The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-01-06
PORTUGUESE PIRATE
HOW EARTHOLEmv CAPTURED A
HUGE SPANISH sERc-ANTmAs.
His FIRST Attack Failed The Little Pirate
Then Lay within short Range. aud with
Rife. the Spanish Force Va Red uced
and FINALLY Conquered.

Rife. the Spanish Force Va Red ueed
and FINALLY Conquered
A series Of sketches by Frank r.
Stockton On 1.-The Buccaneers Of Our
Coast" IL DIG u the features Of St
Nicholas. Mr.. Stockton tells q the zd-
ventures Of Barrholsmy Portuguez,
who. with a small crew in a small yes
FL. captured a huge Spanish merchant
maj ia the Caribbean sca. Mr.. stockton
says: The little pirate sailed boldly to-
ward the lig Spania.d. and the latter
vessel, utterly ast0niSnod at the audac-
ity u this attack-fcr the pirates flag
was f~ying-lay 70, head TO the wind,
and waited. the gunuers standing by
their cannon When the pirates had
come near enough 10 zee and understand
the size and power # the vessel they
had thought OF attacking, they did not,
as might have been expected, put about
and sail away at the test 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.
Perceiying the foolhardiness Of the
little vessel. the Spanish commander
determined to give IL a lesson hich
would teach its captain 10 understand
better the relative power Of great YES
sells Ia little onss so as o as the
pirates vessel was near enough h- or
dered "A broadside fired upon it. The
Spanish ship had q great many people
on board. Ii had a 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 e see the
little pirate ship 20 down.
But the ten great cannon balls W hich
were shot out at Bartholemy's little
craft all missed their aim, and before the
guns could be reloaded or the great ship
he got around 20 as to deliver her other
broadslde the pirate vessel was along
side Of her. Bartholemy had fired none
of his cannon Such guns were useless
against 50 huge a foe What he was aft
er was a 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 were
going into q prizehghr. 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 a. many Of them as there
were Of the piraies-and il was not
long before the latter found out that
they could not capture that vessel by
boarding IT, 80 over the side they tum-
bled a 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 70 a
short distance TO take breath md get
ready for different kind Of fight. The
triumphant Spaniards now prepared to
get rid Of this boatlcad Of half naked
wild beasts, which they could easily do
if they took better aim with their can
non han they had dome before
But 20 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 biz
men laid aside their cutlasses and their
pistols and took upmuskets. with which
they were well provided. Their vessel
lay within very short range Of the Span
ish ship. and whenever a man could be
seen through the portfolios or showed
himself IN he rigging or anywhere else
where il was necessary to go in order
TO work the ship he made himself a tar
get for the good aim Of the pirates The
pirate vessel could move about as it
pleased. for IL required but a few men
TO manage il. 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 q Span
ish head was TO be seen.
For FIVE long hours this unequal con-
test was kept up. IL might have re-
minded one Of n man with a slender rod
and a long. delicate line who had
hooked a b.g salmon The man could
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
dsh would be tired out and the man
would get cut his landing net and scoop
him in.
Now. Bartholemy thought be could
scoop in the Spanish vessel SO many
of her men bad been shot that the two
crews would be more nearly equal So
he boldly ran his vessel alongside the
big ship and again boarded her. Then
there was another great fight on the
decks The Spaniards had ceased to be
triumphant. hut they had become des-
and in the furious comtat ten
Of the pirates were killed and -four
wounded But the Spaniards Jared
worse than that More than half Of the
who had not been shot by the pi-
went down before their cutlasses
and pistols. and IL was not long before
Bartholemy had captured the great
Spanish ship.
1t was a fearful md costly victory
he had gained. A great part Of his own
were lying dead or helpless ON the
and q. the Standards ONLY 40 uere