Willmar tribune., 1899-09-20

lay our arnmuni ition. when. just 40 the last
gasp Of wind went out and the shivering
sails set the reefing points beating the cans
vas with q musical rippl the enemy slowed
a couple OF points to the south, and ball
cfswhite smoke broke from her bow. Plain;
~ as day marked the shot as it struck The
water and in great leaps came skipping
toward us. It passed us we'll astern, TOT,
with the fall Of the wind, we had swung into
the trough Of the sea, and the Phantom was
now parallel to her pusurer, the latter lying
off our starboard quarter. 5-a
There she might remain, and, using us as
a target, sink us at her leisure. though I had
little fear of this action on her part, as the
British policy was ever to capture any
thing that could be of use, only destroying
that which they could not carry away.
I watched the flight of the ball until the
spouts sent aloft as it struck the sea became
smaller and the missile sunk in the distance.
II was command to come into the wind
and show our colors, and hoping (though
without sreason) to defer to the last the fall
of the bolt, / descended into the cabin and
fumbled through the flag locker for the
Union Jack. I had the ensign in my hand
when the girl looked up from her work and
quickly asked: ,s.lf a,~ss.s - i.
care you to make last stand under
that? Nay, then, Donald" she said, with
an appeal in her voice, and for the first
time giving me my first name alone, "unless
you hope to blind them for good and all by
the sight of that bunting, 'twere a weak
thing to do. You say you will fight; then
fight under your own colors. It will make
no difference in the end" And with this
she bent to the locker, picked up the en-
sign of the colonies, and, holding it out,
dragged from my hand the red flag of the
enemy. It was a noble act, and worthy of
The spirit which had been equal to boarding
Clinton in his own quarters. It put into me
the stimulus I needed. Without a word I
turned and bounded up the companion, and
in moment the stars and stripes were
hanging at the main peak, barely unfolded
by the zephyr that was still playing aloft.
1t was plain defiance, and met with a
ready answer. The bunting had been aloft
no longer than was necessary for those on
the distant vessel to have made it out with
glass, when again came a squirt of smoke
and another ball leaped toward us. It was a
well-aimed shot, and, had the gun been
trained trif1e more to the right, it would
have ended matters on the instant. As it
was, the ball dipped close to our stern and
beneath the trailing dingy There was a
swirl of spouting foam, tearing crash, and
the little boat leaped into the air amid
shower of splinters, spun over and over like
& top, and then settled, keel upward, with.
clean-cut hole yawning in her bottom.
l could almost hear the shout of triumph
that undoubtedly took place on the enemy's
deck as the result of this piece of marks
ranship, but in the end, had they but
known it, they were whetting the tigers
teeth instead of pulling them. Hardly had
the smoke thinned from the shot, when
from under the cloud marked boat put
ting away. There was little need of glass
to tell me it was filled with a boarding
Party, and that the drama was rapidly near
ing its close. With the few minutes left for
preparation we made haste to get what arms
we had on deck, and, while yet the yellow
flash of the oars was distant, our arrange
laents were completed. For defense we had
two rifles, four pistols, three cutlasses and
my rapier, though the latter and one Of the
cutlasses, being of no use, were left in the
cabin. The lady was to take charge of the
ammunition and reload the firearms as
used, for, though her brother and myself
both begged and commanded her to remain
below, she had for the first time drawn for
herself her own line of action by simply
shaking her head and following us to the
deck. She was white as chalk as she stood
end watched the near approach of the boat,
but / will swear that her fear (if fear it was)
was not for herself.
just before the enemy drew into rife
shot 1 went forward and opened the fore