Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-02-07
The Story Teller.
THE ENGLISHMAN'S EXPLOIT.
BY sYLyANUs COBB.

BY sYLyANUs COBB.
On the the western shore of Penob-
scot bay, between Belfast and Camden,
there was a small club of fishermen's IS
cots, inhabited by hardy set of men,
who had, from infancy, been brought
up amid the music of the breaking
waves, and who knew no fear beneath
the power of mortal man. Foremost
among these hardy children of the sea,
and occupying the station of sort OF
ruler among them, was midd le-aged
man, named Enoch Nightingale, or, as
he was generally called, Captain
Nightingale; and never was man
better gifted Ly nature for the post he
held by general consent than he was.
Powerful and athletic in his physical
mold, bold and fearless as the forest
monarch, and frank and generous in
his social relations, he was beloved
and respected by all who knew him.
He was jolly fellow, too, and often,
as his small gray eyes twinkled in
their merry mood, a close observer
might have seen keen love of practi-
cal joking lurking in their cleaning
depths. -
At the time of which we write the
fishermen dared not venture far out to
sea, for close blockade was kept up
along the coast, aud 80 they were
forced to forcgo the advantages of
their best fishing grounds but q new
idea had taken possession of their
brains, and they had thought of fitting
out privateer against the English.
For two weeks had this matter been
talked over, and all the arms neces-
sary to personal warfare had been
procured !; but no vessel suitable for
the enterprise could be obtained, nor
could they raise guns heavy enough
for sea use, even had they possessed
the vessel. Of pistols and cutlasses
they had enough, and that was all,
unless we add one old iron 6-pounder,
which served as kind of signal gun
in cases of heavy fogs and stormy
nights.
1t was just at nightfall that Obed
Nightingale's shallop (Obed was the
old mans sony, came up the bay, and
as the young man came on shore he
reported that there was an English
topsail schooner, a clean, clipper-built
craft, lying off and on between Mon.
hegan and the Ledges. She was heav-
lily armed, and seemed to play about
in the water as though her heels were
made for running.
Now, Captain Enoch Nightingale
had said but very little about the
various projects that had been set on
foot with regard to the privateering
expedition, but he had thought great
deal, and as soon as his son communi-
Gated the above intelligence, his
thoughts came to a focus. A plan of
his operations was clearly marked out
in his mind, and he at once set about
the work of putting it into effect.
The man who stood second to Captain
Nightingale, and who was, in fact,
Nightingale's first mate, was Jabe
Haskins, and upon him the old man
first called.
"Jabe," said the captain, "did you
know there was British clipper just
outside ?"
eyes,"
"Well, s'pose we 90 out an take
her?"
"Do w'at?"
"Take that Englishman."
"W-h-e-w
"But I'm in earnest"
Jabe looked at Nightingale in utter
astonlshment.
'I can go out in my little Rhody an
take her before she knows where she
is. Now, will you help me?"
"I'll foller yer, cap'n. If yeou 60 y
thunder" was Jabe's hearty response,
as he saw that the old man was in
earnest.
Captain Nightingale took his mate
by the arm and led him off. The
night was dark, but still there was a
busy scene on board the schooner
Rhody, which was the heaviest fishing
| vessel in the place. Torches were
cleaning to and fro all night long,
hammers and saws were sending forth
their music, and when the morning
dawned the Rhody was ready for sea-.
The old iron signal gun had been
hoisted on board, and placed upon a
rude sort of a carriage amidships, the
cod-line beckets and bait boxes had
been cleared away, and, take her all
in all, she bore some faint resemblance
to an embryo pirate or privateer.
She was manned by IL men, of
whom Jabe Haskins took the COM
mand. The people wondered where
Captain Nightingale was, but Jabe
set their hearts at rest by telling them
that he would get outside as soon as
the schooner did.
In an hour after daylight the Rhody
hove up her anchor and made sail,
and in less than five hours she poked
her blunt nose into the waters of the
blue Atlantic. Shortly after the schoon-
er had passed White Head light, the
Englishman was made out about two
miles distant, to the south'rd and
west'rd, just off the Ledges, and haul
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