The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-07-19
THE PILOTS YARN.

'.Well, Mr.. Rawlings, you certainly
deserve credit for the mastery manner
'you have run our vessel through these
island channels. in the darkest night and
worst gale l ever experienced"
II thank you. Captain Masterton."
answered the old. weather beaten pilot,
Dan Rawlings who had spent fifty Of his
sixty years on salt water.
d was lucky in getting you aboard"
continued the captain Of the Virginia."
heartily. ''for this night you have saved
our pretty cruiser from knocking her.
self to pieces upon the Goodwin
Sands"
cit was a nasty night, captain, and
this craft is q staunch one, or she'd be
drift-wood now" modestly replied the
pilot, and then he continued: .She re-
minds me of a trim schooner / once
sailed in with Captain Egerton, now
thirty years ago, when free hooters
were rather plentiful in the Southern
seas"
'.Ah! then you have had some expo
riencc with these fellows, have your but
como into my cabin and / will brew n
hot punch, and 1t may cause you to let
run your tongue-tackle in q yarn oi
buccaneer times" and the cruiser hav-
ing let fall her anchor in . quiet cove.
tho captain beckoned TO some Of his Of
ficers to follow. and led the way to his
cabin, treating the pilot with the marked
respect his skill and courage had won
during the past few hours Of storm and
danger.
Brewing n delicious punch It did un,
loose tho tongue Of the old pilot, for af.
ter dashing of his second glass, ho
said bluntly:
$50 you'd like me to spin a yarn q
tho days of pirates, captain and gentle
menu"
A general assent was the reply, and
Pilot Rawlings cleared his throat Of the
salt spray. and began:
..It was over twenty years ago, gen.
tlemen, that / was sailing Catain Eyer
ton In the Constitution, and his busi,
ness was private-hunting the Secretary
having given him q rowing commission
to run off the sea a few ships that al
ways left . rcd wake after them.
1--WE had visited the Isle Of Pines,
and several other buccaneering haunts,
and had captured several lagoon pi.
rates. when we sighted q schooner
which I had often seen before, and
which was known to be under the COM
mand of . man who answered to the
hail Captain Cain.
81 as said he had once been . Brit,
ish al officer. hrt hadldIladh il
brother from Jealousy, they both loving
the same girl, and had fed to sea,
where he took the name Of Cain, on
account Of his crime; but whoever he
vas he knew how to handle q craft in
action and in storm, and got rich OF
Spanish and Portuguese treasure-ships,
with an occasional dash at an English
or French vessel, for he never robbed
nm American merchantmen, and always
ran from a cruiser flying the stars and
stripes, though he'd fight double his
weight under any other flag.
"Well, we spread our canvas and gave
chase, but he kept ahead of us well.
and though seemingly able to drop us.
did not do so.
AT length we headed him off so that
he had to run in toward the coast OF
Cuba, which he did in n style that
showed US hc had often gonc'in there
before, for he held steadily on and soon
disappeared from sight in an inlet that
penetrated into the high. bold coast.
..It was only blowing = three-knot
breeze, but that was enough to knock
our forefoot of. II WI struck any Of the
numerous reefs / saw around US, so we
shortened sail to just enough to work
the craft. and, going into the foretop, ]
piloted by narrowly watching the water
I'm this way VIC got into as ugly y
hole as ] over saw, and soon after
dropped anchor in the inlet, which ]
was sorry to see was not . safe harbor-