Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1894-06-28

NV NV N
WHOM HENDRICKS CALLED THE CAP.
TAIN"
looked q little paler than usual that
she knows what our cargo is"
"a pirate!" CALCULATED the captain.
''I'n cut her IN two and he inpulsive-
1y pulled one of the engineers bells.
In another moment the C%orinthian
had changed her course q point or two
and was heading for the San Pedro.
Both the men were intently regard
ing her through their glasses and the
passengers were crowd1ng upon the
deck.
To their surprise they saw that the
San Pedro was moving in the same di-
rection as themselves and throwing q
heavy cloud of smoke.
run. you bloody little scoundre1!"
said the captain.
Scarcely had he got the words out of
his mouth before there was another
puff of smoke-this time from her
stern, and almost Immediately there
came a crash and a hundred voices cried
out in alarm and Indignation.
The shot had struck the Corinthian
just abaft the bridge; ORR away about
ten feet of lei upper works and gone
through the stern taffrail. Three men
were knocked down by the splinters-
Capt. Jamison was livid with honest
rage and he stamped his foot and swore
terribly. "By the God of nations" he
said, are we living in the days of Capt.
Kidd, or in the nineteenth c~entury?"
I'D come to, if l were you" said his
mate. THAT fellow will hull us pres
entity. We never can catch him.
Come to-" exclaimed the sturdy
British captain. "I1l break his back.
Do you think an English steamer goes
down on her marrow bones to every
tramp she meets?"
The vessel was low racing through
the water at an increased speed and
the action of the C1gines made an
audiblk throh,
There was intense excitement among
the passengers, many of whom were
calling up to h captain to stop the
vessel.
He looked ovcr the brass rail of The
bridge at them with indignant con-
tempt. AS he did so, one man pulled
n pistol and shouted: Look here, we
don't want to be sent to the bottom on
account of your id gold, Stop
here where she is We can defend our
selves ut close quarters, but we don't
want to be snnk."
To the captains utter ~amazement
twenty other passengers shouted:
"A;e, aye, shut off our steam"
Even then some horrible suspicion of
the truth must have flashed upon the
wretched officers mind as he looked
down upon this group. lie caught the
rail a moment with both hands, then
wheeled round and, folding his arms
said to his companion on the bridge:
'Stop her!'
AS If In anticipation of this, the San
Pedro had slackened speed and was
now blowing a white cloud of steam
For ten minutes everybody on the
Corinthian watched the vessels ap
proach each other and. when they
were less than a thousand feet apart
every one could see the line of heads
along the smaller vessels taffrail.
The sea was unusually calm and
CLASSY, and presently a boat manned
by six men put off from the San Pedro
When the young man who repre-
scented the pirate had reached the decl
of the Corinthian he found himsel1
1dCIJlR Ii crown Oh l1cn anu "OI1Cu IL
every condition of alarm and anxiety
He was dressed in a blue shirt anC
common due trousers and glazed cap
in his belt he carried a regulation nav
revolver. lie saluted the captain pc
litely and said, in a pleasant voice:
81 am instructed, sir, to ask you t.
order your people below. We viii
come alongside and remove your spe
IA -
dignity offered to your crew or passen
gers"
damn your impudence, sir.' re
: torted Capt. Jamison. I've a grea
} mind to chuck you into the sea myself
, Go back and tell your buccanecr tina
: a British captain sinks with his shi]
and cargo. He doesn't hand them owe
> to the first cowardly rascal he meets.
, "As you please, sir" the young ina,
replied. 'Itwould be a cruel necessit,
/ to send this vessel and it's people t.
the bottom"
He turned to go to his boat afte
+ making another salute and one of tn
; passengers again interfered.
"We object to the arrangement" h
: said, land are not going to be mu1
) dered on the high sea- to save you
gold"
Whereupon twenty other passenger
armed with revoiyers stepped out an,
repeated: AYE, aye. Take the gold
but we want to reach our destination.
The upshot was that the captain an
his officers were locked in the cabin
t the passengers ordered below and tn
San Pedro dashed alongside. 1t too
seventy-five men two hours and a hal
to transfer the gold from one vessel t.
: another, and a sharp lookout was kep
y for approaching steamships. Whe
the task was accomplished, the Ell
gineers were ordered IN deck an
! three of the Pedro's crew went~belol
and efectually disabled the mf
t chinery of the Corinthian. This too
s another hour.
The last thing the pirates saw wa
the white hair of Capt. Jamison blow
e ing in the wind that had sprung u
from the northeast, as he shook h
fist at them. And the last words the
heard weres "I11 hang every dog {
you before / die"
. CnNTTNuED NEXT WEEKLY