The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-02-06
y GALLANT DENE>CE.
Az INCIDENT or 1HE WAR OF 1872.
BT GEORGE II. COOMER.

| L
Grafton after generation, from the
| Commonwealth to the reignOf George
Ill But John Bull had never been
put into much terror by them. They
could be runaway from. could be
| fought of. could be taken and brought
into port Indeed 4 French belliger
ent had no reason to indulge any great
expectations 1t was better than the
average luck Of his countrymen to
keep ont Of Dartmoor prison, and get
home with a whole skin.
But with the coming around Of
| Brother Jonathan. q new era had
opened. 4 row OF nine Founders,
grinning from q merchautman's bull
warks. could no longer warrant her
against capture, nor was she by any
means secure. e-en under the batter
| les Of those heavy man-of war by
which the mercantile marine was often
conveyed
The English were terribly scared
all along their coasts, and the fame Of
the swarming Driyateers spread to
every hamlet in the kingdom. Far
inland as well as upon the seabOard,
J there was many a good dame who lad
| cause TO fear for son or husband. sail
| ing, as she knew him to be- from some
one OF the great marts Of commerce.
Even the ploughman in the fields.
| though strangers to the faintest CLEAN
Of the deep, would muse Of some
old acquaintance who had gone away
! to sea. and magnify the danger that
| threatened him from the clutches Of
the Yankees.
In places like London. Liverpool.
Hall and Bristol, the quaint old Brit
ish tar5, standing by the docks, would
shake their heads Omiuously at the
sight 2f some merchantmen getting
under way; and while hitching up
| their trousers and shifting their quid5
gTowl as only such ancient mariners
could. the substance Of their remarks
being 'hanother good wessef' was to
be made the present Of to the blast
ed Yankee"
There's that Harmstong," some
square faced old fellow would say;
shes hevery day pickin' huf sum
NUT off the coast ere Twas she as
chased hus hunder the guns at Spit
cad, last voyage.
The grim tar5 had indeed reason for
a particular mention Of tie Armstrong
for no pTivateer of the scores that were
a-sailing British commerce, had prov
ed more troublesome that she. At
times there were half adozen cruisers
looking f0r her. but she had the good
luck to outsail every pursuer. The
enemy might be to WindWard at the
start, but unless his vessel happened
to be exceedingly weatherly, he would
find himself to leeward before the end
of the race, for the smart little brig.
sharp as a wedge mad way Of dOubl.
ing upon clumsy j ohm Bull, greatly to
his disgust IN fact he might as well
have given chase t. a diving loon.
No wonder the saucy clipper got
bad name among the people on shore.
Did q home bound merchantmen fail
to arrive when expected, it was easy
to guess what had become Of her Did
am outward bound craft clear at the
custom house for Calcutta or Bombay,
she was far less likely to double the
Cape Of Good Hope than 10 make the
light at Sandy Hook OF Boston Har-
Dor
The brig ran great risks She would
take prize right out from under the
cutWater of a man of-war Once. near
the mouth Of St Georges Channel,
she captured mercantman in a thick
foe. and had barely the time to send
her off ont Of sight, when another and
a much larger ship appeared, not
cables length away. twas the Ram
lilies seventy four.
Is the mercantman had been cap
ltWed without, noise the discovery Of
a priyateer SO near them mast have
been entirely unexpected by the crew
Of the man Of war. and to this fact the
Armstrong probably owed her saliva
ton
The British drum was heard beat
ing toqurters, the hoatswain's whistle
| rc1oundcd through the fog. and the
huge ship of the line threw open a
number Of her ports with the great
black guns looking grimly ont. But
! there was evidently some confusion
and delay. Jogging securely along,
with a large convoy under their charge
| the British officers must have been
greatly surprised at the apparition Of
the little warlike brig 50 close upOn
their weather bow
There was commanding hail: and
to gain time with the enemy's gun
pointing right down upon him. Capt.
Reid o. the Armstrong, gave the name
OF British privateer. He was then
ordered to hcaye to: bat hauling away
upon the sheet of his huge fore and
aft main sail. and bracing his head
yards sharp. he continued his course
as near the wind as the brig would
sail.
Then the Families let lose her
thunder All along her high side ran
the cannon shocks, bang, bang, bang
ard the smoke that rolled up. mingl
ing with the fog. hid her completely.
The broadside. had it taken effect on
the priyateer, must have made dread
full work: but it happened that the
seventy four had not fallen sufficiently
off the wind for her guns to bear well
ON the mark The Armstrong was
forging ahead, and almost every shot
passed harmie5sly 10y her quarter.
The enemy continued his fire fol
some minutes, but as the privateel
was uOw invisible to him. he succeed
ed only in making great smoke ant
tearing holes through the fog The
affair. however. illustrated some o.
the pcTils of privateoring,
The ptiza arrived safe in tine United
States. and proved one Of the mos
valuable taken Lp1n the cruise
! Soon after this affair he Armstrong
+ bore away for Fayal. where she wa
, destined to with such immortality a
: belongs to vessels which have mp
borne the flag Of their country u glor,
against immensely superior forces,