Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-04-14
CHAPTER XIX

THE CAPTURE OF THE SCHOONER.
wondered nightly that they had not
fired at us, but the solution of the riddle
came to me when l remembered that the
Sprite had but one powerful gun forward,
and hitherto she had not been in position
to use it on us without blowing away her
cwn forward rigging. Her silence thus con-
firmed my fears as to the identity of the YES,
sci, nor were we long in doubt as to the
malevolence of her purpose. Still she glided
toward us, waited as is feather over a
smooth pond, while we rolled to the long
reach of the surges without more way than
would take us fathom in minute.
For all the deafness of the Phantom,
still stuck to the wheel, that she might not
round into the wind. Ames and his sister
had gone below to reload the firearms and
lay our ammunition, when, just as the last
gasp of wind went out and the shivering
sails set the reefing points beating the can
vas with musical ripple, the enemy slowed
couple of points to the south, and ball
OF white smoke broke from her bow. Plain.
" as day l marked the shot as it struck Che
water and in great leaps came skipping
toward us. 1t passed us well astern, for,
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.
There she might remain, and, using us as
o target, sink us at her leisure, though 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.
watched the flight of the ball until the
spouts sent aloft as 1t struck the sea became
smaller and tho missile sunk in the distance.
1t was command to come into the wind
and show our colors, and hoping Though
without reason) to defer to the last the fall
of the bolt, descended into the cabin and
fumbled through the flag locker for the
Union Jack. had the ensign in my hand
when the girl looked up from her work and
quickly asked:
Are 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 weak
thing to do. You say you will fight; then
fight under your own colors. 1t 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. 1t was noble act, and worthy Of
the spirit which had been equal to boarding
Clinton in his own quarters. 1t put into me
the stimulus needed. Without word
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 q
ready answer. The bunting had been aloft
no longer than was necessary for those or
the distant vessel to have made it out with
a glass, when again came a squirt of smoke
| and another ball leaped toward us. 1t was q
Yell-aipred shot, and, had the gun beer
trained 4 trife more to the right, IL wouli
have ended pattsts On tAa lBstsah-. ~ 4