The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-01-05

then dispersed, with the understand
ing that all was to be in readiness by
sunset next evening.
At the hour when the sun sank next
day, large sloop, hosting her main
sail and stay-foresail, hoated quietly
out of the harbor through the narrow
passage before weak otfshore breeze.
The vessel was about fye-and-twenty
tons burthan, rugged with one mast,
and had been lately employed in carry
ing sugar along the coast. She was
unarmed; her flush deck swept clear
from the tafrail to the "eyes."
The night that followed shutdown
was one of rich tropic beauty, The
moon was at her full. Her wake
flowed in n river of greenish splendor
across the black surface of the water;
but the night beam was so clear and
piercing that the eye easily followed
the hard, firm sweep of the line of the
horizon.
When the sloop had gained an ofing
of about two miles the weak breeze
scanted, then fell dead, and the hush
of the night, solemn with its beauty,
came down upon the sea.
The sloop let go her anchor, but
kept her sails hoitted; and the white
ness of the cloths in the light of the
moon was like beacon of white fire
delicately burning long way off on
the ocean. 1t was remarkable that
though about midnight light breeze
sprang up, the sloop showed no dis
position to get her anchor and make
second start for her destination, wher-
ever that might be.
Her sails trembled in the wind.
They were useless, yet she kept them
aloft. Seemingly her notion was to be
under command so as to get away at
any moment by slipping, as the cutter
had done before the piccaroon walked
off with her.
Sometimes a single figure stumped
the deck; sometimes three or four.
Time after time one or another of
those figures would carefully sweep
The sea line, more particularly in the
direction Of the land, with a binocu-
lar glass. But all remained silent and
motionless out upon the sea. Nothing
stirred but q few shreds of steam white
vnpor sailing athwart the stars, and
the water wrinkling under the delicate
brushing of the breeze.
Thus passed the night. The dawn
broke in violet CLEAN along the east
ern seaboard. Presently up rose the
sun, and the wide scene of ocean and
distant shadow of land was flashed out
blue and brilliant into the wide, tropic
day.
1t was then that the stout, red-faced
man, dressed in wide straw hat and
an old monkey jacket, ceased in his
walk to and fro on the sloop, and PICK
ing up telescope, knelt down and
pointed it.
SAT last r' he exclaimed, addressing
another stout, reduced man alongside
of him, clothed in plain sleoved
waistcoat and an old pair of Yelling
ton boots. "There they are, Perren
and about time, too! A pretty long
Job of waiting this has been, Ger.
tainly!"
The other man took the glass, di.
rected it, and stared long and keenly
through the lenses.
Yes" said he, "there they are,
right enough"
The object at which he pointed the
telescope was mere black speck u:
yet in the thin blue haze upon the seG
under the land. But she developed
her bulk apace as she came along,
urged by q number of long oars which
rose and fell at her sides like hairs o
gold.
She was o low, long, black-hullet
schooner, unquestionably the indenti
cal piccaroon which had excited tn,
wrath Of Captain Rogers. She showed
no color, and her sails were furled, TO,
the weak draft Of wind that now bley
was right in her teeth as she CAM
heading direct for the sloop.
The two stout, red-faced men walked
the deck together, and seemed to give
no heed to the approaching craft
They were the only persons visible
and might, for the matter of that
have formed the entire crew of tn
little vessel. The schooner drew along
side, and when she was within half
dozen cables length some twenty o
thirty men came tumbling up out o
her main hatch, and in a trice he
decks were full of people.
Beauties they werel Never had tn
eye rested upon a choicer assembling
of scoundrels. They were black, whit
and yellow; chocolate. colored Spani
ards, renegade Englishmen tawny wit
fierce usage of the sun, draped in a
many costumes rs there were men-i
yad and I,lua oDd white chirtS in ool