Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-18
A DARING PIRATE.
How Bartholemy Portuguese Captured
q Huge Spanish Mer-
chantman

A series Of sketches by Frank r. Stock
ton on THE Buccaneers of Our Coast Is
one OF the features of the new volume of
st. Nicholas. In the January number Mr..
stockton tells Of the adventures of Bar
thoiemy Portuguez, who. with a small crew
III small vessel. captured a huge Spanish
aaHs IN te prase sea sailed
boldly toward the big Spaniard, and the lat
ter vessel. utterly astonished at the au-
was fiying-lay to. head to the wind. and
waited, the gunners standing by their can
non. When the pirates had come near
power Of the vessel they thought Of at at
tacking they did not, as might have been
expected, put about and sail away at the
straight on their course. as if they were
about to fall upon great, unwieldly mer-
chantman manned by common sailors.
tie vessel, the Spanish Commander deter
mined 70 give 1t a lesson which would teach
its captain to understand better the rela-
SO as soon as the prasss vessel as was near
enough he ordered q brcadside fired upon it.
The Spanish ship had a great many people
and besides these there were some passen-
gers and regular marines. and. knowing
that the captain had determined to fire
cred on deck to see the little pirate ship go
down; 49,, $50 ..u. ,,,,
a az alma before the
could be reloaded, or the great ship be got
around SO as to deliver her other broadsids
ssrthoIsmy ssie had red none II his Cannon
Such guns were useless against so huge a
foe. What he was after was a hand-to-
hand combat on the deck Of the Spanish
1.-The pirates were all ready for hot work:
They had thrown aside their coats and
shirts. as II each Of them were going into
their hands, and their pistols and knives in
their belts, they scrambled like monkeys up
the sides of the big ship But 'Spaniards are
more than twice as many Of them as there
were of the pirates; and 1t was not long
before the latter found out that they could
over the side they tumbled as fast as they
could 60, leaving some Of their number
dead and wounded behind them. They
put of to a short distance to take breath
and get ready for different kind Of fight
The triumphant Spaniards now prepared to
get rid of this boatload Of half-naked wild
beasts. which they could easily do II they
they had done before.
found that they could do nothing with the
guns, nor were they able to work their ship
SO as to get it into position for effectual
shots. Bartholemy and his men laid aside
up muskets. with which they were well
provided. Their vessel lay within very short
range Of the Spanish ship. and whenever
man could be seen through the port holes.
or showed himself in the rigging or any
where else where 1t was necessary to go In
order to work the ship. he made himself a
target for the good aim Of the pirates. The
pirate vessel could move about as 1t pleas
ed, for 1t required but a few men to man
age it, and so 1t kept out of the way Of the
Spanish guns, and its best marksmen,
crouching close to the deck, fired and fired
whenever Spanish head was to be seen.
For five long hours this unequal contest
was kept up. 1t might have reminded one
delicate line. who had hooked big sal
mon; but, on the other hand. the salmon
could not hurt the man, and. in the course
of time. the big fish would be tired out and
the man would get out his landing net
and scoop him in.
scoop the Spanish vessels. So many of
her men had been shot that the two crews
would be more nearly equal. So he boldly
ran his vessel alongside the big ship and
again boarded her. Then there was an
ether great fight on the decks. The Span
they had become desperate. and in the
furious combat ten Of the pirates were
killed and four wounded. But the Span
iards Jared worse than that; more than
half Of the men who had not been shot
by the pirates went down before their cut
fore Bartholemy had captured the great
Spanish ship.
TT was a fearful and costly victory he
had gained. A great part of his own men
were lying dead or helpless on the deck;
and of the Spaniards only forty were left
alive. and these. 1t appears from the ac-
counts. must have been nearly all wound
ed or disabled"