The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1890-05-29

q ren,lemsn 10 night eown roiag to bed
: The sight was cIsspera,ing. and a. soon e
y the vreekses vas cleared sway l. got th
old II pounder into posiilsn aud the nsi
= liehtnine 6ssh gave the oni.r 10 FIRE.
= With lend, metallic ding dong. IT,,
p pieoe exploded, and when saS how ID,
J. men scrambled aud turned over one sn
. other 10 their unnecessary haste TO escsp,
] the dying fragments. which did not Il
P within four feet Of them. vas disgustrd
. | called the men iogetbes. and bad Shel
e burpe distribute arms 10 them, but ] no
ticed that the Spanisrds looked dismayed.
> Meanwhile preceivsd that our sloop oil
! wars lights appeared 10 be rsceding from
, instead OF advancing towsfls US. Ia fact.
, at her distance from Us. snd owing 10 her
I bring TO eiodwsrd. slso owing 10 the howl
. Ing Of the gale and to the incsssAut rafting
, ~ tue thauder, u was evident snsr none oI
: her people had heard the ti,iog, while the
pirate craft, being very small and on q
line With onr own. had not. Of course. been
seen by them
pity we have no rockets aboard TO
signal the sloop, with. raid to Shel
burne.
| Yes. sir. it's. All that we had were
ruined by that cluusy Portuguese cook
accidently spllling boiler u hot water
on them. thus soaking them and causing
them to go TO pieces.
We must contrive to signal the sloop
and that speedily, said.
I,doubt il q signal would be visible At
oil from our deck. now that the spray is
flying mp so high about us Have Ian
tern brought here Ut once.
The lantern was brought. g,zad at the
main mast, our only remaining spar II
was tott, ring With eye.y plunge Of the
ship, as il ready to 90 over, while the iron
missiles from the pirate. who was aimibg
for it. flew ~bizzing aud shrieking about
it. could not lose the time required to
reeve the lantern; besides it could not thus
be properly worked 10 such gale. which
would tangle any rope we might put 10
the block, il must be taken aloft by
hand; aud who was here brave enough to
carry that signal up. on tottering mast
Sc, mingy ready ofitself to go by the board
even lit we're not soon cut in twalu by the
pirate, whose shots. as stated. We're SO rap
idly flying around it.
| called for . volunteer from among the |
men, but noticing how they hung back,
and feeling that bad not q moment to
spare, ! was about to pick up the lantern
and spring iuto the rigging myself, when
s;helburne. seizing it. cried out
No, no, lieutenant; you are commander
here: Better should tabe the rick
Ere could object be was mounting the
rigging Of that perilons. swaying mast
needless Of the frequent shouts from the
pirate.
l watched him auxiously. He soon gain
ed the top gallant mast head. and began
waving the lantern to attract the attention
OF the sloop OF war.
moment later shot struck the top
gallantmast . splinter shattered the Ian
tern. and | believed the youth would be
lost; but ere the spar went over be drop
ped as lightly as falcon into the topmost
shrouds below, and then slid, hand over
hand, down back stay to the deck
The pirates stopped firing. The thun-
der, too. bad ceased to boom in the dark
ened heavens, and the lightning no longer
flashed. There WAS something ominous,
il seemed to me, 10 their sudden cessation.
Noi was | mistaken, for all at once the
tempest broke upon us with such terrific
fury that for several minutes thought it
would sink US.
1t quickly passed 10 leeward, however,
although 1t still blew hard gale, and
there was rather rough sea could no
longer make out the sloop OF wars light
for now black masses OF flying rack
sbrouded the fosming water ahead OF us,
adding to the gloom in her direction. al
though sstern the weather WAS not yet 80
thick as TO prevent my discerning with
my night glass the pirate schooner still in
pursuit Of us l could preceive that she
bad lost her jibboom ~ we'll ~ one OF her
'ails 10 the last tempest. and by getting up
,aDvas on the stumps OF my masts l was
,nabled to elud her for some time. but at
asst heard the yells OF her rsscslly crew
,lose on our starbosrd quarter
got my fifteen men ready for combat
hougb knowing combat would be hope
ess. Shelbnrne. however. grssping bis
word, stood there like young lion pre-
,ared 10 fght 10 the death, snd my other
,rave ,elo~s from the tloop bore 9 prom
siog aspect, with their teeth set end fam
ng eyes A few more seas brought the
,irste craft nearly alongside Of US. and al
eajy Cher fierce, we'll armed men were
rowding mp, ready TO board us, while
thers with ropes having graphing irons a.
he end, were shout TO make fast TO Us,
'hen suddenly there came = broad bright
lash, followed by roar Of hundred :
sunders, and the schooner. shattered to
fragments by The heavy sho. that went :
rshing through her iimbers, disappear :
q from our view = the last dsspsring yells
I her msimed and drowning crew rising !,
'ildiy shove the ho~lipg Of the gale. The 9
ext momeni. like soma black. winged
isut, our sloop Of var came bursting from q
be thick gloom ~hicb bad oLcealed ber
pprosch aud coming along over the run
he had u aie. passed Us. while .he clear
10 Dpbant rug VI her captsiu's voice
r1ke upon my EARS
Hard . stsrboard, lieut.. nsn,, aud keep
orr sake. Will Sud . boat aboard ss %
la