The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-05-27
CHAPTER III.
Mas cAPT. LoUNsnURY

Now the headsails being let 60 with a run
and hanging loose over the bow, the foresail
and its travelling blocks giving out deaf.
ching protest against its slack sheet. 1.-THE
mainsail joining in the laundering chorus,
and the wheel jerking violently hither and
thithcr with the kick of the ruddcr, we were
sufficiently beyond the usual order OF things
20 suit my purpose, and my trump card, in
the shape Of dead man lying in the Soup
per, lay clear TO the eye of anyone who might
board u.s. The sight was uncanny enough
and my instinct was To have the negro heave
the body over board; but, a. it was TO be
silent witness to the story / was about TO
tell, / let it bide. though, as the sequel
showed, 'twoud have saved me a sight of
trouble to have followed my first impulse.
| confess that my hcartbeats took on addi
tional force and frequency as ! stood and
watched the schooners nearer approach
She came on TO withia easy gunshot, and
swung into the wind, all of n hutter from
stem TO stern, and then "lay to" with her
headsails full aback From the scarlet flag
az her peak TO her clean cutwater she was
an object Of beauty, though in light air |
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 lny wits by this time well about me-
and my wounds bleeding but little (as was
shown by the few drops that now drippcd
from my fingers onds), ! stood by the helm
and took in every detail OF the enemy, from
the crowd at her dayits TO tho long brass
piece forward of the foremost, the gun being
trained point blank at me-
The stranger worked with the alacrity Of
a man-of-war, for the schooner had barely
lost her way when | saw boat DROP from
her larboard quarter and pull toward us,
while another came around her bow and fol-
lowed They were both filed with we'll
armed men as could be seen by the glitter
of musketry, and the way they came over
the whitecaps showed their temper. Ii
showed temper, too, in the smart manner
they boarded me, the first boat hooking on
10 the main channels, the men clambcring
out with scarcely q shout and no questions,
and in a twinkling | beheld half q score of
them on my deck, they, | fancy, being
nightly surprised at having met with no re.
sistance.
The crisis was now at hand, and played
my FIRST card with something OF the dcspera-
ton Of a ruined gambler. Striding up 20 an
officer whom ! saw coming aft with bare
sword in hand, | said:
we show scant courtesy IN DoafdlhS me,
sir. Had YOU turned up an hour agone,
'twould have been to some purpose.
"Who in hi are your Where's the cap
tain OF this shpy' was the excited rejoinder
Now there was something about the tone
of his voice. the way CT calling schooner
ship. as well as the get-up Of the man him
sell, that. angcrcd as was at his reply, made
me back a pace and look at him. quick
glance showed me was not dealing with a
man bred TO the sea, much less to The regu
lar service, for, though | then had small
knowledge Of the uniforms Of the British, |
knew that which graced the back OF the OH
Ger before me was not uf his majesty 9 navy.