The record-union., 1894-09-01

81 was compelled, therefore, while my
four after oarsmen were pulling the boat
up to the schooner. to make the rest of
my men lie down in the bottom of the
launch in order to save their lives from
the fire of our friends. AS our launch
again neared the schooner, coming under
her starboard counter, / sprang to the
bow of the boat seized the painter, leaped
on board the schooner, hauled up our
boat and made her fast to the main sheet
caval.
II called out to my men: Now is your
time; come on board / was in despair
lest Carter would be killed before we
could come TO his assistance. AS
turned, after making. the boat fast, TO go
forward, / ran against a pike held by a
man who was braced in the cabin hatch
way. For an instant it took my breath
away and daZed me. l found myself
sitting on the schooner rail with not the
faintest idea that had been wounded.
supposed that | had run against spar or
other obstruction and received a severe
blow.
Recovering myself in a moment, and
totally oblivious of the fact that the sharp
blade of the pike had passed through my
right arm and penetrated my side, and
was even then sticking in my body, /
turned to go. The man holding the pike,
lnding that | was not dead, gave the pike
AOSb w push A1iO CN0L DOdIQ
Then, for the first time realizing my sit
uation, / threw myself back with my leg
over the rail and with my left hand
seized the pike, the blade of which was
still in my body, and sprang forward. AS
my enemy held on to the other end of
the pike, it brought up against the corner
of the hatchway and was broken. The
man then let go. drew the broken pike
then from my side, struck him over the
head with it, and threw it overheard.
sit must be remem bered that all this
occurred under cover of darkness, and
much quicker than the story can be told.
This affair being over. 1 rushed for
ward to the aid of the brave Carter. He
was bleeding from wound in the arm;
otherwise he had been unharmed. The
schooner's crew ran below. The victory
seemed won. but it was only the begin
ming of the work. | knew that the
schooner would soon sink from the
effects of the shell which he had fired
into her below the water line. 1t was
therefore necessary TO capture the crew
and retreat as quickly as possible.
81 sat down under the schooner's
thirty pivot gun and lit a
match for the purpose ofsetting her on fire.
Three times / tried il unsuccessfully, and
found myself going TO sleep. 1t finally
dawned upon me that L was bleeding 10
death, though entirely free from pain.
This idea startled me. 1 struck my head
against the gun trying to wake myself
up. l pushed my woolen shirt into the
wound in my side and in this way
stanched the blood.
''And now the forts opened fire upon
Us, and the light-draught steamers, with
blazing furnace doors, came down the
bay to attack us. Not a person had been
secured. They were all below, and the
gallant Carter stood guard over them at
the hatchway, with revolver in his
hand. / ordered them to come on deck.
They refused to obey. 1 then ordered
my men to go down and drive the rebel
crew on deck. No one was willing to go,
and SO l went down into the hold myself,
revolver in hand, and found ten armed
men there crouched in corners. There
was light burning below, and l could
see them plainly.
II ordered them on deck, and two oi
them had got part OF the way up the lad
der, when | was startled by hearing some
treat. pulled those men back into the
hold and made them sit down. l rushed
on deck and found that all my party,
save the brave Carter, had fed To the
| boat and we're pulling off from the
schooner. Shouting to Carter to hold
| the hatchway and keep the enemy below,
! / flew wildly to the stern of the schooner
just as my boat had showed of. With q
des perate leap l cleared the rail aud
landed in my boat across the gun. With
my cutlass beat my men back and made
them pull up to the schooner again.
Again 1 took the painter and mad
! the boat fast to the schooner, and AGAR
! led my crew on board. All this time
had seen or heard nothing from the sec
ond launch since she poured murderouS
fire into us before we boarded. Ia fact