Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-08-27
Running Down q SlaVe-Ship.
Sail Ho =

Never, surely, did the cry fall
upon more welcome ears, save and
except those Of men becalmed in o
boat upon the open sea. For
twelve weary days and nights had
We, the officers and men of FL. NJ.
sh Petrol (six guns Commander
>. II. Neville), been cooped up in
our iron prison. patrolling one of
the hottest sections Of the terres-
trial globe, on the lookout for slav-
ers. From longitude 4 north to
longitude 4 south was our beat,
and we dared not venture beyond
these limits. Our instructions were
to keep out Of sight Of land and try
to intercept some Of the large ves-
sells which, 1t was suspected, car
ried cargoes of slaves frou the -
coast.
The ship, the sea, the cloudless
sky; there was nothing else to see,
nothing else to think of. Work,
study, play even, were alike imposs-
ible in that fierce, scorching heat.
Ii you touched a bit of iron on
deck, it almost burned your hand.
Ii you lay down between decks
covered with a sheet, you awoke in
a bath of perspiration.
Sail hov The man, in his ex-
element, repeated the shout before
he could be hailed from the deck.
Where away p sang out the cap
tain.
Two points on the weather bow,
SIR was the reply.
That phrase about the weather
bow was a nautical fiction, for
there was no wind to speak of, and
what there was was nearly dead as
tern.
Keep her away two points said
Commander Neville, and the order
was promptly obeyed.
In a few seconds the news had
spread through the ship, and the
men clustered on the bulwarks,
straining their eyes to get a glimpse
of the stranger. Even the stokers,
poor fellows, showed their sooty
faces at the engine-room hatchway.
OF course, the stranger might be,
and probably was, an innocent
trader but then she might be a
SLAYER. The golden visions of the
prize-money floated before the eyes
of every man and boy on board.
We did not steam very fast, as
our supply of coal was limited, and
it was about two hours before sum
down when we fairly sighted the
stranger. She was long, three
masted schooner, with tall, raking
masts, lying very low in the water.
All her canvas was set, and as q lit
tie wind had sprung up, she was
slipping through the water at o
fair pace.
She looks for all the world like
a SLAYER, SIR remarked Mr.. Bra
bacon, the first lieutenant, to the
commander.
Neville said nothing, but his lips
were firmly compressed and gleam
of excitement was in his eyes.
Fire a blank cartridge, Mr..
O'Riley,' said he to the second lieu
tenant ; 'and signal her to give her
nationality and her code number ,
This was done; and, in answer
to the signal, the schooner slowly
hoisted the American colors.
She has eased away her sheets,
and luffed point or two, SIR said
the quartermaster, touching his
cap.
The captain merely answered this
by nod.
Put a shot in your gun, Mr..
O'Riley,' said he.
Lower your hoist and make a
fresh hoist demanding her name,'
This was done but the American
took no notice.
Fire shot, Mr.. O'Riley-wide,
of course said the commander.
Again the deafening report of the
big gun sounded in our ears, and
We could see the splash of the shot
as it struck the water about fifty
yards from the schooner. Imme-
diately a flag was run up, then
another, and another, and we saw
that she was not giving her code
number, but was spelling out her
name, letter by letter-The Black
Swan.
Just look that up in the q. S.
Merchant Registry said the cap
tain to the first lieutenant. And
in half-a-minute he had reported,