Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-27
A YANKEE CAPTAIN.
HOW Capt. Dickey Of Bristol. Maine. Out
Witted the French Pirates.

| w. ''Ns siC tdIklHS VI tIie approach
OF the Spanish privateers to the Maine
coast. Well, if there are any of the
old guard left down there, we can
match them with craft if not with
might Here is a story Of privateering
on the Maine coast in which | think
you will be interested. I found the
mention of Capt. John Dickey's STRAIT
egy IN a bare. brief paragraph in one
or the earlier histories of Maine. The
Hester's triumphant arrival at Bristol
on the Lincoln shore was for years the
boast OF the Maine coast. / tell the
story as | have supplemented it by in
Guiry among the older residents along
the coast l am sure the reader will
learn with interest that the hero of the
tale was the father of the venerable
Major William Dickey, of Fort Kent.
The intrepid and hardy skipper of the
Hester Went down at sea with his boat
and all her crew some years after the
adventure narrated below.)
The only words that Capt. John
| Dickey of the Bristol schooner Hester
had understood were "cinq hommes."
Five on en-" he muttered That's
odds for the frogs eaters
And in the depths of his gloom he
fell to cutting off a pipeful of tobacco.
Truly, Capt. John couldn't be very
perky under the circumstances. He had
sailed from Boston several days before,
| bound for Bristol or ancient Pemaquid,
With general cargo for the store
| keepers Of the settlement. But alas
French privateersman had over
hauled him off the mouth OF the Ken
nebec The Hester, when she sighted
the ominous looking craft, had fled but
her flight was about as nimble as the
| scuttlng away of an old hen, founder
ing through n barnyard to escape a
| 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 seas. Her heavy sides smashed
clumsily down upon the brimming
swell. The tough old bird. however
threw out everything that would catch
the wind and scudded along like q
Brahma bowling before the wind with
tail spread. but up came the privateers-
man with steady gain. his frisky nose
dipping. his clean sides flashing back
the CLINT Of the waves and the spume
WhiZzing through the lee braces.
"Schoonaire ahoy," beloved a little
man from over the pursuer's taffrail,
his lnurly, red nose cleaning from un-
der his cap. The piivateersinan had
edged up on the Hester's quarter and
Capt. Dickey and his men We're surlily
cycling the smart craft.
What do you want?" roared the
captain hoarsely. just as though he
didn't know all too well.
The man with the knurly red nose
screamed back, "Heaf' to, stand by for
bot"
Capt. Dickey, didn't haul around at
Constant Judkins.
"S'pose we've got to. haven't we
JUDI he asked gloomily. shaking from
his face a spat of brine that came
spinning up from under the crashing
bulge Of the Hester. Course you
know what it means. We're gobhled,"
Yes and it's jest as we'll to be goh-
bed whole as piecemeal.' remarked
Mate Judkins. carefully throwing his
quid to lee.
This was wisdom SO in a moment
or so, as soon as the little crew could
trim sail the Hester came slapping
and changing and foaming around into
the wind. Not a minute too soon for
the privateersman's Long Tom had
taken a rather determined squint at
the schooner's mainmast.
Then Capt. Dickey listening gravely
and with saturnine face heard a COB
BILE of French in which he distinguished
"cinu hommes' and those words alone.
for he wasn't a linguist.
Sank orm," he groWled. "Well,
come on and sank orm more, if ye want
to-"
Constant Judkns listened to the
soliloquy with puzzled face.
IF | may be so questioniferous,
cap'n," he asked, who's this ere Sank
Orm who is coming aboard?
The captain didn't smile Il heard
'em say in We've lingo he explained,
that they're going to put five prize
men aboard of us and the Lord only
knows where they'll take us to-"
The crew of the Hester numbered
four There were the skipper. the
mate, Constant Judkins. Ozarias Hod-
son. A. B.,-able bodied seaman, and
Berual Joquith, cook and before the
mast.
Now as the captain strobe forward
to the front of the house to see
: about throwing over the stern ladder
he saw Ozarias Hodson sitting in the
1 waist on a coil of rope, with his head
tied up.
What ails you?" snapped the skip
per.
t ''Toot' ache. strand dumbed bad too.
OZaras was evidently more dis
tracted by his toothache than by the
t privateersman. Berual Joquith, who
, had had the lively suspicion that the
Fronchman would pop a few shots al
l them by way of exercise and practice
had lodged out of sight into his sane
I tuary long before.
Just as Capt Dickey threw over the
l stern ladder a thought struck him that
l was an inspiration straight from the
= skies.
by ginger" said he, and he jumped
as though he had taken in a mouthfu
Of that condment.
, He threw a hasty look over the side