Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-11-12

| and daring, and well seconded by his officers and crew, she was very success | ful.
 On winter day, early in the year Le Bonnet Rouge, a thirty-gun brig which we had chased a whole after noon, succeeded in evading us and an choring under the guns of a battery at the mouth of the Seine.
 On this, Capt. Wharton, who could l not bear to be baked, decided to cut her out.
 | But before the feat could be attempt ed it was necessary to take bearings | and sOundings, reconnoitre the battery, and ascertain the strength and position of several gun-boats and armed luggers which, as we knew, were lying in the Seine.
 For this service I volunteered, and | suggested a means whereby it might be accomplished.
 The plan proposed was to capture a fishing-smaclk, of which there were plenty about, disguise myself and two or three of our fellows in the fisher mems clothing, and then sail up the river in broad daylight, making our ob- scrvations at leisure. l spoke French so fiucntly and, as flattered myself, so correctly that if any questions were | asked felt pretty sure that should be | able to answer them without exciting | suspicion.
 C"pt. Wharton approved, the fishing boat was captured, and, taking with | me quartermaster and two A. B. s whom l could thoroughly trust-all as well as myself rigged up in the fisher mems togs-I sailed up the Seine as far as Honfleur, then stood over to Harheur, making my observations and taking all the bearings 1 eeded.
 As ran between Le Bonnet Rouge and the battery, the better to note them both, one of the brig's officers, a man with a fierce red face and still | redder hair, whom I took to be her cap tain, hailed us and asked whether we had seen aught of the Sylph.
 l said that we had seen her few hours previously outside the bay, sail ing nor 'west-by-north under a press of canvas.
 This seemed to satisfy the gentle man, and, though he looked hard at mo, ns if there was something either in my appearance or in my accent which piqurd his curiosity, he let me pass without further questioning.
  which had been standing off and on dur ing our cruise.
 After making my report I told the captain that in my opinion it would be quite impossible to cut out Le Bonnet Rouge by main force. thought, how ever, that she might be taken by strat- agcm, which I explained, and which after some discussion it was resolved to adopt, so soon as the wind should be in the right quarter.
 My plan was to take the long boat, with twenty picked men, row up the river after sunset, run alongside the brig and get aboard of her by pretend ing that we belonged to La Lionne lone of the gunboats), overpower the watch on the deck, batten down the matches, slip the cables and then make sail for the bay, where, all being well, we should fall in with the Sylph and get help to secure our prisoners.
 calculated that the gunners in the fort, though they might guess what had happened, would not open fire on the brig for fear of hurting their own people, and once fairly under way we f could bid defiance to both gunboats and luggers.
 B A few nights later, the conditions as to wind and tide being favorable, we set out, and two hours after leaving the . Sylph were under the brig's starboarC quarter.
 F Mymen, who had received their orders r beforehand and knew exactly what tc do, made fast the boat, and boarded the vessel by the rope ladder whicl hung over the bulwarks.
 "Who goes there?" asked the officer of the watch.
 ''Friend, from La Lionne," an swered.
 a Prom La LionneI And what do yor want2"
 The captain has sent me with a very . important message; and here is let l ter"
 M. le Capitaine Dufour Is ashore He shall have the letter when he re V turns. But what want all these men r. And, ma foi, they are" l. Before the officer could finish his sen h tence he was prone on the deck, and il $ a trice every other man of the watcl t. was in the same position and securely ,s pinioned. The matches had been bat 3, tened down, and gun run on each tt a. prevent the people below from breaking 'e out.
 II II All this took only few minutes. tn It watch, fortunately for us, being yer. I, weak and half asleep; but when tn ,r prisoners recovered from their surpris g. they became so noisy and abusive tha ;" had to threaten to knock them on tn head. This pacifed them. But thei comrades under matches, now full, aware of what had happened, wer making terrible uproar, shouting t. the people at the fort: "Les Anglais les Anglais! A nous! a nousl" and dis charging muskets and pistols from tn . ports. Two or three of them jumpe, tato the sAa and auvanD nAhn-~