The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1900-01-27

threaten. but to do; and the message
which he brings this time is one which
TuniS will long remember.
don't thee be troubled, Lad" says
one of the admiral's crew to curly
haired boy who is looking wistfully to-
ward the shore well get thy father
out Of their claws yet, never fear!'
The boys face glows at the words, and
there is fight in his clear blue eyes
which shows that If fighting is to be
done to-day he viii not be hindm0st.
Ten weary years have passed since
stout Tom Jackson, struggling for life
on dismasted wreck, was seized by
these pitiIeas royers; ard the son, who
vas child of five when he disappeared
had come back as boy of Is. 10 take
part in his rescue.
Onward come the great floating cas-
ties. in grim silence which awes the
fierce Arabs spite of themselves.
Suddenly there comes a rattle and a
splash, as all five ships east anchor at
once. Then boat is seen gliding shore
ward from the admiral vessel with a
flag Of truce to give the over-confident
pirates one last chance to surrender be-
fore 1t is too late.
But instantly there comes a puff Of
white smoke from the nearest port, and
heavy shot splashing up the water close
to the boats bow, showing what an an
swer the message Of mercy has TO ex-
pect.
Then Blake's face is seen to darken
ominously, and with his wonted tug Of
repressed anger at the point Of his
long, black whiskers, he gives the word
to open fire. Then up through the still
air rises the stern cadence of the old
Puritan battIe-psalm, to the sound of
which Cromwell's lronsides had swept
the best of the royalist soldiers from
many a hard-fought field.
God is our refuge ans our strength,
In straits a present aid.
Therefore. although the earth be moved.
We will not be afraid.
Though hills amid the sea be cast.
Though waters roaring make
And troubled he. yea. though the hills
by swelling seas do shake"
Instantly sea and shore and sky were
wrapped in one thick gust of hot,
sitting smoke. while the warlike music
was drowned by the roar of 500 cannon.
Fire, smoke, yells, groans, curses,
pelting shot, crashing timbers, falling
stones, deafening cannon-thunder, all
at once.
Far away in the desert the wandering
Arab stopped 10 listen TO the dull boom
ffsy pf hsa II LET -
bled as I've heard IL.
Men with powdcr-blackened faces
fired at random into the cloud of sui
phurous smoke that yelled alike ships
and forts, broken only by the sudden
flashes that brought death along with
them. Masts and yards came crashing
down on one side, stones and mortar
on the other; and still the smoke bill
lowed, and still the cannon roared.
But although the Arabs fought as
iiercely as men could do. the logged,
unslaekening steadiness Of the English
fire at length began to tell.
The fort which had fired upon the
flag of truce was fast crumbling into
"A shapeless ruin Five guns had been
dismounted in the second fort. and
three more were standing idle. with all
| their gunners lying dead around them.
In vain the Tunsians yelled and fired
and struggled and shook their swords
| at the death-dealng ships, and dashed
their prisoners forward to repair the
shattered breastwork. Slowly but
surely the battle was going against
them more and more.
Suddenly a curl of smoke was seen
to rise from one of the pirates gal
leys. The Arabs rushed Ike mGdmen to
quench the fire. but in vain. The smoke
Redeemed into flame, while fresh spouts
Of fire broke from galley after galley,
till the while pirate fleet was one red
and roaring blaze.
Then the enemy began to lose heart
altogether. As their fire slackened,
that of the British rcdoubled. and the
cheers OF the sturdy blue jackets were
heard, even through the thunder of the
bombardment.
"Hurrah for old England" shouted a
gray-haired prisoner in the nearest bat
terry.
"Silence, dog!" roared fer..jous
Arab, striking him sayagely across the
face.
That blow was an unlucky one for the
striker One swing Of the iron bar
with which the Englshman was work
| ing felled the Arab dead on the spot,
and the next moment came n splash in
the water, shout from the flagship,
and in a few minutes more the long. lost
Tom Jackson was being hauled on
board of her by his own son, amid a
burst OF cheering that seemed 20 spit
the very sky,
Half an hour later all was over. The
pirate prince. as abjectly mean now as
he had been boastiully insolent before
sent to beg for mercy and to promise
the surrender of all his prisoners.
The next morning Blake sailed out
again with the rescued captives. leav g
the defeated corsairs 10 recover theil
courage by slow degrees, and TO bring
down upon themselves by fresh mis-
deeds still more terrible punishment
Golden Days.
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