The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-03-18
PORTUGUESE PIRATE
HOW eARTHCLsMY CAPTURED A
HUGE SPANISH MERCHANTMEN

His First Attack Failed The Little Pirate
Then Lay within short Range. and with
Rifles the spanish Force Wac Reduced
and Finally Conquered.
A series of sketches by Frank r.
Stockton on 1.-The Buccaneers of Our
Coast" is one Of the features of St.
Nicholas. Mr.. Stockton tells Of the ad
ventures Of Bartholemy Portuguez.
who, with small crew in IA small yes
sci. captured huge Spanish merchant
man in the Caribbean sea- Mr.. Stockton
says: The little pirate sailed boldly TO
ward the big Spaniard, and the latter
vessel, utterly astonished at the audac-
ity Of this attack-for the pirates flag
was flying-lay to, head to the wind,
and waited, the gunners standing by
their cannon. When the pirates had
come near enough to see and understand
the size and power of the vessel they
had thought of attacking, they did not,
AS might have been expected, put about
and sail away at the best Of their YES
sells speed, but they kept straight on
their course, as if they were about to
fall upon a great, unwieldy merchant
man manned by common sailors.
Perceiving the foolhardiness of the
little vessel, the Spanish commander
determined to give it lesson which
would teach its captain to understand
better the relative power Of great YES
sells and little ones, SO as soon es the
pirates vessel was near enough he or
dered broadside fired upon IL. The
Spanish ship had great many people
on board. 1t had crew of 20 men, and
besides these there were some passen-
gers and regular marines. and, know
ing that the captain had determined to
fire upon the approaching vessel every
body had gathered on deck to see the
little pirate ship go down.
But the ten great cannon balls which
were shot out at Bartholemys little
craft all missed their aim, and before the
guns could be reloaded or the great ship
be got around so as to deliver her other
broadside the pirate vessel was along
side of her. Bartholemy had fired none
Of his cannon. Such guns were useless
against so huge foe. What he was aft
err was hand to hand combat on the
deck of the Spanish ship.
The pirates were all ready for hot
work. They had thrown aside their
coats and shirts, as if each of them We're
going into prizefight, and with their
cutlasses in their hands and their pis
tolls and knives in their belts they
scrambled like monkeys up the sides Of
the great ship. But Spaniards are brave
men and good fghters-there were more
than twice as many Of them as there
were of the pirates-and it was not
long before the latter found out that
they could not capture that vessel by
boarding it, So over the side they tum-
bled as fast as they could 60, leaving
some of their number dead and wounded
behind them. They jumped into their
own vessel, and then 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
If they took better aim with their can
non than they had done before.
But to their amazement they soon
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 their cutlasses and their
pistols and took up muskets, with which
they were well provided. Their vessel
lay within very short range Of the Span
ISL ship, and whenever a man could be
seen through the portfolios or showed
himself in ohe rigging or anywhere else
where it was necessary to go in order
to work the ship he made himself tar
get for the good aim of the pirates. The
pirate vessel could move about as ii
pleased, for it required but a few men
to manage it, and SO IT kept out Of
the way Of the Spanish guns, and its
best marksmen, crouching close to the
deck, fired and fired whenever Span
ish head WIS to be seen.
For five long hours this unequal con-
(. test was kept up. 1t might have re-
minded one of a man with slender rod
and a long, delicate line who had
hooked Dag salmon. Inc man cOuln
not pull in the salmon, 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.
Now. Bartholemy thought he could
scoop in the Spanish vessel So many
Of her men had been shot that the two
crews would be more nearly equal. Sc
he boldly ran his vessel alongside the
big ship and again boarded her. Their
there was another great fight on the
decks. The Spaniards had ceased to b.
triumphant, but they had become des
perate, and in the furious combat ter
Of the pirates were killed and foul
wounded. But the Spaniards faret
worse than that More than half of the
men who had not been shot by the pi
rates went down before their cutlassel
: and pistols, and il was not long befor'
Bartholemy had captured the grea
Spanish ship.