The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-30
THE PILOTS'S YARN.

r. THE PILOTS'S YARN. 559,.
"Well, MI. Rawlings, you certainly de-
serve credit for the mastery manner yoa
have run our vessel through these island
channels. in the darkest night and worst
| gale ever experienced" =
II thank you, Captain. Masterton," an
swered the old, weather beaten pilot, Dan
Rawlings, who had spent fifty of his sixty
years on salt water.
II was lucky in getting you aboard"
continued the captain Of the Virginia,
heartily, for this night you have saved our
pretty cruiser from knocking herself to
pieces upon the Goodwin Sands"
1T was nasty night, captain, and this
craft is staunch one, or she'd be drift
! wood now, " modestly replied the pilot, and
trim schooner I once sailed in with Capt.
Egerton, now thirty years ago, when free
hooters were rather plentiful in the south
ern seas"
"Ah! then you have had some experience
with these fellows, have you? but come
into my cabin and will brew hot punch,
and it may cause you to let run your
| tongue-tackl in yarn of buccaneer
times" and the cruiser having let fall her
anchor in a quiet cove, the captain
| beckoned to some of his officers 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 delicious punch it did unloose
the tongue of the old pilot, for after DASH
! ing off his second glass, he said bluntly:
80 you'd like me to spin yarn o the
days of pirates, captain and gentlemen?"
A general assent was the reply, and
Pilot Rawlings cleared his thoat Of the salt
spray, and began:
1T was over twenty years ago, gentle
men, that was sailing Captain Egerton
in the Constitution and his business was
pirate hunting, the secretary having
given him rowing commission to run off
the sea few ships that always left red
wake after them.
We had visited the Isle of Pines. and
several other buccaneering haunts, and
had captured several lagoon pirates, when
we sighted a schooner which I had often
seen before, and which was known to be
under the command of a man who answered
10 Inc nall OF captain Gain.
ut was said he had once been British
naval officer, but had killed his 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 was he knew how to han
die craft in action and in storm, and got
rich off of Spanish and Portuguese treasure
ships, with an occasional dash at an Eng
| lish or French vessel, for he never robbed
| an Anne rican merchantmen. and always ran
from 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 we'll, 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 style that showed us he
had often gone IN there before, for he held
steadily on and soon disappeared from
sight in an inlet that penetrate d into the high,
bold coast.
ut was only blowing three-k knot breeze,
but that was enough to knock our forefoot
of, if we struck any of the numerous reefs
I saw around us, so we shortened sail to
| Just enough to work the craft, and going
into the foretop, I p,loted by narrowly
watching the water ahead.
''In this way we got into as ugly hole
as ever saw, and soon after dropped an
Choir in the inlet, which was sorry to see
was not a safe harborage, except with the
wind off shore.
"A dozen lagoors, or creeks, seemed to
run off from the cove further inland, and
in one of these we knew the pirate must be
hidden; but as it was nearly sunset, we
L. -
knowing he could not run out without pass
ing US:
ashore alone, for wanted to examine our
surroundings, and landing at pleasant
spot, was engaged in looking around me,
when was surprised by seeing a GENTLE
man approaching me.
He was dressed in uniform, and was as
pleasant a looking man as one could wish
to meet, and politely raised his cap, while
he said in perfect English
"'Good evening, sir; you are from the
American schooner, believe?
"'Yes, SIR 1 answered, wondering who
he was.
"'And may ask who is her commander?
Certainly, sir; Captain Egerton:
Il saw him start, and, [ thought, turn
pale; but he said, pleasantly
Egerton, and say to him there is hurri-
cane threatening, and he had better put to
sea before dark, or his vessel will be lost
in that cove
"This made me little suspicious of his
desiring to aid the pirate and so I asked
him
".And who might you be, STRIP
"'Tell Captain Edgerton thst Edward
Herbert says he is in deadly danger where
he now is. and again bowling he turned
away, when l called out
"'Are you Edward Herbert?'
"'Once, sir, that was my name; now men
call me Captain CAIN
Il sprung toward him, my hand on my
cutlass, but he laughed lightly and said:
beware, for half q hundred brave fell
lows have their eyes on you, and if you
doubt it, you can advance nearer to me-
II did not doubt it, and he turned away,
while made my way OK to the boat and
then to the cruisar, and told wh0t had
passed.
edward Herbert! he is my cousin, and
he it was who took his brothers life, some
said from iealously and some say in self
defense; poor Ned, we were always good
friends, but I'll not take his sdvice,' said
Captal, Egerton, sadly.
"But soon after dark we wished that we
had, sure enough the hurricane came, and
then we saw that the cove was q death trap,
for our vessel Jagged her anchors, and
wreck stared us in the face, while the sea
rushed into the inlet, and was hurled back
from against the cliffs in way that threat
ened to swamp us,
Suddenly when we had given up all
hope, out of the very cliff, it seemed, came
a schooner flying like whirlwind, and
directly toward us; but strangest Of all she
seemed to be phantom, rather than a real
vessel, and I knew that we beheld the
wierd craft that sailors had often reported
beholding in storms off the coast of Cuba.
and stranger still, she seemed to be
carrying heavy pressure of canvas, when
we hardly dared. set storm sails, and a
greenish ght rested on hull and rig
ging. |
"'The Storm Phantom!" cried some of
the crew, while others called out:
"'No! it's the pirate schooner
"That she was armed and crowded with
men we all now saw, and her guns were
run out and the men at quarters, in spite of
+bo oforn,. Init at 20 holm, T cow nro MI,