The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-03-16
A BOYS HER0lSM.
How He Saved a Ship and Crew
from the Pirates.


A luminous sort of mist lay under the
full moon all over the Caribbean sea.
as the treasure ship Ocean Queen, of
New Orleans, was waited by light,
almost imperceptible breeze, Oh her
course for Jamaica.
Towing astern of her, by Its warp,
was an old skiff which had been found
adrift and empty a month previously.
Stretched his full length across the
thwarts, with his face turned astern,
away from the ship, Jack June, the
captains soma robust lad of fifteen.
now occupied the boat He had been
in the habit of getting into it in good
weather, to enjoy the pleasing sensa-
ton of being lowed along by the big
vessel. Any boy who has ridden on a
sled attached by its rope to the hind
part of wagon can understand what
] mean Jack, who had entered the
boat long before dark, had been read
ing a small book about pirates, lent
him by the cabin boy, and he was now
thinking about the story.
''The pirate chief this volume tells
Of" soliloquized Jack, though he was
a robber and murderer, is spoken of
as if he was hero, with his beauty, his
daring deeds, his black plume, and his
death-dealing sword. He excited the
cabin boys admiration, but courage
and skill in a bad cause cannot excite
mine. l wonder if pirates are ever like
that one in the book?'
The subject was all the more interest
ing to the lad, because, at this time
1S2S-it was only few years since the
Caribbean sea was frequented by pi-
rates, and even now one was occasion
ally met with in these waters In fact,
though the ship, laden with her rich
cargo and also carrying large amount
of gold and specie, was within a hun
dred miles of ner destined port, her
captain had heard, from small sloop's
master, spoken on the day before, that
he had seen suspicious sail to lee
ward Thinking somewhat anxiously
of this, especially as not only his
father but his mother also was in the
Ocean Queen, Jack, without once chang
ing his posture, lay long time in the
skiff. At last he concluded to get
aboard ship; but, on turning round, he
was dismayed to perceive that he was
adrift
An examination showed him that the
warp was missing. The ring to which
1t had been tied, in the somewhat de-
cayed woodwork of the bow, was gone.
The boy remembered that half an hour
before he had felt the boat jerlzed by a
swell. 1t must have been this jolt that
had caused the loosened ring to finally
give way, but, as he had been lying
with his face turned from the ship, he
had not then noticed that the skiff was
no longer being lowed, as its motion
had previously been scarcely percepti-
BILE with so light breeze.
Again and again he shouted, hoping
he might have been missed by his ship
mates, and that they were already
searching for him.
But there came no response to his
cries.
There was neither oar nor scull in
the skiff
He waited long and patiently, but in
vain, for some sign of the ship.
Hour after hour passed as he drifted
on
1t must have been close upon dawn,
by which time the wind had freshened
and the fog was beginning to clear,
when he heard a gliding, ripping
sound off the weather bow. Somehow
the noise made him think of the mo-
ton of a sea-snalxe. The slight rat
Ting of blocks, evidently having oiled
=sheaves, reached his ears Of sudden
the scaly form of serpent, with head
thrust out and forked tongue protrud-
ing, doomed near him in the silvery
mist 1t was a vessels figurehead.
He could dimly see foremost beyond.
with huge foresail and topsail.
''Ahoy, there! I'm adrift!" he
shouted. Here, in a skiff, without
oar or sail!''
STAND by! Well throw you a
rope." was the answer, in a hoarse
voice.
Again the oiled blocks creaked
stealthily, as the headyards were
hauled aback.
But the craft-a long. low brig, of a
sea-green tint, showing no lights what
ever, had dr. ifted past him ere a rope
could be thrown.
Here! Scun your boat alongsideP'
was shouted, and an oar came whizzing
through the air, to fall splashing near
the skiff Jack secured the oar and
.sculled his light vessel alongside of the
brig. Then a rope was dropped to him
and he fastened it to the forward
thwart of the boat
Clambering aboard, he was sur
rounded by numerous throng. Several
lanterns had been lighted, showing
these people to be dirty, evil-looking
set. very different in appearance from
the tidy, honest sailormen to whom
Jack was accustomed
The gang, seeming 10 consist mostly
Of Caribs, dark-sllinned Portuguese and
Spaniards, wore red sAull-caps with
=soiled tassels, ill-fitting blue trousers
and clumsy red-an6-blue sashes, in
which latter were huge knives and
long pistols.
4 man of short stature, with handy
legs and british face, more like a
gorilla's than human beings, was evil
IDENTIFY the captain. His braided jacket.
his crimson sash, his white-duck trou-
sers, his silver ana gold-mounted sword