The Opelousas courier., 1894-02-17
name, and his face was full OF blood

| the DIlSto1 lIUucL NdS eoccIou "
| the narrow passage to receive a pilot
| for Savanna la Mar.
By shutdown the ship was mooredi2
harbor, and everything was made snug
| for the night. A considerable num-
Der of vessels happened to be assem-
| bled in the port, and the picture was
one of beauty and color when, on the
| sinking of the sun and to the blast of
a heavy piece of ordnance, some score
or two of radiant streaks of bunting
| descended suffering 10 the deck from
peak aud masthead.
At 8 o'clock Captain Rogers went
ashore to smokea pipe i'll a hotel that
was much frequented in those days by
seafaring gentlemen. He entered e
hot, long room in which already a
| number of captains, mates and such
| folk were assembled. The atmosphere
was thick with tobacco smoke.
Much was made of Rogers, as a man
newly arrived from England. One
thing leading to another, our captain
presently referred to the piccaroon
| incident he had witnessed outside the
port.
"That schooner was undoubtedly
the Santa Margarita," exclaimed a
~shipmaster.
"The cutter was from Kingston
said another. "All the owner has i'll
the wide world was in her. He is a
ruined man, l fear" and he fetched
the table a mighty thwack with his
great fist as he heaped a variety of sea
blessings upon the pirate schooner.
"The impudence of that Santa Mar
garita." exclaimed a mate, g quiet,
sober. faced man, t'goes beyond all in
v%ention! She walks off with the
droghers as a boy with apples out of
a field, and stoops to such filthy mean
work as plundering the poor John
Canoes"
"She was playing just the same
pranks when l was last here" said
Captain Rogers. "Has there been
nothing with a pennant at it's masthead
washing about these waters of late?
How is it that the epaulets are allow
ing this little cruiser to have it oil
her own way"
"The FREELY was down here on a
cruise three or four weeks ago." said
one of the captains, land chased the
Margarita for six hours. I'd have
thought she would have loitered till
she'd snugged the gang of cutthroats
under her own matches"
"She was called away to carry des-
patches, " said some one.
"The Firefy's not a patch on the
Margarita in sailing" exclaimed a
shipmaster. "I'm iunked if she didn't
scandalize her mainsail out of sheer
bravado when the Firefy was winking
at her with a bow-chaser a couple Of
miles astern dead in her wake!"
s'That's where it ISL cried Captain
Rogers. eff it was not for the
creased lightning of the beggar's keel
I'd offer my ship to chase her with,
and take my chance of a shindY at
home for detention if l was long in
catching her. But bless me, gentle
men! There's nothing in this port,
there's nothing commanded by any of
you; that's going to look at her in a
breeze of wind; whilst in dead calm
why, she came buzzing out this
afternoon from round the corner like
a ten-oared galley to the thrust of her
long sweeps!
"Yet we bought to nab her, friends"
he concluded, 1--WE ought to nab her.
Her existence is a standing degrade
ton to the red flag of our country. A
thought occurred to me this afternoon
whilst I was watching her walking off
with the cutter. Are we all true men
here?"
He rose as he spoke the words and
took a critical survey of the people
around about him. Indeed, he had
need to be wary /; for often it happened
that the piccaroons of those days were
secretly owned or employed by per-
SOM who were esteemed of good stand
ing and credit in the West Indian
colonies.
But all the people in the long room
this night were Englishmen and
sailors; every man could have named
the ship he belonged to. Being salts
fed on this head, Captain Rogers
communicated his scheme.
It was very warmly received. The
offers of assistance we're far in excess
of the requirements of the little con-
spiracy. For an hour or SO the
matter was debated, and the company
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, a large sloop, hoisting her main
sail and stay-foresail, foated quietly
out of the harbor through the narrow
passage before o weak offshore breeze.
The vessel was about five-and-twenty
tons burthen, rugged with n 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 'seyes."
The night that followed shutdown
was onelof rich tropic beauty, The
moon was at her full. Her wake
flowed in a 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 IN ofing
of about two miles the weak breeze
scanted, then fell dead, and the hush
of the night, solemn with it's beauty,
came down upon the sea.
The sloop let go her anchor, but
kept her sails hoisted; and the white
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