Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1897-12-29

and in addition to them the cook was or
dered to make other flags of the cabin
sheets and tablecloths, and every blue or
red shirt in the mems chests was also CON
verted into bunting. The old bark must
have had a queer look to the pirates, and
when she heralded the day with salute
of cannon and small arms followed by
three rousing cheers, the fellows must
have wondered what sort of menagerie
they had been following during the night.
The cook had breakfast ready at once, and
by sunrise we were waiting for move on
the part of the junks. Then the native
officer was sent for, and Captain White
asked
We'll, are you going to fght?"
''If not too many come, was the reply.
"Too many, you slab sided son of
gun What difference does it make to us
how many they are! Trot out your gang
while give them word or two"
The soldiers came shuffiing forward,
and one glance at them was sufficient to
prove that they had no heart for fight.
"You miserable, contemplate trash'
shouted the captain as he caught one Of
the gang and lifted him off his feet and
cracked his heels together. 'Now, then,
are you going to help us? Wake up here
and listen to mel You'll either fight like
devils or we'll chuck the crowd of you
overheard to the sharks. Mates, take hold
here and help kick some grit into their
cowardly hearts. "
1t was the funniest scene ever witnessed
before battle For ten minutes we boot
ed the gang up and down the decks, with
the crew laughing and cheering, and we
ceased kicking only when they promised
to do their full duty. They were scattered
along between the guns, where our men
could have an eye on them, and we We're
all at stations when one Of the junks flew
q signal and the three bore down on us.
Our cannons were IL Founders, with fuse
shell for the first charges, and there was
hardly whisper among the men as the
foremost junk came sailing down to get
us within range of her four pound pieces.
The captain let her close within about
600 feet, and then gave the word to fire
The two starboard guns were discharged
at almost the same second, and as the
men knew little or nothing Of gun prac-
tice it was good luck or accident which
sent the shells where they landed. Both
went plump into the iunk's hull OH her
port bow and close together and both ex-
ploded inside Of her. The craft was liter
ally blown out of the water. 1t wasn't 30
seconds from the time the shells struck
her before she was out Of sight under wa
ter, and not one Of her 40 or 30 men es-
capped death.
"Now for the next!" shouted Captain
White when his voice could be heard above
the cheering, and the starboard watch ran
to the braces and brought the bark around
so that our port battery could be brought
to bear
As we came round we had the junk al
most under our bows, and such of our men
as were not at the guns, assisted by the
Chinese soldiers, opened fire with mus
kets We got hot fire back, but only for
| couple of minutes. Then the big guns
| pumped their shells into her, and she was
| simply torn open. She had at least 80 men
I aboard, and as we passed her in wearing
round about dozen were seen amid the
wreckage, which was Of itself ablaze. The
| third junk hung in the wind for moment
| and then stood to the westward, to escape
behind the islands.
"Not if I'm Yankee and patriot! !'
exclaimed Captain White as he saw hei
game. "Weve got two, but it's the glori
Gus Fourth and we want the third one
Round with her, men, and we'll finish
this job in shipshape fashion,
When we got in tho wake Of the fleeing
junk, we ran one of the guns forward ant
opened OH her with shell, but for q time
she escaped injury and gradually drew
away from us. There was a good chance
that she would get away when a shell
struck her stern, smashed her rudder, and
she came up into the wind and was help
less. A white flag was soon run up ir
token of surrender, but a sudden shift o1
the breeze headed us off, and before We
could get down to her she settled out ol
sight and left never man afoat for us tt
pick up. We had just resumed our course
after sailing to and fro for an hour, wheI
the British man-of war Torpid came dowr
OH us from the north and hailed to know
what it all meant.
''Oh, nothing much, answered Captain
White as he looked aloft at his flags. ''1t'.
just Fourth Of July, you know, and as VIZ
wanted an old fashioned celebration VIZ
decked out and then sent three pirate
junks to the bottom. Give him three time.
three, men, for Lexington, Bunker Hill
and a few other things!n