The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-12-22
AN ARMORED VESSEL.

AN ARMORED VESSEL.
A boat containing two persons was skirt
ing the wooded shores of the island of
Martinique. Reuben Winterbotham, own
er, skipper and cook of the good vessel
General Court of Salem, trading in the
southern seas, had been on business visit
to some of the French planters, and hav-
ing disposed of a goodly quantity of the
wares in which he dealt-pies, cakes and
buns freshly compounded according to
the best New England recipes-was re-
turning to his vessel in the pleasant light
of the moon, just in its second quarter.
"Pull on your left oar Peletiah SMELL
good, for there is little spit of land ahead
of u.s." uuoth Reuben Winterbotham, and
Peletiah was just plunging his left oar
deeply into the water when a strange, I'M
canny sound, that seemed the mingling of
a mighty snore with the straining of a ca
BILE through hawsehole, arrested his stur-
dy arm.
"Hark," said Peletiah Snellgood.
Over the tops of the trees on the spit
loomed the masts of a vessel, and in mo-
ment they saw the vessel itself-a long,
black, rakish looking craft, with a deal
more top hamper than a merchantmen or
man-of-war found it necessary or safe to
carry. She was hiding in the little cove,
without sign of life about her, though
sounds there were in plenty, for mighty
grumbling and snorting sounded on the
still night air.
81 fear they are free traders" said Reu-
ben, "and such gentry have an awful APP
petite for pies and cakes. 1 have been in
their hands twice now, and everything
had baked was devoured. Let us avoid
the vessel"
''Nay, let us examine her, ;" said Pele-
tiah Snellgood. "Who knows but here
we may find q market for your wares?
Fasten the boat to the anchor chains, and
we will climb up and see what the strange
vessel is"
Had Reuben been at the oars, he would
have turned the skiff out to sea, but he
dared not demonstrate with Snellgood in
a loud voice, and whispered circumstances
were made in vain as that worthy sent
the skiff silently toward the stranger, SO
the skipper made the best of it, and being
an adventurous man withal whenever he
saw a possible chance for trade he climb
ed with his young comrade and peeped
over the bulwarks of the vessel. A little
gasp of surprise escaped him, but the
mighty snoring of the crowds of armed
men sleeping on the decks drowned the
sound. So crowded was the deck with
men that there was scarcely room for a
watch to pace and perhaps that is why
there was none. There they lay and slept,
the moons rays glinting upon the shining
steel of cutlasses and dirks, the polished
barrels of musketoons and pistols.
'Free traders" whispered Reuben Win
terbotham. "They will make a descent
upon the planters when the night has ad-
vanced little"
"The refuse of all Shores" muttered
Peletiah Snellgood, "just as 1 have read
about. Yonder is the dark Malay, the vii
famous Portuguese, the curly haired
Greek, the crooked nosed Levantine, the
burly Englishman. And there, spread out
on the forecastle to dry, or for some other
reason, is the Jolly Roger"
clark" said Reuben Winterbotham 10
tones of frozen horror.
sand buried him in the sand,
AS l sailed, as l sailed,
With Bible in my hand,
As / sailed, as l sailed"
trolled husky voice from below decks.
SIT is he, and Reuben and Peletiah al
most fell down the vessels sides into their
skiff.
"The French call this island the island
of the returners, " said Reuben Winter
botham when they had put goodly dis
lance between their skiff and the ship of
the redoubtable Captain Kidd. "Even the
free traders who have once been here come
back frequently But it is not on account
of the charms of the scenery or the eli
mate, but by reason of the excellent rum
which is made here. If / could once get q
cargo of that rum into Boston harbor, my
fortune would be made, and would cease
baking forever. 1t is most excellent liq-
uor, but none is exported. What is not
stolen by the free traders is consumed by
the planters. Lest those limbs of satan
rinse their outlets with that delectable
fluid, let us inform our friends in this vi
cinity of their presence. Then we will re-
turn to the General Court, and proceeding
to st. Pierre inform the governor of the
island"
The good vessel General Court lay at an
Choir in the harbor of st. Pierre, the seduct-
i've legend, "New England Pie" in great
black letters upon her white sides, setting
forth to all the nature Of her business.
The surgeon of the garrison, who acted as
health officer of the port, had more than
once demonstrated with the governor upon
letting the General Court enter the har-
Dor No yellow fever ship ever wrought
more evil upon the health of the island
than did this detestable purveyor of New
England pie, said the surgeon. But the
governor would not order the bakers craft
away, for, owing to its timely warning
the marauding party of the terrible Kidd
had been repulsed, with great loss, and
what is more to the purpose large guam
tity of rum had been saved. The end wai
IT yet, however, for Kidd had that morn