The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-08-18

'*Looka little away to the left Of the stern
of the cutter"
But as said this the log closed ali round
again and Shelvocke shook his head:
II see nothing" he answered, and went
to the side and looked over; then returned
to me. "She has not an inch of way on
her!" he exclaimed, and motioned with his
head to the leadsman. The fellow dropped
the lead softly; the soundings made twenty
two fathoms.
Four bells were struck in the fog. The
tone was marvelously clear, and SO close DIS
to make me start, and moment after we
heard a mans voice hailiAg some o0e aloft
or forward on the vessel.
What lingo was that?" exclaimed Shell
woke, eagerly.
II only caught two words, 'laissez! lais-
SER which I take to be French for d op
it!" answered.
"Hush!" cyied Shelvocke; and at that
instant another voice called out loudly.
This evidently came from sloft; it seemed
to be up in the air over our heads.
Shelvocke made no remark, but walked
aft, and stood looking over the taffrail. For
some minutes we stood staring and listen
ing, and we're beginning to think that it
would end the vessels drifting apart and in
our getting NO sight of our neighbor if the
fog not lift before the night came, when all
once the fog tbinned right abeam, as
though lane was opened in it by passage
of wind, and disclosed about quarter Of
spangle of sunlight touching the further
extremity of it. The folds of the fog roll
ing to the southwark. this lane went with
them, and when it reached the quarter,
there, standing in the clear space of it, and
about pistol shot away from the ISgress,
large black ship of not less than six hun
dred tons, lying broadside on to us with
great channels which gave her rigging ire
mendously wide spread, and immensely
square lower yards: The fog came down
as low as her tops, so that all of her upper
spars were hidden. She showed five guns
for her broadside. sprang aft to take her
bearings by the compass, and when looked
again she was gone. But gone only to the
eye, for now that they had seen us, the ear
could determine their whereabouts with
laughable precision. 1t was evident that
our sudden apparition had greatly alarmed
her people. We heard q whole volley of
| orders Numbered out in French; ropes were
let 60, blocks squealed, yards were sharply
braced around.
"A merchantmen, and fine one!" ex-
claimed Shelvocke. Mr.. Corney, you
speak French, believe. in way to deceive
Frenchmen," said Shelvocke. will you
please hail that vessel, and get them to tell
what they know Of her?'
What vessel, captain?" said Corney,
staring into the fog.
why, the vessel you can hear, sir!''
"Ho, the ship ahoy!" shouted Corney.
"Who are you?" came back the reply.
"The French schooner st. Brieur, from
the north, bound to St. Nazaire," respond
ed Corney, promptly. and you?"
There was no answer to this; instead,
heard a sound uncommonly like the travers-
ing of carronade-slid accompanied by
more hauling, and pulling, and boxing
about of the Yards.
"Mind!' sung out. They are making
ready to give us a broadside, sir. They
evidently suspect u.s."
And sure enough, as I said this, the
white mist flashed up like crimson, as
though mine had exploded close aboard
heavy roar of artillery followed, and the
sea was torn up by shower cf grape about
twenty feet away from u.s.
"Let them have it, men!" shouted Shell
woke, in voice that must Immediately
have let the Frenchmen into the secret Of
the st. Brieur; "aim as point, and high.to
cripple her for us when the fog lifts. How
does she bear, Mr.. Madison2"
Northeast three quarters east, sir"
He glanced at the compass, and indicated
the position of the vessel by extending his
hand: The guns were canted and fred. In
all five pieces were discharged, land to judge
by the crashing and splintering of timber
and several sharp yells, the grape and round
shot had pumped faithfully home.
Another broadside followed from
the Frenchman, and again the
iron sleet tore up the water wide Of the
mark. From the heavy, broad scattering
of the missiles, it was plain that they were
fighting us with carronades, and it seemed
by the explosions that the metal was of
heavy calibre.
Our men. following the direction indi-
| Gated by Shelvocke fred again, and once
| more we heard tho grape rafting and tear
| ing along the invisible deck, and the splin-
| tering and crashing of yards and masts
aloft. If the fog was thick before, there
remains no word to express the capacity Of
! it now that the smoke of the cannon hung
around us. Although, as have said, the
| enemy lay within pistol shot, the very fame
spouts of his last broadside had not glanced
| the least reflection on the solid body OF
| smoke aud vapor; the men stationed at our
guns could scarcely see one another, and
when we fired our third broadside they had
nothing but the recollection of the spot in
dicated by the captain to go by.
Five times the Frenchman fred at us,
and the last time his grape sung close along
the port side of the schooner, showing they
we're aware that their shot had taken no
effect, and that that they had shifted their
! aim. A little more and this broadside
| would have raked us, for they fred with
depressed muzzles, aud their vessel was
twice as high out of water as ours. AS it
| was, not single shot touched u.s.. We had
taken their bearings, though they had evil
| IDENTITY not taken ours, and it was by omis-
sions of this kind, apparently SO inconsid-
| cradle, but in reality of the very first i'm
| portance, that French navel officers lost
most of the vessels entrusted to them by a
country whose reverses on sea were only to
be equalled by it's disasters on land.
We were in the act of giving them
fourth broadside, when they hailed to say
| they surrendered. Shelvocke Immediately
! ordered the pinnace to be lowered and
| name with twelve seamen, in charge of
Mr.. Tapping, with orders to take possess
| ion. The boats crew were armed to the
| teeth, Shelvocke being apprehensive of
| treachery, and small compass being sent
down, and the vessels bearings given, the
pinnace showed off, and was immediately
! swallowed up in the fog.
We waited anxiously for Tapping's hail to
announce his arrival, the men being still at
quarters and the guns doubled shotted,
| ready to bestow their terrible dose should
the boats crew meet with any resistance.
But we had no fear that the third mate
would overshoot his mark, as he had the
bearing Of his prize and it was certain, from
the result of our broadsides, that the vessel
had not drifted half her own length from
the spot in which we had sighted her.
| We remained waiting for some time-1,
! for one, expecting every moment to hear
pistol-shots and the clash of cutlasses, as
| thought it extremely probable that the
Frenchman had called for quarters as an
excuse to get his boats out and tow away
from the place in which we had nailed MIN,
when, to our great relief, we heard q shout
from Tapping.
"Hallo!" answered Shelvocke.
Its all right. sir. She's splendid hip.
| We've got the Frenchmen under matches,
and liberated the prisoners.
"Whats the name of the vessel?"
"The Hanover, bound from London to