The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-04-20

trouble. We had been surveying 4 bay
about six miles long by three in width,
and deep enough to float man-of-war
While we had failed to make out any
inhabitants on the shores, several
small native crafts had visited us and
engaged in fishing in our neighbor-
hood. While they seemed to be pow
erty-stricken fellows, with nothing
more than a natural curiosity to know
why we were taking SO much trouble
for nothing, our quartermaster. who
had spent years on the coast, put them
down for spies sent out by a near col
Ony of pirates, and he advised every
man to keep a weather eye open. We
had been in the bay three days, an
chOred in thirty feet Of water, and
within half mile Of the beach, when
it came on a dead calm. Some of our
men had seen natives in the tops of
trees ashore. and there was no doubt
they had climbed up with spyglasses
to look down upon our decks and dis
cover our strength. We had one more
days work to accomplish, and, there
fore, instead Of getting out the boats
and towing the schooner out of the
bay, we got spring on our cables, load
ed the guns with grape and canister,
and made every thing ready for the
night attack which the quartermaster
scented from affair of. He was sure
that by midnight we would be beset
by a dozen native craft manned by
desperate fellows intent on our cap
ture.
A more unfavorable night for Us
could not have been made. Not a
breath of air was moving, and the sun
had no sooner gone down than a mist
rose from the still waters of the bay,
and nine o'clock we could not see the
length of the schooner. Although half
a mile from the shore, we heard all the
sounds of a tropical night, and after
ten no one was allowed to speak above
q whisper. There was nothing serious
about the situation to us young fellows.
All we had to do was to open on the
pirates il attacked and drive them off.
The officers took a different view of it,
however. There were no more desper-
ate men at that time than the pirates
of Borneo and adjacent islands, and if
they came down on Us, they would come
five to one. After eleven o'clock every
body was on deck and ut his station.
We lay broadside to the entrance of the
bay, with the schooner lazily riding to
the ground SWELL and swinging her
head this way and that by turns. This
was thought to be an unfavorable posi-
ton, as, if attacked from the entrance,
we could only bring the two port can
non to bear. 1t proved, however, to
be our salvation.
1t was a little past midnight, and
every man on deck was listening for
signs of the enemy when we were sud-
! denly attacked on all sides at once.
We had scarcely got the alarm when a
full dozen native crafts of all sorts
! burst through the fog and were upon
us. 1t was n clever piece of work. All
had come into the bay from the sea,
our position had been exactly located,
and the fleet had separated to take us
on all sides and to attack us at the
| same moment The best white naval
/ officer could not have laid his plans
more perfectly. A merchant vessel
would have been in the hands of the
| pirates in five minutes, even if expect
| ing them. Discipline saved US. There
was no confusion. Every man knew
! his station, and sprang to it. We gave
them couple of broadsides inside
/ of half minute, and it was
/ these which saved the schooner. The
guns were depressed and fired ut just
the right moment, and the havoc
| created was simply awful. The recOil
of the guns gave the schooner sheer
which upset two or three crafts. and
| the only attempts to board were at the
1 bow and stern. / was on the bow
with others, and we each had a musket
and cutlass. / blew the whole top of a
natives head off rs he raised it above
the rail in front of me, and then used
my cutlass. The fellows just swarmed
up the chains, and they had ropes witt
hooks attached, which they threw over
the rails and came climbing up. In
spite of the way we laid about us they
kept gaining on us, and had JUST split a
fellows head open when hook thrown
from below caught in my clothing, and
| was ierked to the rail and over it in
three snaps of your finger. l fell upon
the heads Of several natives and rolled
off into the sea; but almost as soon as
l struck the water rough hand pulled
me on to the raft or catamaran, and In
thirty seconds my hands and feet were
tied and a pirate took charge of me.
Although dazed and confused by my
sudden change of position, knew al
that was going on. l hadn't been OF
the raft two minutes when she wa,
backed away from the schooner and
as she moved Is dose of canister from
one of the guns killed five or siI
natives, who stood over and just be-
hind me, Again, after we We're con
cealed by the fog. another discharge
tore off u corner of the raft and killed
two more men. l could hear the shout:
and cheers Of my shipmates, and
knew we were one of the last partie
to Withdraw from the attack. The
schooner had come out Of it very hand
somely, having, as l soon learned, in
ficted terrible damage on the pirates
After getting away from the vesse
we were joined by boats and RATS car
rying nearly hundred men. and 4
good third of these were wounded. Al
made for the entrance of the bay, anC
it was only when out of cannon sho
that the fury of the pirates over thei
bloody repulse broke loose. My pres
ence seemed TO be forgotten for tn,
time, and it was lucky for me that sucl
was the case. There were several fight
among the survivors on our raft, anC
il appeared that all those in authority
had been killed.
In about an hour after getting out o
the bay, and all the time progressing
/ slO,,yl,- 70 tho north rp,1a4- paddla w,