The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-06-29
AMONG PIRATES.

on shipbOard must admit that the
phrase, "a sailors yarn" may be
applied to the story OF almost any
one else but a sailor. There is less
boasting. Dragging and lying among
sailors than among any other to!ling
class yon can name. When you
come to live among them and work
with them you will find that most
people misjudge them. l have sailed
in twenty-eight different vessels, COW
cred all oceans, and come in contact
with sailors OF all na~tionaIities, and
have always found the men almost
the opposite OF the representative
sailors OF the story book. You will
find as much drunkenness among the
b'aCksmiths AS among salt water
sailors. Forty-nine out OF fifty may
take their grog, but they COMO further
chan a drink or two. Jack is no
more jovial nor rollicking than the
average carpenter. Indeed, l believe
he is more serious-minded than most
other men. His yarns" are all in this
books. have spent $50 days and
nights in the forecastle of a ship with
out hearing a yarn from any OF the
men. Now and then there may be a
good taIker in a crew who vii! have
had adventures to relate, but the
story he tells a. be aubstantiated.
Few sailors care to talk about any
thing except the ship, her officers, the
weather and the prospects Of the voy-
age .Inever met n who bOasted ofhis
adventures, no matter how many he
had passed through. | have met with
a hundred who had been wrecked and
cast away, but who almost refused to
give me the least information. From
the moment the ship leaves
her dock to the end OF her voy.
age a sailors life is in his hand. No
matter how stupid he is he must
realize this, and the burden on his
mind makes him anything but roll
licking. When on duty he has no
time for EARNING, and when of duty
he must catch up on his sleep. A
f~orecastle story teller once gave Uhe
men of his watch the following adven.
ture, and although no one doubted
his veracity, | afterward looked up
the records and found him correct:
lit was in the year 1896" he said,
"that ! was bound to the ivory coast
on the English brig Plowboy, Capt.
Scott commander. She was q dry
craft, we'll found, but very slow, and
although those were risky days along
the heather coasts, owners Of crafts
were suingy about arming them for
protection. We had two six-pounders,
which had been purchased at q sale of
condemned ordinance, and ten Or a.
dozen muskets and cutlasses of but
little value. We called at the Canary
Islands on our way down the coast,
and there we got the cannon out OF
the hold and mounted them on their
carriages. The Captain was informed
that a French ship had been plumber
| ed and sunk between there and the
tropic only two weeks before. and that
two or three supicious SAIL were cruis-
ing along the coast. We felt brave
enough as we sailed to the south with
those two old cannon on deck, and the
wish was expressed time and again
that we might fall in with O pirate.
1--WE got light and battling winds
along Barbary Coast. but were near
ing the tropic. when. one afternoon an
hour before sunset. a strange sail was
seen standing out from the coast TO
cut lis off. She was also a brig and
from the very first sight OF her there
was no doubt IN our minds that she
was a pirate. We altered our course
a few points to the west, and then be-
gan To get ready for her. We had no
sooner set about toaning the Guns
than it was found that our cannon
balls we're ali too large Tor the bore.
Not one of them could be made TO lit,
This discovery took the courage out
OF us, and It wasonly IN the hope that
we might kill a few Of the pirates be-
fore we were all sacrificed that we
loaded with bolts, pieces Of chain. and
such STUFF in place of solid shot. This
charge would be effective at close
quarters.
The stranger walked up on las at
8 rapid rate. and when darkness came
on he WAS not more than four miles
away. Our Captain went into TIM
rigging with his glass for q ~longsquint
and when be came down be called u;
aft and said there was no longer room
to doubt. The stranger was . piqate
and there was no hope Of escapins
him. At that very moment the wind
which WAS off the land, beaan to fall
and ten minutes later we haan'l
enough 20 blow feather. We could
no l0rce: sge the STRANGER, owing u
the darkness. We knew that he mus
have lost the wind FIRST. ard that hi
WAS all OF three miles away. II til
calm held through the night he wouls
have to attack IN boats, fat all, ans
we thsn stood some show oil baatinI
him of. Believing that this would b
his plan, we made the best prepare
tinns possible. Il was n starii2h
night, but with 8 biz of foe ris
ing from the water. and all on
lights were extineuished 1t dark. anl
We moved about in orr bars Iees
The pirate bad probably taken on
bearings by compass before night shu
il. hat with that FOG coming a iittl
thicker be could not zee hnndre
fest away.
Midnight came, and ~ bad hear