The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-11

murderous duels which. coold they al
be recorded, would mottle our charts
with blood
In that heavy tropical air with SO
faint a breeze. the smoke formed q thick
bank round the two vessels, from
which the toprnasts only protruded.
Neither could see anything OF the enc
my save the throbs Of fire in the dark
ness, and the guns were sponged and
trained and fred into dense wall OF
vapor. On the poop and the forecastle
the marines, in two little red lines,
were pouring in their volleys, but nei-
ther they nor the seanen gunners
could see what effect their fire was
having Nor indeed could they tell
how far they were suffering them
selves, 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 occasional heavy thud
as spar or block came hurting on the
deck. The lieutcnauts paced up and
down behind the line of guns, while
Capt. johnson famed the smoke away
with his cooked hat and peered eagerly
out.
This is rare, Bobby" said he, as
the lieutenant joined him Then sud-
denly restraining himself: what have
we lost, Mr.. Wharton?'
'Our maintopsail yard and our gait.
sir"
Where's the hsg?"
'Gonc overheard, sir"
They'll think we have struck. Lash
a boats ensign on the starboard arm
Of the mizzen cross jack yard"
Eyes. sir"
A round shot dashed the pinnacle to
pieces between them. A second knocked
two marines into a bloody, palpitating
mass. For a moment the smoke rose
and the English captain saw that his
adversarys heavier metal was pro-
duaing horrible effect. The Leda was
shattered wreck. Her deck was
strewn with corpses Several of her
portfolios were knocked into one, and
one of her eighteen-pounder 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 boarders!" yelled
the captain
"Cutlasses, ladsl cutlasses! roared
Wharton.
"Hold your volley till they touch!"
cried the captain of marines.
The huge loom of the Frenchman was
seen bursting through the smoke.
Thick clusters of boardcrs hung upon
her sides anS shrouds. A final broad
side leaped from her ports. and the
mainmast of the Leda swapping short
off q few feet above deck spun into
the air and crashed down upon the port
guns, killing ten men and putting the
whole battery out of action. An in
slant later the two ships scraped to-
gether and the starboard bower an
Choir of the Gloire caught the mizzen
chain of The Leda upon the port side.
With yell the black swarm of board
ers steadied themselves for spring.
But their feet were never to reach
that blood-stained deck. From some
where there came a well-aimed Whit of
grape, and another, and another. The
English marines and seamen. waiting
with cutlaSs and musket behind the 81
lent guns, saw with amazement the
dark masses thinning and shredding
away At the same time the port
boarders of the Frenchman burst in to
roar.
Clear away the wreck" roared the
captain "What the devil are they fir
ing at?"
Get the guns clearr' painted the
lieutenant Wen do them yet, boysr'
They're running! They're running!
They're running"
And it was true The Frcnchman
upon clapping on every sail that she
could carry.
But that shouting hundred could not
claim it all as their own. AS the smoke
cleared it was not difficult 20 see tive
reason. The ships had gained the
mouth Of the estuary during the fight.
and there about four miles out to sea
was the Leda's consort bearing down
under full sail to the sound of the guns.
Capt. de Milon had done 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 rattling away with her bow
chasers, until headland hid them
from view
The Leda lay sorely stricken with
her mainmast gone. her bulwarks
shattered, her mizZenmast and gait
shot away. her sails like beggar's
rags and hundred of her crew dead
and wounded. Close beside her
mass of wrecleage floated upon the
waves. 1t was the stern-post of
mangled vessel and across it in white
letters on black ground was printed
1.-THE Shaping SAL
by the Lord. it was the brig that
saved us!' cried Mr. Wharton. Hudson
drew her into action with the French
man and was blown out of the water
by broadside.'
The two officers looked down at the
sinister name and at the stump of
wreckage which fioated in the discol-
ored water. Something black washed
to and fro beside splintered gaff and
tangie of billiards. 1t was the out
rageous ensign and near it scarlet
cap was floating.
He was a villain, but he was
Briton, said the captain al last He
lived like dog, but he died like
man A. Conan Doyle. N Atlanta
Constitution.
Dear Memory.-Harrv Havenaught