The herald., 1893-12-13
A CLEVER RUSE.

Itwas in the days of the black flag. and
of the nimble keel coppered to the bends,
and of that square of blood red bunting
which when run aloft to the maintop-
mast head signifed mo quarterr' A
round bowed Bristol trader, bark Of
about 400 tons, three months out from
the Avon and bound to Savanna Ia Mar,
lay helpless off that Jamaican port in
what is known to sailors as ''sheet
calm"
The water hOated like a breast of LIQUID
glass, and a solemn, long drawn heave
or swell ran through it. The Bristol
trader, in strict correspondence with her
proportions, rolled very uncomfortably
indeed from side to side, bringing her
wide spaces of canvas into the mast with
many savage sounding whacks, until the
atmosphere all about seemed filled with
the noise of exploding artillery
The heat was intense the hour about
Q in the afternoon. The dark blue land
about Blewfeld's bay swan in the
steamy haze and writhed as though it
lived.
Seaward the junction of heaven and
water was scarcely distinguishable In
the parched and brassy air The land
went sloping into mere films, and moth
ing showed upon the face of the ocean
save large cutter rugged vessel, lifting
and sinking upon the swell at the dis
tance Of about two miles away from the
Bristol trader in the direction of Blew
fields bay.
%1,a of +1,o
Bristol ship, 'drop the hand lead over
the side and observe the vessels drift"
This was done and the rate of drift
reported.
Sir" said Mr.. Rogers, the captain, 10
his mate, sit is not my intention to
founder upon bottom of coral or go to
pieces on st. Johns point. Clewup and
haul down everything tiglse and ieS go
the anchor"
These orders were duly executed. The
seamen made the decks busy with their
fingers in active motion, and the chain
cable roared hoarsely as the weight of
the big anchor swept it smoking through
the hawsepipe.
Some half dozen male passengers
women there were none-lounged upon
the little poop in the sultry shadow cast
by the awning. 1t was disheartening to
see the narrow entrance to Savanna Ia
Mar almost within reach of q "a pound
er'e throw of its ball, and to be as little
able to enter it as to walk to it.
"How long is this going to last?' ex-
claimed a planter.
perhaps a week, sir" answered Cap
tain Rogers, large, short, purple faced
man who hated to be asked questions.
The planter rolled the yellow ''whites"
Of his eyes to tho heavens and tossed his
hands, with a malediction betwixt his
teeth.
whats that yonder, coming round
that corner of land?" exclaimed another
passenger, pointing to the line of coast
which the rolling cutter lay becalmed
abreast Of.
! Captain Rogers went to the companion
way, picked up the ships telescope and
! leveled it.
"A picaroon!" he exclaimed, and the
/ roar of his voice went in thunder along
the decks as he bawled to his livelies to
. tumble up and load the carronades, ard
to see all ready with the small arms, and
to stand by to sink the scoundrels should
/ they dare attempt to board the ship.
But it was speedily evident that the pi-
: rates quarry was the cutter, and not the
} Bristol merchantmen.
! The picaroon was long, black schoon-
er, setting very low in the water, heavily
rigged, showing not an inch of canvas
as she stealthily crawled over the bur-
nished blue heave to the impulse of her
long oars, or ''sweeps," as though she
were some gigantic marine reptile forg
ing her way through it with movements
Of her antennR.
The cutter rolled helpless, with an oc-
casional blazing flash sunward as she
lifted her wet, sparkling copper out of
the water. On q sudden, however, and
as though the men aboard her had but
Just walked from sleep, down dropped
her swinging, big mainsail, oars were
thrown over, and she made in the direc-
Non of the Bristol trader, slipping her
cable as she rounded, without stopping
to buoy her anchor.
But the picaroon buZzed fast in her
wake. A puff of white cloud OCCASION
ally broke from her bow, and the black
ball, i'll aimed, went sliimming ahead of
the cutter in the direction of the Bristol
! merchantman like a parched pea along
a table.
Before the cutter had measured halt
mile the pirate was alongside and lash
ing the vessels together for boarding ~
spider revOlves a fly in its web before
trotting aloft to dine off it III its hole.
There was some small cracking Of
blunderbusses and pistols, shouts faint
in the distance and q little lifting Of
white smoke. The business was then
ended and with true pirate celerity the
schooner was making for the blue heap
of coast, with the unhappy cutter towing
and rolling and flashing in her wake.
This thievish piece of work had be-
watched with helpless wrath by Cart -
Rogers and his ships company and ":
no small alarm by tho passer gers. T..
captain said he could swear to
schooner She was the wickedest Of {;
the picaroon pests Of those waters. H.
pronounced her zane, and his lace vas
full of blood with temper as he did so.
An hour later an inshore breeze sr~2n9
up. The anchor was swiftly catheadcd
20 CHEEKY chorus, and the Bristol trader
was steered for tho narrow DlsgcG0 to