The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-01-13
CAP'N DICKEY'S CAPTIVES.
How His Grew Of Cripples Recov-
cred in Night.
One Day Late the Schooner Hester Sailed
Into Bristol Harbor with Rum,
MOlasses, Sundries and
"Cinq HOmmes."

Dickey, of the Bristol schooner Hes
ter, had understood were ICING hon.
Ines."
Five on 'em," he muttered. That's
odds for the frog-eaters."
And in the depths of his gloom he
fell to cutting off pipeful of tobacco.
Truly, Capt. John couldn't be very
sanguine. He had sailed from Boston
several days before, bound for Bris-
tol town, or ancient Pemaquid, with
general cargo for the storekeeperS
of the settlement, and alas! French
privateersman had overhauled him
away off the mouth of the Kenncbcc.
The Hester had fed, but her fight
was about as nimble as the scuttling
away of an old hen fioundering through
barnyard to escape tormenting dog.
The Hester was all right for conveying
rum, molasses, and other necessaries-
broad of beam and tight of seam. But
she couldn't run away. Her blunt nose
bumped against the waves, her heavy
sides smashed clumsily down upon the
trimming swell. The tough old bird
spread all sail and bowled along, like
a Brahma scudding before the wind
with tail spread, but up came the pri-
vateeersman, his frisky nose dipping,
his clean sides flashing back the CLINT
of the wave, and the spume whizzing
through the lee braces.
"Schoonaire, ahoi!" shouted little
man from over the taffrail, his knurly,
red nose cleaning from under his cap.
no ho1 oHT
ter's quarter, and Capt. Diclley and his
men were surlily eying the small
craft.
What do you want?" roared back
the captain, hoarsely, just as though
he didn't know all too well.
The man with the knurly red nose
screamed backs.
''Heaf' to; stand by for bot'!'
Capt. Dickey didn't haul around Mt
once, however. He turned to Mate
Constant Judkins.
"S'pose we've got to, JUDI" he re-
marked, gloomily. course you know
what it means. We're gobbled.'
"Yes, and it's jest as well to be COB
bled whole as piecemeal," remarked
Mate Judkins, carefully throwing his
quid to lee.
This was wisdom. So in moment
or so the Hester came slapping and
changing and foaming around into the
wind. Not a moment too soon, for the
privateersman's long Tom had taken
rather determined squint at tie main
mast of the schooner.
Then Capt. Dickey, listening atten-
lively and with saturnine face, heard
gobble of French, in which he dis
tinguished icing hommes," and that
alone, for he wasn't linguist.
Sank 'om," he growled; wal, come
along and sank 'om more if you want
to-"
Constant Judkins listened to the
soliloquy with puzzled face.
IF 1 may be so questioniferous,
cap'n," he asked, who's this ere Sank
Orm who is coming aboard?''
The captain didn't smile. 81 heard
'em say in We've lingo" he explained,
that they're going to put five prize
men aboard us, and the Lord only
knows where they'll take us!"
The crew of the Hester were four
the skipper, the mate-Ozarias Hodson,
A. B., able-bodied seaman, and Berual
Joquith, cook and before the mast.
Now, as the captain strobe forward
front of the house to see about throw
ing over the stern ladder, he saw
Ozarias Hodson sitting on rope coil
in the waist, with head tied up.
What ails you?" snapped the skip
per.
'Toot'ache, sir, and Dumb bad, tool"
Ozarias evidently was more distract
ed by toothache than by privateers-
man. Berual Joguith, who had had
the lively suspicion that the privateers-
man would pop few shots at them by
way of exercise and practice, lodged
out of sight into his sanctuary.
just as Capt. Dickey threw over the
stern ladder thought struck him.
by ginger!" said he, and he jumped
rs though he had suddenly taken in
mouthful of that condiment.
He threw hasty look over the side.
The privateersman was just getting
it's long boat in the water with the
"sank'oms" and their sea chests.
"Jud," he called back to the mate,
make fast the wheel and dodge down
here into the waist under the lee of
the bulwark."
Judkins looked surprised, but he did,
so.
"Come along below" commanded the
skipper, and both men followed him.
Down in his bunk they found the cook.
Boys" said the captain, there amt
time to go into long explanations, but
] want you to know right now that
you're all in awful bad shape, and
I'm the only man about ship who can
keep on his pegs"
The amazement on the faces of the
three gradually grew into shrewd in
4allsronoa az fhau Sfarod into tho