The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-13
A PIRATE STORY.

"You SEQ, Crocky wanted to be up to
date That old schooner Of his was won
der to sail. But now that both Dutch and
English cruisers were on the lookout for
him he thought IL was about time he had n
smoke pot Of his own. needn't go over
the nabbing Of the Hija de Ia Mar. She
was only a co foot, Barrow built launch
sent out for Pareras of Manila. fought to
| know"
"Yes. You were her engineer, weren't
your"
Engineer of hooker like that! Not
likely. But was going to Mindanao my
self and Jose Perera asked me to run the
Hija down for him. And how Croc-y
nailed us, and marooned 'em all but me,
OF course you know"
"Yes But why did he except your"
Because there were fixtures about the
steam gear that puzzled him-newfangled
touches that made him think he'd got hold
OF 20 knottsr or thereabout. SiSteen
she was credited with on the measured
mile. but IA was all I could knock out Of
her, with Croeky's pistol at my ear to help
me-"
"'And that's her top notch, is IT, says
he at last ~-~- --,--.--
"'With better coal, told him, 'snd a
tow notches moro down II the stern, I
might squeeze another knot out Of her
not more
Call IL 18 as general thing, ne says.
TOO much for the Dutchie or for any
thing the Britishers hsv got In these hyar
waters
eyes. But what about the Spaniarise'
I says
'Shuckp he says and walks away aft
II could sec Dixon knew something of
the new 18 knot cruiser that had arrived
at Manila the day we left 1t. She'd be
after us by that time, I expected. But, of
course, said nothing to Crocky. Sixteen
OF his men he had with him-the best,
suppose, In his estimation, which meant
pretty well the biggest scoundrels And
the nearest thing to white man among
| 'em was big cross eyed Portuguese with
touch Of the war brush.
| "We fell in with little green painted
brig heading west-cocoanut oil,
heard afterward, she had--from the islands
for Canton, and Crocky runs alongside and
boards her with all his cutthroats but two
What happened In the briggs cabin don't
exactly know, but when we had cast off
and the brig had filed her main topsail
again the skipper runs to the taffrail and
shakes his fist at Crocky. You Kankee
robber,' he yells you'll pay for this, rs
sure's my name's-What his name was l
didn't hear, for just then Crocky fired.
"The old chap stood for bit with his
fist stretched out, then down he went in a
heap
Presently no walks up to the chap at
tho whecl-a half caste Dutchman by the
look of him and rot we'll used, could see,
to have the spokes of steamer in his flip-
pers. Dixon just looks at the compass
and without n single word catches the man
o crasher on the head with his revolver
butt. Then no looks round, the smallest
man aboard, with u pleasant little smile on
his smooth little face. Take the wheel,
Miguel, he says to the big Portuguese,
'and heave this thing over the side, oou-
| plo Of you
well, sir, there must be some such thing
as fate after all. believe It was tl .ian's
doom that drove him into sudden ferocity.
| At all events IL was the shooting OF the red
faced skipper that brought tho cruiser down
on us.
| "The mate of the brig kept her away
from the Philippines to report the matter,
and what does he drop across six hours
later but the Spanish warship.
"Sure enough, next morning at sunrise
there was little inky smear going up out
of the blue behind us. Crocky hardly took
his eye of 10 for an hour, and when he
found 1t was rising and spreading he comes
to mo and says, Drive herr Not word
more, but you bet did drive her for all
she was worth.
The strangcr-steering for our smoke,
OF course-hove herself up 10 fast over the
horizon that knew she must be the new
cruiser, the Cid Campeador
The way tho don overhauled us was a
caui'on, and as soon as she was ncar enough
70 Snow US the whiteness about her fore
loot she let drive at u.s. Long way short,
my boyP / says to myself, but I hadn Z
reckoned on tho latest touch in guns
of usi
up comes Crocky when no hears the
boom, and down he smashes his glass on
deck when he makes out the strnneer's q en-.
sign Great Jefferson' he says. yellow
bellies, after allr
II noticed that his pockets were bulsina
with something that made him very heavy
: In the walk. Then comes another shot-