Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-07-10

rake the Cleopatra as she passed under her
stern. But 10! the brig, twisting on her keel
like a yacht. put her nose at the revolving
Frenchman and blaze! blaze! went her two
bow chasers, and down came tho flag of the
republic, along with the gait and a sputter
Of canvas shreds. A minute later the YES
sells lay broadside on to m another, as close
as two houses on opposite sides of a street;
and simultaneously from both of them leapt
out a line of flame, with a roar as of a noun
smashing and splintering of woodwork,
while all between was smoke.
Now had the action begun in earnest, and
a sight for Cuthbert to remember was the
deck of the English brig. Calm as a statue
and as steady Sir Peter Grahame stood some
fathoms forward of the wheel with powerful
voice and slight gesture of the arm giving his
orders. You would have said that he had
eyes all over his body-eyes for the helms
man at the back of him and the yards and
sails above him; for the grimy seamen
sweating at the guns and for every toss Of
the arm Of the gold-laced French commander
shrieking, after the manner of his nation,
from the raised after-deck Of his ship.
Now the English captain began to see that
he should he overmatched If he did not lay
the Frenchman on board; for his eighteen
Founders could make no fight with the
enemy's heavy artillery, and there was small
chance Of prize money and the glory of a
gazetting unless the boarding pike and cut
lass came into play. But as he gave tho
order to man the weather braces to sheer the
brig alongside, his foretop mast was carried
away, and all his head sail with it. As a
running man, shot in the leg, falls a cripple
and slues around in a helpless state, so the
Cleopatra, deprived of her forward canvas,
rounded up into the winds eye, w%hereupon
the Frenchman sailed clean round her,
drenching her with both broadsides in rota-
ton. The second discharge was a murderous
volley; for a ball smashed the wheel and
killed the men at It, and a bullet hit Sir
Peter Grahame under the arm, and he fell,
MORALLY wounded.
At the beginning of the fight Cuthbert had
stood at the foot of the mainmast, unnoticed
by officers and crew-in the furious excite
ment and spendid horrors of the scene for
getting self-eager to help. but in his igno-
rance not knowing what to be at, when a
cannon ball struck a seaman in the back, and
threw him forward with a heavy smash,
where he lay dead as dust, with his face
mask of blood.
This was the first man killed; but scarcely
was he down when a gunner leaped from the
breech he was patting and tumbled backward,
moaning shockingly.
"Help me carry him belowl" sang out a
voice; and, with a sick heart and damp fore
head, Cuthbert buckled to the worst bit of
work a sea fight gives.
He had returned on deck for the twentieth
time, and was at his former post, ready to do
what should be wanted, when the foretop-
mast fell, with its heap of sail and rigging,
and the brig shot round; and in a few min
utes the Guerrero poured in the first of her
two deadly broadsides. He heard the grape
screech past him, and beheld the carnage of
it; and then he saw Transom, with his hand
to his ear, rush forward and call upon the
men to clear away the wreck, and "bear a
hand, or the brig would be taken"
And all the while the Frenchman was sneak
Ing round to bring her port broadside to
bear, and her small-arms men and topmen
were discharging volleys Of musketry at the
small band of Englishmen IN the briggs fore
castle. Then, before the staysail could be
hoisted, the Guerrero poured her second tre-
mendous storm Of flame and thunder and
iron into the devoted brig.
Cuthbert saw the captain fall, and sprang
aft. He placed his arm under the dying
mans head to raise him.
"Too late-1 am bleeding inwardlyp he
gasped. Tell Lieutenant Transom to strike
drag my body abaft the skylight-they ara
too many for us-my poor men!"
Then came Transom rushing aft with de-
spair in his face, for he had seen that the
wheel was gone and their case was hopeless.
Beholding the dead body of Sir Peter, he
started back, gazed despairingly around him,
and buried his face in his hands.
1.-THE captains last words to me were that
l should tell you to strike" exclaimed Cuth-
bert.
ayes, yes" groaned Transom, ut must be
the wheel is gone-I must stop this car
mage"
And he went aft with a tottering step, and,
grasping the signal halliards, hauled down
the colors.
The Guerrero, to leeward, was working up
to rake the brig again, but when her men
saw the English flag hauled down they sent
up such a shrek as nothing less than the cap
ture of a line of battle ship could have JUS
titled. What! all this clamorous exultation
over the defeat of a little ten-gun cruiser of
one hundred and twenty men by a great
thirty-six gun frigate of three hundred men
But a shout rarely provoked may we'll be a
loud one.
And what was Monsieur's plight? It is
known that the Guerrero had eighty M>n
killed and one hundred and eight wounded
in this action. The sun shone through he
sails like a lamp through a sieve; her mizzen
&h III N