The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-30


 below by one of the mates-giving those tn the brigantine the idea. that we were full of troops.
 "As the morning passed, it was evident that the bngantine's people were puzzled, and hardly knew whether to, leave us alone or not All that day and all that night we lay about half a mile apart, courtesying to each other as we rose and fell on the swell, with no incident to cause us fresh apprehension, save that at night they again got their sweeps out, and actually swept her right around us, in order, suppose, to keep us in state of panic and anxiety.
 Again the day dawned, again the blaze of sunlight streamed over the wa- ters. What is it that is making such a stir in the swarm on board the brigan. tine? Why are they getting out their sweeps again in such haste2 Are they going at last to attack usS Are they But no their stern is toward us. They are moving in the opposite direction Is help coming to us? Are they moving of in fearS Our captain rushed up into the maintop with his glass, and even be- fore he had reached that height, the shout of A saill came from his lips, and his finger pointed over our larboard quarter. Eagerly we strained our eyes in that direction, and far away, hull down beneath the horiz on, in the very quarter. to which the brigantine was steering, we saw the gleam of white which betokened the presence of a large vessel under sail.
 "' A large merchantman, homeward- bound, should say,' the captain shouted from the top. That villain must have been waiting for her when he fell in with us. Let us hope she will get away from him. She seems to have breeze, at any rate
 What relief to see that swarm of miscreants moving off by their own exer- tionS! How we followed them with our eyes and glasses as hour alter hour their sweeps rose and fell upon the now sub siding surface of the sea! By.apd-by, her sails seemed to fill, she heeled slightly to one slde-her sweeps no longer to be seen she had breeze.
 Shortly after this, an exclamation from our skipper attracted my attention. thought SO, he said; there are two of them and as we looked, just clear of the merchantmen on the other side we saw su ;picious-looking schooner. The brigantine at once hoisted a signal and fired gun, as we could see by the white smoke; and then the two evidently con- verged upon the great merchantman. She, too, saw them, that was evident, for she piled up canvas upon canvas, to WOO the too sluggish breeze. Now the foe were nearing her, and all disguise was evidently thrown aside, for puff afier puff ot white smoke darted from their sides, responded to, we were glad to see, by puffs at longer intervals from hers; and taintly on the nearing breeze we caught the sound of the explosions. But closer still, and closer, crept the foe, and every eye was strained on the desperate fight, and all minds intent on that alone, when All hands make sail shouted the cap- tain; here is the breeze right on top of us and sure enough there it was, com ing down crisp and fresh almost before we were ready for it. Quickly the good fellows covered the good ship with a cloud of canvas; and as she felt the gen. tie power of the young breeze and heeled. over to it, and the bubbles began swiftly to course astern, a terrible load fell from our hearts, and we felt that we were saved"
 The colonel paused moment, his eye flxed on vacancy, as if he saw himself once more upon the deck of the Alfred.
 And what became of the merchant man {" l asked, when silence had lasted for some moments.
 Don't ask me-don't ask mel" he replied in agitated tones. "Poor soulsl murdered-every one of them and the ship scuttled."
 And was no vengeance exacted for SO terrible crime?"
 Before an hour had passed after our arrival, a thisty-six-gun frigate had sailed, on our inform alton, to capture or destroy those miserable williams wheresoever they might find them but vessels such as those may go where no great war-ship can follow them, and the intricate pas. sages and keys of the West Indies were better known to such outcasts of land and sea than to his majesty's officers"
 And they escaped?"
 Within month from the time of our encounter, those vessels were caught in a furious West Indian tornado; were dis mas.ed, and, after tossing about four days at the mercy of the storm, were | wrecked on one of the islands, where most ot their crew miserably perished in their efforts to swim through the surt. Their leader, however, and one or two | more, managed to reach the shore alive, where the natives had come down to rem der what help they could; but being inn mediately recognized, they were seized and hanged, without mercy, on the near- est tree. There, madam that is one of the experiences of a subaltern in the old | days, and you will agree with me in thinking it by no means pleas mt one"
 " do, indeed" replied l. "Blt did you ever hear the name of the man who commanded those two vessels ?"
 " His namel Yes, of course. used to know his name we'll enough once; but my memory is getting weak. What on earth, now, was that scoundrel's name Gossettt Gastonf Gaspard2 Yes. that's 1t! think his name was Gaspard, as far O A..A ' ya |