt at a
smile, considering the awkward position
in which we found ourselves, suggested
that while there was life there was hope,
that did not think we should be nit,
and that every momOnt we drew nearer
home. had scarcely given expression
to these comforting observations, when a
fat contradiction came to the supposi-
tion that We we're not likely to be
touched. Vrrrowww - vFiish = boom
and shell struck our riainmast about
three feet from the peak, bursting and
sending the particles humming to port.
The spar was shattered completely, and
the canvas came down with a crash,
partially falling on to the gunWale, and
! partially into the water, and as the men
slid over to port at the same time,
thought we would capsize. I g fore
sheet had also been cut, ami the sail
was banging and Topping terribly.
" Holy Mary it S all over with usS'
gasped the patron; we'd better luf up
and give in another shot win cut US in
two"
hardly know how to explain, but
somehow or other / found myself in
command.
1 presume it was that I had kept my
head having during campaigning expe-
rienCes O fifteen years, been consider
ably under fire both q ses and on lanL /;
besides, felt convinced that the cdsnces
were not altogether hopeless.
{" Now, chicOs," l shouted, down
with shat foresail-unstep both ma7ts-
get that wrecksge and dragging canvas
inboard. and out with oars that's it,
don't be furried, he has not half the
mark to shoot at now, besides which our
jumping viii puzzle him. beg your
pardon, patron, but as you are one hand
short you had better take your place on
the after thwart to make up the number
I will steer, only tell me it I can keep a
straight course tor MID entrance, with