Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-02-17
CHAPTER II.
ALIAS CAPT. LOUNsBURY.

tao nv NiS captain dlu I'LL OIL lle crew
hit Tho one negro.
CHAPTER II.
ALIAS CAPT. LoUNsBURY.
Now the headsails being let go with a run
and hanging loose over the bow, the ~foresail
and its travelling blocks giving out a deaf.
ening protest against its slack sheet. the
mainsail joining in the laundering chorus,
and the wheel jerking violently hither and
thither with the kick of the rudder, we were
sufficiently beyond the usual order of things
to suit my purpose, and my trump card, in
the shape of a dead man lying in the soup
per, lay clear to the eye of anyone who might
board us. The sight was uncanny enough,
and my instinct was to have the negro heave
the body over board; but, as it was to be a
silent witness to the story l was about to
tell, 1 let it bide, though, as the sequel
showed, 'twould have saved me a sight of
trouble to have followed my first impulse.
| confess that my heartbeats took on addi.
tional force and frequency as l stood and
watched the schooner's nearer approach.
She came on to within easy gunshot, and
swung into the wind, all of a lutter from
stem to stern, and then 'lay to" with her
headsails full aback. From the scarlet flag
at her peak to her Glenn cutwater she was
an object of beauty, though in a light air l
doubt she would have slid her keel through
the brine with greater speed than would the
Phantom, which had been built for fleet
ness and rapidity in stays.
With my wits by this time well about me,
and my wounds bleeding but little las was
shown by the few drops that now dripped
from my fingers ends), / stood by the helm
and took in every detail of the enemy. from
the crowd at her davits to the long brass
piece forward of the foremost, the gun beinr
trained point blank at me.
The stranger worked with the a~lacrity of
a man-of-war, for the schooner had barely
lost her way when / saw a boat drop from
her lerboard quarter and pull toward us.
while another came around her bow and fol.
lowed. They were both filled with we'll
armed men, as could be seen by the glitter
OF musketry, n the way they came over
the whitecaps showed their temper. 1t
showed temper, too, IN the smart manner
they boarded me, the first boat hooking on
70 tne nam ~channei the men clambering
out with scarcely a shout n no questions,
ana IN a twinkling l beheid half a score OF
tnem on my deck, they, fancy, being
hilehthy surprised Ut having met Win no re-
HEl III = E
me Crisis was now az hand, ana played
my hrst caro- with something OF the despera-
tloh OF a ruined gambler. otriding up to an
onncer "nom ! saw coming ait with bare
SWORD IN hand' ! said:
re sho" scan1 courtesy IN boarding me,
SIT. hao you + up an hour agone,
t%ou,o nave peen to some purpose"
mo IN nj are you! where's the cap
tain OF this ship! was the excited reJoinder.
NO" .nere was something about the tone
OF ms voice, the way OF calling a schooner a
mp as wen as the get-up OF the man him
sen, that' angered as l was at ms reply, made
me PACK a pace ana iooR at nlm. a qulck
stance showed me l was NOT dealing with a
man orea TO the sea- mueh less TO the regu.
lar service, ior, though then had small
kno"ledge OF the uniforms OF the British,
knew tnat winch graced the back OF the OH
Ger before me was not of his majesty's navy.
| knew it by its cut and garniture, and the
land flavor of the man lay also in the fact
that he wore a forage cap and carried a cav
airy saber instead of a cutlass. His face, too,
lacked the true sea tan, its fair complexion
showing the effects of unusual exposure to
sun and wind. What his rank might be
had no idea, and speculation was lost in the
quick retort that naturally rose to my Inns.
"Who are you, sir, to tumble aboard a
prize of his maiesty's in this fashion? Ye
stand in need Of a lesson in marine manners
as we'll as marine matters. Do We hope to
Judge of a crafts cargo by a souint at her
hatch cover, or of a man by the cut of his
jib? Think not to deceive yourself or me!
/ know my rights, and also know the differ
ence betwixt the cry OF a sea bird and a hem
hawk!"
Ii I had any doubt as to the official posi-
ton of the officer, it was set at rest by the
subdued laugh that came from the group
about us. Piqued by the sound of mirth
from those he had no power to punish, his
face turned to an ugly red, and, lifting his
saber as though to cut me down, he shouted.
you ~insolent dog! Twill make you sweat
for this! Lay hold of him, some of you!
Tie the villain upi Damnation! are you all
cowards?" he continued, as there was a
shuttle of feet, though no one approached me.
There is no telling what might have been
the upshot of this dispute had there been
no interruption, for the fellow seemed deter.
mined to use his saber on me. But, fortu.
nately for one of us, we were joined by an.
49, a. - r n.-l III