Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-09-06

word that III NJ gong WI, 81 returned To-
my post. amy pectancy and dread :of IS
knew not what, the minutes seemed 60
length hen To quarter hours. The white NUT
&c Of mist appeared thicker than ever, and
once or twice i fancied ! caught on my wet.
cheek cooling breath, as though the dend
air was giving 4 first faint heave Of coming
activity. / felt that the wind was not far
off, and feared SIC, hut come what might /
must now hold my course and drift into free.
com or eternity sssas & ss So
And still no sound from the cabin save
now and then . cough, showing that the
lungs Of the two were harried by their own
powder smoke. 4 dared not explore the IN.
terror for fear Of being greeted BY shot,
and could only await some overt act to show
me what was afoot. Suddenly from below
there came I dull, EARRING thud, and the fog
about the quarterback was lighted BY
brilliant fash, apparently from beneath the
tarpaulin, while at once following came the
voice Of Lounsbury calling for water and
Air, air, for the love Of God!" Almost on
the instant, and before / realized that some.
thing untoward had happened below, seem.
ingly. from the muck directly overhead
hoarse voice shouted: s .
The deck, ahoy! There's schooner
adrift and almost on us! Did We see that
light?'' s u. 4. .s.. .... So s. s
cay! Where away is she!" came an an
swer close at hand. ~ # x =
"On our starboard bow, sir; coming stern
first and no sail set. She's like to foul us!'
,"Can you make her out - .%EsE.s&.a%
'tNaught but the foreyard and topmasts
show above the fog, SIR -: :
what the devil can be: the meaning of
I.ts$ L. r ~
scuffle of feet on the strangers deck, fol.
lowed by aquick call: -*' 80 $500 I ~
Schooner. ahoy! What schooner's that?"
Hitherto my policy had been silence, but
| now it instantly struck me that to pay no
sttention to the hail would be but to pre-:
cipitate ruin while yet there was forlorn
hope. If we came in collision, unless an.
swered they would board us in the twinkline
of an eye, while if we missed they would
be suspicious and start search, which,
blind as it would be, might end by their
running across us. Therefore at once sent
my voice back with all my power and with.
out the least hesitation: ..s-.,. ~. !
GAY, ay; we've parted shackle and are
losing ground. Will bring up in couple q
cables lengths if we clear you. Stand b,
to take a blow. What ships that?"
His majesty's sloop-of-war Ajax! What
schooner's that?"
"The Sprite," I returned at q venture
that vessel being the only schooner could
then call to mind. The answer hurled back
at me was startling.
"Ye lie! The Sprite went outside this
morning on patrol. Come to, or I'll sink We!
Stand by for quarters! On deck, the watch
| below!" Then, evidently to guard aloft:
Where away is she? Damn the fog!".
| In the quick hustle, the shrill rattle Of
| the boatswain's whistle on the deck Of the
enemy (which sound seemed to fill the har.
bor), and all that followed, heard no an.
swer to the call aloft. There was enc:,yh
close at hand, for from our own cabin there
came bedlam of shouts that drowned the
| details Of the notes of preparation made ON
! the Ajax.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT! Help!-help! 'Tis
The Phantom cut out by the rebels! 'Tis
the villain Thorndyke! We are prisonesM in
the cabin! Board us, for Gods sakep' and
matter of this tenor which crossed the wat n,
and was as plain to the ear Of the officer -
the adjacent vessel as it was to mine.
And now for us the game appeared to b
played to the end With faces evide6t}y
pressed close to the open headlights Of tn
cabin the two below had sent forth the
alarm and made the muss past mendins
From the Ajax came loud orders, and Just
as caught the glimmer of that vessels IN.
Choir light as it swept by in thick yellow
halo, there came the rattle of drum bVAt.
ing to quarters, and it was at once FOLLOWED
by similar but faint alarm from some ship
anchored east and toward the Brooklahd
shore. Then we slipped into the darkpsn
again, and went whirling on our way. u.
We had missed a collision, but by clooe
shave only, as think there lay not two rods
betwixt me and tine light I had seen. Our
move had been exposed, and the only thing
gained by US was knowledge Of our speed
and whereabouts. The Ajax I knew had
been anchored for upward of month about
4 mile below the grand battery" and the
way her riding light had slid by 10 be-
tokened the fact that just then we were NOV.
ing at the rate of four OF five miles an hour.
Therefore we were now off Nutten's II.
land, but the bulk of the British fleet still
lay below. They were fairly close to the
Staten Island shore, however, and there
would be small danger of fouling them, the
tide always setting the fairway we'll into the
center of the Narrows. But of danger from
the forces below I was not now thinking.
More fear had Of the boats that would put
after US from the vessel we had almost
fouled, for as we passed her and the noises
on her deck faded in the distance, heard
the dull clashing of tumbling oars and thu
sharp splash of boat as it dropped from
the davits into the water. ~ =5~
As though to guide the enemy, ever and
anon there came cry from our cabins
cry that shot into the quiet air like an alarm
gun and drove me to madness. / was now
as one who, having broken through quick
set, was carrying the thorns in his flesh.
Danger hung over me like descending
bludgeon, though instead of covering be-
meath the coming blow it set my blood on
fire.. With curse which must have caused
the girl to shudder, seized the musket, and.
driving its butt through the nearest dead
light, felt the iron stock shoe crunch against
flesh and bone. There came from within a
yell OF agony, and after silence, and then
spoke:
Us Another shout, ye villains, and I'll all
the cabin with flying balls. Mind this, if
yonder boats board us, before being taken
I'll kill We both! Ye are dealing with Don.
aid Thorndyke, and now lie and stife, and
may God have more mercy on We than have
/, We spawn Of the dewitt" 81
And with this cut away the Selling that
held the tarpau1in and rolled the heavy COW
ering close to the windows, thus blocking all
ventilation below. So long as this re-
manned undisturbed it would muffle am
noise they might make, and, fancied,
soon bring them to terms from lack 81 air.
Hailing Ames (who had thus far stuck to
his post in q voice which 81 took care
should be heard by the prisoners, /. ordered
him to- fire into The compartment at the
first attempt they made to move the s1noth