Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-04-11

literal or metaphorical, is the very best
tonic that can be administered. The rough
behavior Of the pirates pricked me to q Wig
orous self interest that no process OF sooth
ing or doctor:ng could have induced. The
savage oathS and savager looks were to my
spirit what tie grindstone is to the knife
they turned listlessness and dullness to al
activity that had an edge of anger ant
some possibility of retaliation. The first
result Of this new found energy was The
thought that to crouch there and bleed tt
death was nest assurcdly not the part of {
man. So wa ching my opportunity, for tht
companionw%y was mostly blocked Will
thieves, | went below to finish my dressing
Fortunately my wounds, though making
SO CORY Il show, were neither deep nor dan
gcrous. But it was wonderful in how many
points Abram ben Alden had touched ne
more wonderful still that having succeeded
SO far he had rot succeeded farther.
Returning on deck presently, swathed in
handkerchiefs and stray pieces OF cloth, and
strengthened by 20 grains of Mr.. Watson's
uuinine, I discovered we were within
sightof land. A stretch Of shallow, blue
green water ran away to sandy beach that
ended abruptly in iron cliffs, which sug.
gestcd hardness and barreuness beyond.
"What is the land?" asked one of the
corsairs, pointing shoreWard.
Thou shalt know soon enough" ne
snarled, and concluding that perhaps the
fellow was right put no more questions.
Meanwhile the unloading of the brig
went on apace A score Of small boats lay
L. to,. No nj
80 or 40 men swore ON her decks and ray
aged her hold. They quarreled incsssant-
ly, shouting, pushing, kicking, brandish-
ing knives and cutlasses and pouring ont
curdling maledictions and threats that to 4
less fervid race could mean nothing short
of an instant intention TO revel in blood,
but never staying the main operations to
settle personal disputes
Islam has KoraE which straitly forbids
thieying, yet the Arab is by instinct and
example thief y pattern of piety when
there happens to lie no chance of profitable
roguery, sanity in his observances OF pre-
scribed ceremonials inside q mosque or
when he has leisure for prayers outside, a
loud talker about the duty of obedience to
God and the prophet, he is the very flower
of brigands and bandits when he can Sc.
curely lay hands on another mans goods.
Nor does he heed disci pline more than re-
ligion, for whatever Difference he may pro-
feSs for authority pillage transforms him
into rebel.
No sooner had the band about me got to
work than it Was a bowling, disorga:lized
mob, regardless alike Of leader, order and
unity OF interest.
Civilization teaches the value Of concert.
ed action The barbarian lacks the art to
understand the use Of combination in
crime. The art and policy Of judicious
division OF spoils are beyond him. Conse-
quently in that scene OF clamorOus conten-
ton each rogue simply seized and made OFF
with what he could gather, defending his
booty with tooth and claw after the man
ner OF his fellow savages, the wolf and
tiger. Standing idly by took q grim de
light in noting how they thwarted and him
dercd themselves and what time and en-
ergy they devoted to bootless scufiling
AS the cargo diminished the struggle
grew hotter and the hubbub louder. Curses
and recrirninations rose shrill and fierce,
faces were black and swollen with avarice,
eyes GDIdsc WIN obSSi, t'uIt iSttily
thought the thing would end in 4 food of
gore.
''yvou!dst thou have all, o son of dog,
and leave none to me:" II will let thy life
out ere parting with an ounce weight to
thee" May Azrael 1.-THE angel of deathl
seize thee and drag thee to perdition, thou
foul thief" Calamity make thy leg bare"
May scorpions eat thy heart out, thou I'M
just man" malice 1.-THE keeper Of hadesl
have thee eternGly in his keeping" May
thy hands rot for their grcedincSs, . most
wicked Of robbers" ",Iayest thou sccthe
in the fiery ilood,n such were some of the
cries with which the piil;:Scrs carried on
their scramble
In the midst of the strife, when the III
multi was at its height and the company so
intent on clutcLing and tearing from each
other that they had no eyes for anything
else, suddenly there rang cut 4 startled cry
that sent burdens rolling on the deck and
hands grippingin girdles for pistol or blade
ENEMY, enemy" yelled man who
CHANGED to look out to sea, and sure enough
there, less than tenth of a league off, were
two large boats full Of men coming swiftly
toward us under the combined impulsion
Of sail and oar. Perhaps sixth of Il league
beyond these rode at anchor a 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
off with what booty they had managed to
secure. But before they could get away
the strangers were among them, and in a
twinkling half the boats were floating keel
" Itwas surprising to see the rapidity
with which boat after boat canted over
and emptied its contents, human and in
animate, into the sea. A push, the touch
OF an oar, a jerk on bows or stern seemed to
do it. But skill always gives an idea of
ease, and it was plain the present performers
were playing familiar parts.
The fellows in the 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 as hindrance. The strangers laid
about them with their oars with such yigor
and dexterity, such lghtninglike quick
ness and precision, that ere one could say
the thing had well begun hardly a boat re-
mained right side up.
Having worked confusion in the water
the conquerors came clambering over the
sides Of the brig, their ugly crooked swords
in their teeth and light in their eyes that
was uglier than the CLEAN of their steel.
There was pretense of resistance by the
remainder of the first comers, but before
there was any chance of slaughter they
were dodging about the deck and playing
hide and seek about the masts.
At this signal of surrender weapons were
put up with Il promptness that would have
astonished one entirely ignorant of Arab
ways, and with one accord all Eands-frst
conlers and last alike-fell to the old game,
only that now instead OF being lowered into
boats the goods were thrown into the sea,
which was soon quickly notified with bales
and boxes 1t did not take long to relieve
the brig of her cargo, and rs soon as the
last bale was overheard the robbers follow.
ed it to continue the scrimmage outside.
For NE who remained on the brig there
was no lack of entertainment. There was
eXhilaratiOn amounting at times to Il pleas
,,r, bln nvritnprnt in watching the nimble-