Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-08-25

all be recorded, would mottle our charts
with blood.
In that heavy tropical air, with SO faint
breeze, the smoke formed a thick bank
round the two vessels, from which the top
masts only protruded. Neither could see
anything Of the enemy save the throbs of
hre in the darkness, and the guns were
sponged and trained and fired into dense
wall Of vapor. On the poop and forecastle
che marines in two little red lines were
pouring in their volleys, but neither they
nor the seamen Runners could see what
effect their fire was having. Nor indeed
could they tell how far they were suffering
themselves, for standing at gun one could
but hazily see that upon the right and the
left. But above the roar of the cannon
came the sharper sound Of the piping shot,
the crashing of riven planks and the occa-
sional heavy thud as spar or block came
huruling on the deck. The lieutenants
paced up and down behind the line of guns,
while Captain johnson famed the smoke
away with his cooked hat and peered eager
ly out.
This is rare, Bobby" said he as the
lieutenant Joined him. Then suddenly re-
straining himself, What have we lost, Mr..
Whartonf"
"Our maintopsail yard and our gaff, sir, "
Where's the flag"
"Gone overheard, SIR"
They'll think we have struck. Lash a
boats ensign on the starboard arm of the
mizzen cross jack yard"
"Yes, SIR"
A round shot dashed the pinnacle to
pieces between them. A second knocke
two marines into a bloody palpitating
mass. For q moment the smoke rose, and
the English captain saw that his adver-
sary's heavier metal was producing a hor-
rible effect The Leda was a shattered
wreck. Her deck was strewed with corpses.
Several of her portfolios were knocked into
one, and one of her 1S FOUNDER guns had
been thrown right back on her breech and
pointed straight up to the sky. The thin
line of marines still loaded and fired, but
half the guns were silent, and their crews
were piled thickly round them.
stand by to repel boardersp yelled the
captain.
"Cutlasses, lads, cutlassesr' roared Whar-
ton.
Hold your volley till they touchr' cried
the captain of marines.
The huge loom of the Frenchman was
seen bursting through the smoke. Thick
clusters of boarders hung upon her sides
and shrouds. A final broadside leaped from
her ports, and the mainmast of the Leda
snapped short off few feet above deck,
spun into the air and crashed down upon
the port guns, killing 10 men and putting
the whole battery out of action. An in
stant later the two ships scraped together
and the starboard bower anchor Of the
Gloire caught the mizzen chain Of the Leda
upon the port side. With yell the black
swarm of boarders steadied themselves for
a spring.
But their feet were never to reach that
blood stained deck. From somewhere there
came a well aimed Whit OF grape and an
other and another. The English marines
and seamen, waiting with cutlass and mus
ket behind the silent guns, saw with amaze
ment the dark masses thinning and shred
ding away. At the same time the port
boarders of the Frenchman burst into a
roar.
"Clear away the wreck" roared the cap
tain. "What the devil are they firing atW
"Get the guns clearr' painted the 1euten-
ant. "We'll do them yet, boysP
The wreckage was torn and hacked and
splintered until first one gun and then an
other roared into action again. The French
mans anchor had been cut away, and the
Leda had worked herself free from that
fatal hug. But now suddenly there was
scurry up the shrouds of the Gloire, and
a hundred Englishmen were shouting them
selves hoarse.
They're runningi They're runningi
They're runningW
And it was true. The Frenchman had
cad 70 Rra md int nrrlw
on every sail that she could carry
But that shouting hundred could not
claim 1t all as their own. As the smoke
cleared it was not difficult to see the rea-
son. The ships had gained the mouth of
the estuary during the fght, and there
about four miles out to sea was the Leda's
consort bearing down under full Rail to the
sound of the guns. Captain de Milon had
lone his part for one day, and presently the
Gloire was drawing off swiftly to the north,
while the Dido was bowling along at her
skirts rafting away with her bowchasers
until headlahd hid them from view.
But the Leda lay sorely stricken, with
ner mainmast gone, her bulwarks shat
.ered, her mizzenmast and gaff shot away,
ner sails like q beggar's rags and hun
lred of her crew dead and wounded. Close
1cblQc ucI q MAS "a WhGShoHS AAoAec4 uRou
she waves. 1t was the sternpost of man
zled vessel, and across IL in white letters
IN black ground was printed the SLAP
ping Sal"
"By the Lord, it was the brig that saved
asp cried Mr.. Wharton. Hudson brought
1er into action with the Frenchman and
Vas blown out OF the water by broad
side"
The little captain turned on his heel and
paced up and down the deck. Already his
rev were plugging the shothOles. knot
ing and splicing and mending. When he
,ame back, the lieutenant saw softening
1f the stern lines about his smouth and eyes.
Are they all gone"
every man. They must have sunk with
he wreck"
The two officers looked down at the sim
ster name and at the stump Of wreckage
which fioated in the discolored water.
black washed TO and fro beside
! splintered gan and a taDgle Of halliards.
IL was the outrageous ensign, and near IL q
scarlet cap was floating.
HE was villain, but be was q Brit0n,"
aid the captain at last. He lived like a
dog; but, by God, he died like man. "A
Conan Doyle
Coincidence Between Mother and DAaghtsr.
Have you not often heard, Il would give
anything l possess 10 have my children