Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-28

her captain received the offer IN a
very churIish manner. She was
not boarded, but her name was re
corded in the lo9bOOk, aud that
was the way we got track of her.
She was still four days ahead OF
us. But for this information We
should have touched at he islands
to make inquiries and thus lost
another dav. AS it was we gave
the bark all the sail she could
stagger under and twice refused 10
answer the signals Ct ships wish
ing to speak Id. Kane would not
even suspect that the count was
after him, and having his Iadylove
aboard .and seeing no cause for
haste he would take his time. so
we reasoned, but there was not
much consolation in it.
We might run a parallel course
with him for week and neither
craft sight the other. Wemg ght pass
hlm by Ia the night, or We might
shorten sail while he cracked on.
Luck was within us, however. One
morulag when well down the Atri-
can coast we spoke an English
brig " hich had passed the schooner
the day before and so closely as
to catch her name. She reported
Kane drivlug along at an easy
pace, and then we felt that we
must overhaul bin within couple
of days.
Just before sundown next day
We caught sight Of sail ahetd OF
Us which we believed to be the
schooner, and that night none OF
our passengers slept. Non know
how excilable the French are. The
count and his friends spent the
night drinking and jabberlpg and
walking abort, and before milnlght
it was knewn throughout the bark
that they meant to sink the
schooner rather than let her gei
away from us.
We meant to gam on her that
night. but not too much, as 1t was
dark and raiuy and We feared to
overrun her Men were on watch
below and alOft all nlght,ard when
morning came the Sylph vas dead
ahead and only two IN lies away.
IL bad been planned that We would
speak her and give ont that our
chronOmeter was out OF order. l.
she lay tO,;he captain would board
her with three or four men and
seek TO detaln her until the count
could follow. We sigualed the
schooner as soon AS We could make
her out, but she gave as no after
ton. AS we approached her she
took the alar Il aud made more sail,
and Then began tue real adven-
ture.
With a man like the count to
back him our captain did not hest.
tate to open are on the other craft ,
aud she was struck twice before
she got out OF range. The count
was on deck aud fair to be seen
and on our sile We plainly saw
Kane and the countess aboard Of
the schooner. If the latter had
been armed, there would have been
pretty fight, but ehe did not
even have muskets for the men
Hrr game was flight INSTEAD OF
6ght, and by and by she gained u
p nositiOn abont Two miles ahead OI
us and kept It. No two craft could
be .mOre evenly matched. Both
were racers and both carried aboCt
the same amount OF sail.
From : O'CLOCK iu the morning
| until night closed down each Graf
, held It's own, neither losing no.
] gaining by hundred feet. We
| knew that she would seek to es
cane us during the night, and su'
few men slept. Three differen
times the schooner altered he
I course, but we detected the e im'
I each time aud hung TO her tran
I When morning came, we had gain
}, ell half mile, but before o'clocl
I she had picked mp her lost dls'an'
< and run up the English flag IN de
5 6auce.
o That was the beginning OF
4 race which had Its end weeks late
l. at point thousands OF miles away
g When sailing close hauled, tn
!. schooner had the heels OF us, 0u
e We could beat her on any othe
e Wind. While We never came Will
G IN guusbos OF her again until th
iG last day we followed her aroun
Ie the cape, up the A1zambiqu
n channel, and finally found b'