The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-27


! In five minutes, for all the officers
stamping and morb ewing, they had
the Bean Pheasant about, and were
running for the English coast.
Now I've got to go back and tell you
what was happening to the Unity in all
this while. About 4 in the afternoon
Cap'n Dick, not liking the look of the
weather at all, and knowing that, so
long as il lasted, he might whistle for
prizes, changed his mind, and deter
mined to run back to polperrO, so as
to re-ship Captain Jacka and the prize
crew almost as soon as they arrived.
BY o'clock he was well on his way,
the Unity skipping along quite as if
she enjoyed it, and ran before the gale
all that night.
Toward in the morning the wind
moderated. and 10y 1870 the gale had
blown itself out. just about then the
lookout came to Captain Dick, who had
turned in for spell, and reported tw0
shrs' lights. one on each SIDE of them.
The chances against their being French
men, out here on this part of the chan
mel. were about ) to ,; so Captain Dick
cracked on; and at daybreak-about
5:15-found himself right slap between
the very two frigates that had called
Jacka to halt the evening before.
One was fetching along on the port
tack, and the other on the weather side
of him, just making ready 10 put about.
They both ran up the white ensign at
sight Of him; but this meant nothing.
And in Il few minutes the frgate TO
starboard fired Il shot across his bows
and hoisted her French flag.
CaOtoin Dick fpipnpd To AXE thp hint
He shortened sail and rounded at Il
nice distance under the lee of the enc
my-both frigates now lying to quit
c0ntentedly with their sails aback. and
lowering their boats. But the first boat
had hardly dropped foot from the
davits when he sung out. ''WurtO.
lads" and up again went the Unity's
great lug-sail in a jiffy. The French
men, like their sails, were all abHck;
and before they could fire n gun the
Unity was pinching up to windward of
| them, with Captain Dick at the helm
and all the rest of the crew on their
StOmaehS. Off she went under Ii rat
| Ting shower from the enemy's bow
| chasers and musketry, and was ont of
| range without n man hurt, and with no
more damage than a hole or two in the
mizzcn-lug The Frenchmen were II
| good 10 minutes trimming sails and
! bracing their yards for chase; and by
| that time Captain Dick had slanted up
well on their weather bow. Before
| breakfast-time he was shaking his sides
at the sight of seven hundred odd John
| MES yanly spreading and trimming
more canvass TO catch up their lecway
tor the first the lazy dogs had barely
unrcefed courses after the gale. and
still had their tOpgallant masts hOusedD
Likely enough they had work on hand
more important than chasing small
lugger all day; for at o'clock they gave
up and stood away to the southeast, and
left the Unity free to head back home
ward on her old course.
Twas a surprising feat, to slip out
of grasp in this way and past two
broadsides, any gun of which could
have sent him to the bottom; and Capt
Dick wasn't one to miss boasting over
it. Even during the chase he couldn't
help carrying on in his usual loud and
cheeky way. waving good by to the
Mossoos, Offering them a tow rope, and
the like; but now the deck wasn't big
enough to hold his swagger, and in
their JOY of escaping a French prison.
the men encouraged him, so that to
hear them talk you'd have thought he
was Admiral Nelson and Sir Sidney
Smith rolled into one.
BY 0 o'clock they made out the Eddy
stone on their starboard bow; and ii
little after the morning being bright
and clear with a nice steady breeze
they saw sail right ahead of them.
making in for Plymouth sound. And
who should it be but the old Bean
Pheasant. deep as log. Capt. Dick
cracked along after her, and a picture
she was as he drew up close! Six OF
her guns had gone, her men were baling