Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-11

| foul thief" Calamity make thy leg bare"
May scorpions eat thy heart out, thou un-
Just man" 'Maleo lthe keeper OF hhdesl
| have thee eternally in his keeping" MAY
thy hands rot for their greediness, o most
wicked Of robbers" "Mayest thou seethe
in the fiery food, such were some of the
| cries with which the pillagers carried on
their scramble.
In the midst of the strife, when the tu-
multi was at its height and the company so
intent on elntohing and tearing from each
other that they had no eyes for anything
else, suddenly there rang out startled cry
J that sent burdens rolling on the deck and
! hands grippingin girdles for pistol or blade.
Enemy, enemyp yelled man who
CHANGED TO look out to sea, and sure enough
there, less than tenth Of league of, were
two large boats full of men coming swiftly
toward us under the combined impulsinn
| of sail and oar. Perhaps sixth Of a league
| beyond these rode Mt anchor Il vessel OF
strange rig and build, from which it was
plain they had come.
| The crew on board the Bird OF Paradise
acted with the valor Of surprised thieves.
! Evidently Of the mind that half loaf Is
| better than no bread, many Of them leaped
| into the boats alongside and tried to make
on with what booty they had damaged to
secure But before they could get away
the strangers were among them, and in a
| twiukling half the boats were floating keel
up. twas surprising TO see the rapidity
with which boat after boat cauted over
| aud emptied it's contents, human and in
! animate, into the sea A push, the touch
| OF an oar, n jerk on bows or stern seemed to
| do it. But skill always gives an idea OF
ense, and IL was plain the present performers
were playing familiar parts.
The fellows in tue water spluttered bel
! lowed and threatened, but as the tongue
| was the only weapon they were able to use
| with any freedom, their opposition scarce
counted ns hindrauce The strangers laid
| about them with their oars with such vigor
and deXterity, such lightDinglike quick
ness and precision, that ere one could say
the thing had well begun hardly a boat re-
manned right side up
Having worked confusion In the water
| the couquerors came clambering over the
sides Of the brig, their ugly crooked swords
! in their teeth and a light in their eyes that
was uglier than the CLEAN of their steel.
| There was a pretense Of resistance by the
remainder OF the first Corners, but before
there was any chance Of slaughter they
were dodging about the deck and playing
AAAAAH tAlAAA BUN AbbAh AAAH illtsslas
At this signal OF surrender weapons were
put up with Il promptuess that would have
astouished one entirely Ignorant Of Arab
ways, and with one accord all hands-irst
Comers and last aliRe-fell to the old game,
only that now instead Of being lowered into
boats tue goods were thrown into the sea,
which was soon quickly notified with bales
and boxes. IL did not take long to relieve
the brig OF her cargo, and as soon as the
| last bale was overheard the robbers follow
| ed IL to continue the scrimmage outside
For me who remained on the brig there
was no lack of entertainment. There was
| eIhilaratlon amounting at times to pleas
urable excitement in watching the nimble-
ness and straits of the comhAtants and the
frequency with which booty changed hands.
| The incidents were often such as would
have made crowd OF spectators on shore
roar with delight. Now there would be a
knot OF men incxtricably entaugled as 1t
might seem, and just as you thought the lot
must go down together lucky boat would
dart clear. Then there would be exciting
pursuit and capture, or the runaway, civ.
ing all It's attention to its pursuers, would
rush into the clutches OF askirmisher lying
in wait on the outskirts.
Again a cluster OF boats would be locked
sway and rock for awhile till In tue energy
of the action 1t would suddenly tilt or Gu
reen, pitching men and goods into the wa.
ter Or again two men wrestling would
lose their balance and turn over like re-
yolving buoys, 70 come up blinking, splut-
tering and streaming at tho mouth as il
they We're automatic pumps. Then, shall-
ing themselves roughly like a couple OF
drenehed dogs, they would probably close
again TO repeat the same diverting per.
Torrance Thus the sport went on with
endless variety Of incident, and no blood
shed that could see to mar the enjoy
ment.
By degrees the combatants drew away
from me- for besides the tendency of such
battle tospread the ebblng tide wascarry-
ing the wares ont to sen, making it neces-
saTy to follow them. 1t was clear the last
corners were getting most of the spoil. A
fcw OF the others, lodging and watching
their chance, managed to make off. carry
ing freight for ballast, but the frequent
trips 70 and fro between the center of wnr
and the anchored ship told where most Of
the plumber was going.
There are no reapers with 1.-THE of the
energy and speed Of pirates. In spite Of the
time wasted in useless contention, In spite
OF races, captures, somersaults and the
thousand and one egregious hindrances
INDUCED in as might almost appear from a
spirit OF sheer frivolity, the harvest was
quickly gathered, and very soon the only
floating objects TO he seen were the ship
with her boats near mt hand and in the dis
tance other boats running for life with the
tide,
As the diversion declined my mind natu.
rally reverted to my own miserable condi.
ton. What was to become Of mef Was
To be left to my own devices with a strand.
ed ship and no commosSy And II 80. ,ybnt
should | dor Should | make nv vgnv
ashore and risk the sayagoness of man ANA
beast or remain on the brig to await de-.
velopmentsi W.
While was thus thinking and debatin,
a boat put OH from the pirate shin and cane
toward me. Coming alongside IT, crew
climbed on board the brig. and indeir,, IN
best to he civil / received them with n ,,,,,-
found salanm and a cordial marba,s, ~
welcome might have saved NV mains
Instead of returning my salutation No
leader came forward with drawn s,.o,'i
demanding TO know whether there ,yas 49, ~,
treasure on board and intimating 10, I,
ne caught me in a lie my throat would ~.
GUY on Tue spot assured him that /
knew OF no treasure, but invited tber 70
search for themselves since there mieb, i've
secret recesses in the ship that I'M moi
osa,aSsss=. AO'