Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-01-02

hard luck he was havin' with his ship,
when the mate came alongside aud says
William, you have alters been a
good friend to me, and want to tell you
something heard Bagley telin' his wife
last night. He says that when we get to
| Naples, and the crew finds out that them
boxes below contain coffius-and he is
goin' to be sure and tell 'em-they will
all refuse to make the return wage,
what with collins and cats both bein'
worked up to high degree. lie says
you hain't got no money to pay for a new
crew, he only agreein' to pay this one,
and he expects to buy the ship of you
dog cheap, for you would rather sell it
cheap than leave it to rot in Naples Bay.
Grandfather felt bad when he heard
this, for he knew he couldn't sell his
ship to the Italians, they dom most of
their navigatin' in them little lantern
rugged zebras, and his only chance, and
slim one too, was to sell it to some
stray Englishman. He couldn't sec no
way out of the difficulty, so he went to
bed wishin' that old Bagley was in one
of his own collins planted in Mablehead
graveyard.
"When he came on deck in the morn.
in he found the mates looking through
the long glass at vessel to windwarj
He took squint likewise, and sec that
it was an Algerine pirate vessel. There
was the banks OF oars, and the red flag
with white spot on it hoatin' at the
mast head. Grandfather's first impulse
was to crowd on all sail and try to es-
cape, but then he remembered what the
mate had told him the night before, aud
he thought to him self that he might as
we'll be in the hands of a pirate from
Algiers as pirate from Mablehead, so
he sot down and never uttered word
Pretty soon Bagley came on deck. and
when lie was told that pirates was chasin'
EN-, he got frantic. He began givin'
orders to the crew, but as he
didn't give none of 'em correct,
nobody minded him. fhe pirate ship
kept gettin little bit nearer, and grand.
fathe, done what l alters considered a
very queer thing. He decided to turn
Mohammedan. He thought 10 himself
that it was pretty likely that the pirates
would catch EN-, even ii they did try to
get away. Then they would be made
slaves until their friends ralsomed them.
As for him, he didn'r have no frfends or
near relatives u ransom him. II he
would turn Mohammedan, tae Algeriaes
would set him free and make q great alau
OF him, like they slIets did with Chris
tan slaves who turned. Then he would
see that the crew was sent home without
rausom-all except Bayey; he would
buy him, aud make him work ALTERED
hard. If the ship got away, then he
would be in old Bagley's hands, and
would starve at Naples. If the ship got
caught, then he would be saved from
ruin, would get even with Bagley, and
the crew would be no worse nor better
off than they were before. He had no
friends to leave in America. The only
thing that troubled him was leavin' his
religion; but he said to himself that if
such pizen scoundrels as Bagley could be
deacons in the church, he didn't care
much about leavin' such concern.
Right there is where alters held he done
wrong. 1t amt no reason for leavin' a
good institution like the church because
bad man happens to belong to it.
swell, Bagley seed that grandfather
didn't take interest in the question
whether the Mary Ann could beat the
pirate, SO he said, 'Truscott, if you will
get us out of this scrape, l will give you
two hundred dollars.
grandfather looked around and seen
the pirate was gettin' little bit nearer,
and he never said word
"T'll give you three hundred, said
Bagley; amt that enougb?'
Grandfather never said a word, aud
Bagley went forward. By-and-by he
came back.
'Truscott, what's the matter with
you, anyway
Grandfather up and told him what
the mate had heard him tellin' his wife,
aud said this was the reason he didn't
take no interest in escapin' the pirate.
"'Truscott, says Bagley, If you will
get US out of this scrape, swear on the
Bible that Ill give you the proceeds of
this wage, aud promise not to get the
crew to desert at Naples
Grandfather jumped to his feet, aud
gave orders to clap on all sail. He
didn't care for the proceeds of the
wage, for he knew there warn't goin'
to be any, but he loved his ship; and
now that Bagley had promised not to
cheat him out of it, was ready to try to
get away. He made Bagley give him
receipt for all there was on the ship, aud
the sailors signed it as witnesses, and de-
posted it with the mate to give back to
Bagley if he didn't succeed in gettin'
away from the pirates. Under the extra
press of sail, the Mary Ann leaped for
ward, and the pirate began to fall be-
hind; but, as luck would have it, the
wind died down, and with oars and sails
both, the pirate rapidly overhauled the
Mary Ann, and gettin' within range, fred
o"uJ Nv hSi w hihaO hCt itC w.
Better lie to- said the mate. I'D
rather go to prison than be killed
" Hold her to it, said grandfather.
Don't you see them cat's-paws comin'i
The wind will freshen in minute. If
they don't shoot away some of our
riggin, we'll escape yet
They could see the wind darkenin
the water in little spots, comm nearer
and nearer. Speakin' OF cats. paws
made grandfather think of something.
He had all of Marin Bagley's cats fetched
out and put around in the riggin' and
conspicuous-like on the deck. As soon
as he done this, the Algerines quit firm.
The cat is sacred animal to the Moham-
medans, and they were afraid they
would hit cat, so they quit. But the
breeze didn't come up, and in no time
the pirate vessel was alongside, and the
pirates was gettin' ready to board.
"'Go down into the hold with three
men, said grandfather to the mate, and
take them seventy-iive upholstered
mahogany collins out of their boxes, and
get EN- really to bring on deck
The sailors looked astonished when
they heard him speak of collins, but
three of EN- went to help the mate.
Up over the sides of the vessel swarme1
the pirates, and before long fifty OF 'em
was standin' on the deck.
"'What ship is this1 asked an in
terpreter, of my grandfather; for all
Barbary pirate ships carried Interpreters,
meetin' people of all nations, as they