Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-05-25

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board bow and about ten miles away In
those days there were-plenty of native
sea rovers hidden away in the bays and
| rivers at the lower end of Madagascar,
and they had no hesitation in plumber
ing. scuttling. and throat cutting. We
| had no sooner made out the strange
craft than the little woman called US all
aft and said:
''Men, you know that the Captain is
| very Ill. Yonder native craft is pirate,
and is coming down to attack US. five
surrender, not one of US will live an hour.
! If we do our best, we may beat her off
| and escape. There may be sixty of
them; there are only thirteen of US. Will
you fight or surrenderl"
Flight Fight Hip! Hurrah ~ shouted
the crew in chorus, and, after thanking
US, the woman gave oreers to prepare for
the attack.
The sky was cloudless and the breeze
still dying away. and it was certain that
no change in the weather could be looked
for. We had two cannon, nine pound
ers, one on either broadside, and these
were uncovered and loaded with solid
shot. luckily, among the cargo was a
consignment of muskets, and we broke
out two boxes of fifty each. They were
cheap affairs. calculated for traffic, but
all were sure fire for a few rounds. |
was one of the gang told of to load
them, and | know we loaded the even
hundred. This would give us a matter
of seven shots apiece without relOading.
One-half the muskets were carried aft to
the quarters and the others distributed
along the bow and waist. Four cut.
lasses were hunted up and served out,
and then there was time for one more
precaution. The felucca was coming
down slowly, urged by her sweeps, and
a man alOft with a glass reported that
she was full of men and had two six
Founders on her decks. The head of
the bark pointed pretty steadily to the
northwest, for there was neither wind
nor sea. The felucca was coming down
from the northeast, and we could there
fore figure that she would board us on
the starboard bow.
Orders were given to search for and
bring on deck bottles of every kind and
shape l think we routed out fifty or
more in the O'castle, while the cabin
furnished hundred. These were broken
in pieces on the forward deck, and fine
mess they made of it. We could walk
over the stuff with our leather soles, but
woe to the bare feet which leaped off the
rail. The Felucca people did not sus-
pect our cannon until they got a shot |
from the starboard gun which made the |
splinters fly. Then they changed their |
course and pulled for our bows, and we
could not train gun to bear upon them. !
l helped reload our gun with a solid |
shot, and we had scarcely finished when
the Felucca was upon us. She grappled |
us Just where we had figured, and, under
the little woman's orders, we made no
Sc, 70 - 10 g. IL.
if driven back the Felucca could take
us to pieces with her siX-pounders,
while we would not be able to return
shot.
We were drawn up in line across the
deck abaft the foremost, with the spare
muskets lying behind US. The captains
wife was at my left, armed with his re-
volver. Mind you, there wasn't shout
or shot as the fellows boarded us. They
pulled down to us in grim, determined
way, never man opening his lips, and
as the grapnels caught they came swarm
ing over the bows like stream of giant
ants, each man armed with creese alone.
There wasn't yell until they struck the
deck, and then there were hundred in
chorus. Every man was barefooted, and
every one was horribly cut. Weopened
IRE at the same moment anu OOWn went
the first gang. The second was wiped
out almost as quickly, and then we
rushed forward and each man went in on
his own hook. 1t was a picnic for us.
A few musket shots were fired at us from
away aft, but the bullets flew among the
rigging. We rested our guns on the
rail- and fired right down among them,
and in ten minutes from the beginning
of the fight all the pirates alive sought
shelter below. We had fourteen dead
on our decks, and there were twice that
number in sight of the felucca, while
not one of us had a scratch.
Leaving three men to fire away at any
head appearing above the matches, we
cast off the grapplings and pulled the
felucca along our starboard side until the
cannon would bear Then we fired
shot through her deck and bottom, re-
loaded and gave her another, and then
cast her adrift. She rubbed around our
stern, drifted off about hundred feet,
and in quarter of an hour went to the
bottom. Perhaps a dozen living men
came to the surface and swan to the
bark, but not one of them was allowed to
board. You may think it blood thirsty
act, sir, but we wiped them out to the
asst man without any twinges of con-
science, and I've always been glad of it.
Had they captured US, our Threats would
nave been cut in no time. We Law all
hat day without moving half mile, but
sunset brought breeze and we finished