The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-08-01
BELLEVUE, La, THURSDAY, AUGUST l, 1889.

side. There being no stcerage-way on
the vessel, Captain Webster directed
his two men to watch the movements
OF the canoe on the port side, whilst
he gave his undivided attention to the
movements of the canoe on the STAR
board, in the center of which stall
wart native now stood erect and hailed
them in broken English. Whilst the
usual parley for gifts of blankets, flour
or any thing the captain might have to
give away, was progressing, Captain
Webster had time to notice that the
center of each boat was occupied bv a.
suspicious-looking heap, snugly COW
cred by blanket. He also counted
the men in the two conoes. There
were ninetY-six natives in all. The
spokesman, who at first had put his
requests for presents in civil language,
on meeting with quiet but determined
refusal to be allowed to board the ves-
sci, soon changed his tactics, and be-
came insolent and overbearing Cap
tain Webster sternly pointed to the
shore, and bade them return whence
they came.
The words had hardly left his lips
when the chief. putting his fingers in
his mouth, blew shrill and piercing
whistle. simultaneously the blankets
were stripped from the suspicious
looking heaps in the center of either
canoe, and each man, bending for
ward, seized musket. Abandoning
all disguise, the two canoes then
dashed for the schooner. In an in
slant the repeater was at the
captains shoulder, the crank
worked rapidly twice, and two
natives in the starboard boat fell
mortally wounded. AS he again
sighted, the sharp reports of the six
shooters rang out, and responsive yells
assured him that Ben and Bill Graves
were shooting to good effect. Partly
sheltered behind the low rail of the
schooner, Webster quickly sent four
more of the pirates to their last ac-
count. This deadly fusilade material
ly checked the advance of the canoes
toward the schooner, and dropping
down behind their low gunwales the
natives reloaded their muskets and
again poured volley into the
schooner. A sharp, stinging sensa-
ton in the shoulder told the captain
that he was hit, while an exclamation
behind him of 'Boys, I'm done for,n
followed by a heavy fall on the deck,
told him that one of his brave com
rades was incapaeitated for further
duty. Dropping on the deck, he
looked hurriedly around. Poor
Graves, stretched at the foot of the
mainmast, was gasping out his last
breath, mortally wounded.
Crouched behind the rail, however,
his dying shipmate's weapon in his left
hand, his own six-shooter in his right,
Ben still kept the other canoe at dis
tance. Grasping his Winchester,
Webster now crept rapidly forward on
his hands and knees behind the rail,
and suddenly appearing in the fore
rigging. surprised the occupants of the
starboard canoe by several well-di-
rected shots before a dozen muskets
pointed in his direction compelled him
to drop upon the deck for a second
time. 1t was at this moment that Ben,
having thrown himself ,on the deck to
reload. was supposed by the natives on
his side to have been killed With a
yell OF triumph, now feeling certain of
their prey, they urged the canoe for
ward, and in another moment were
alongside the schooner. At this junct-
ure matters looked very black for the |
Americans. Webster had his hands
full with the other canoe, and
in order to keep that off was compelled
to expose himself necessarily to har-
assing fire. Ben had not yet succeeded |
in reloading, and it looked as if the |
Indians on his side would succeed in
gaining foothold on the deck Once
here, the sailors would stand no
chance for life.
At this important crisis assistance
arrived from a wholly unexpected
direction. A stalwart savage was al
'eady in the main chains, and the canoe
alongside the little vessel, when Hon
Pee. rushing from the galley with an
copper of boiling water. pre-
'ipitated its scalding contents into the
middle of the canoe. A gigantic saw
lge alone succeeded in climbing on to
he rail. To him Captain Webster
low directed his attention, when
le became conscious that he
vas himself covered by the
Weapon of native in the fur
her canoe. It was a critical
The piece of the native on
he rail was directed at Ben, the barrel
# whose pistol seemed in some way to
20 jammed. Disregarding his own
afety. Webster drew bead at the
nan on the rail, and-missed him. 1t
lad the effect, however, of disconcert-
ng the fellows aim, for his bullet, in
is turn, whistled harmlessly by Ben's
urxAt L