Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-10-09

"It certainly is oil wal Row brave
were the men thou must decide. So. 10
begin: IL was n dozen years ago, pretty
nearly, when had just come ashore
from u long cruise, and was in the great
est hurry to 90 home and see my mother,
that, Just as | was fairly ready To go, the
captain of the Deiverancc fell sick, and
I was ordered to take his place and he
ready to sail Mt once. did not like 1t.
II was compliment, hut would rather
rave gone home-you see | had been
away for years. Thou dost not wave
thy sword over thy head said Count
Hohenstack, who was my friend. i
keep ii for fighting. not waving said /,
but in truth | had no heart for wav-
ing. AS for the Deliverance. she was q
good little frigate oil twenty-eight guns.
and had rs n eomrade, and under my
guns, and my old messmate, Casper
Brissac, for captain. What we had TO
do was TO take fleet of twenty mer-
chantmen to Genoa. IL was dangerous
service, tor we were mt war with Eng
land. and her ships were lively enough
| il there wa the prospect of prize nlloat.
I'VE had to hurry our preparations.
rs the captains illness had put things
back. and one day when | was ut the
inn, seeing people. | was told some one
wanted TO see me and wouldn't come in.
When went out, long after. there sat
| my dear little mother. and near by was
old Gray Jacques harnesscd to the
cart, with Jules driving. How glad
was too see her! She had come, she
said. TO see me before I sailed. mt once
told everybody that wanted me to come
that night. and took my mother off to
tl..,. IL. "A. a "a a.. l.. l.
il pleased her to see me captain of it!
Then, rs she stood on deck. looking at
the busy rushing to and fro as the YES
sells were loaded. and rs she tried To un-
derstand just which belonged To my con
voy,7she turned and said: jean. art
thou afraid2" No. mother. mean To
do my best. | did not ask for it, and If
the wrong man was chosen the fault Is
not mine Well. WELL said She. re
member this-and thy mother il is who
says it-think of Jean Berthold last"
Louis nodded his head, the story was
of the right kind.
The next day, Mt noon. we sailed
1t was all very good for time. but off
the coast OF Spain we met the English
men two ships. One carried forty
eight, the other forty-four guns. IL was
great odds. Louis, My surgeon stood
by me at the moment. There's no use
in it, he said. No use in what?' In
making show OF fight? Wei have to
surrender ut last This was n nice way
To talk To a superior officer, wasn't it?
And give up the merchantmen? said |.
of course. They will necessarily be
captured, and we have to think Of our
selves sometimes Not first said |:
we didn't come out for that So just
ord FFaI him hafavtr onl VafI t4fr,, Ia
opened his mouth to the men in this
way he would never doctor any one
again; and then we went into action
1t was lively work. Louis. and enough.
as the Cabin-boy says, TO make shark
laugh, 10 see how desperately our guns
fired. We had so few in comparison
with the enemy that we had To do
double work. Fortunately we had
plenty Of ammunition. There was but
one thing To do-to keep both English
men engaged and let the merchantmen
get off. II we had let one of them flee
our fleet would have been lost, SO We
kept at it. When the merchantmen
were out of sight, when our decks were
slippery with blood and our masts gone.
we surrendered, but it was to the sec.
ond mate Of one of the vessels. for the
officers were all dead. There was hut a
handful Of US left, and we were hurried
on board the enemy, rs our ship was
sinking fast. As for me. had ball in
my leg, and Brissac cut on his
shoulder"
What became Of the surgcon7" asked
Louis.
His uncle smiled. when I sent him
below he went To the hold; he couldn't
get any further down than he did. and
har. thn TgAls farnI ItV. aeA ratFnI hin,
out to attend the wounded. put n man
over him to make him dress a wound.
and never saw him aflerward."
Louis nodded his head and drew closer
to his uncle.
I'VE" continued the old sailor. were
taken to- Portsmouth. and when we
reached the shore we were ironedi
Think Of IL, Louis, we Frenchmcn.
taken in battle. fighting like tigers and
fighting well, put in irons All. IL makes
my blood boil when | remember III |
could not walk to the prison. an1 we
were not on parole. so we were put into
n cart. and the people crowded around
va, hooting and scofiing. told Brissac
to fancy il applause. and then the louder
they screamed the better he would like
IL, but he shook his head. ~ was sick
and he was disguised. As for me. was
furiousl Never would so treat 7ris.
oner Of warl They nut us in sort Of
an inn. up in the upper room, where the
windows were tightly barred and n
quad paced the hall.
FOR some days AN English doctor
came 10 see US and dressed our wounos.
biit we had no confidence in him hut
one day the guard passed in little fel-
low and said, There. 60 work for thy
bread lie was n Frenohman--a sur
geon; and now he came and often talked
of our escape, for upon 1t we were re-
solved. The surgeon had more liberty
than we, ms he went from room TO room,
would soon have been free, but he
could not see that II was possible.
Then, one day, he came tn us in great
ioy for he had secured file and that