The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1900-12-28
By Weatherby Chesney and Alick Munro,
CHAPTER vi.

wheat crop promised a profitable mar
ket. We neither sold our cargo, how
ever, nor did l succeed in carrying of
my sweetheart. And this Is how II
happened:
Scarcely had we anchored when a
negro page came off to the ship In a
small boat, bringing me a note from
lnez.
She was in sore trouble through her
love for me, for Don Miguel had for
hidden her to have anything more to
do with me and had locked her In her
room to make sure that his commands
were obeyed. And there was even
worse news than this in the letter. Or
ders, she told me, had been received
from the court to seize all the English
shipping in the bay, to confiscate the
cargoes and to imprison the crews. AS
a captive In the town dungeon l should
be farther from her than ever; but,
still q free man, l might some day re-
turn and carry her off, and so by the
love l bore her she entreated me to be
gone at once.
Here was a pretty piece Of news!
I'VE questioned the page, but rs he ell
Their did lot know or would know moth
ing we sent him off ashore in his boat.
what are we to doT asked Alec.
"I'm going ashore" l replied decid.
eddy.
What for|
ITO rescue Inez."
"Jack, it's useless. You would be ar.
rested long before you reached her."
II meal to try all the same"
"Itll be %foolhardy, l tell you. Much
better take the advice she gives you,
escape now and come back again to
carry her Off"
"Alec, l can't go away and leave her
in that scoundrel's power. l must 90
ashore"
Alec shrugged his shoulders. "Well,
If you must, you must. I'll go with
you, Of course, and try to see you safe
through, but l quite expect we shall
both be locked up for our pains. We
will spread the warning among the
other English ships on way"
We went on deck at once and began
to lower the boat. We were lying a
good two miles farther out than the
other ships, so we had a stiff pull be-
fore us.
Night was just beginning to fall, and
there was some hope that the darkness
might movements and enable
us to rescue Inez and then slip out Of
the harbor before the S%paniards had
made up their minds to strike. 1t was
a desperate chance, though.
The boat was already on the bull
warks when Alec shouted, Hold on
ALL"
"Too late" he said. There's a feet
Of boats putting out from the shore
now, each one crammed full Of SOL
diers. We must leave the other ships
to shift for themselves, I'm afraid, and
make q bid for our own freedom. That
big fellow there. coming up before the
wind, seems to have been told off to
look after U.S."
We We're well armed, of course, as
the most peaceful ship has to be when
there are so many sea thieves unhang-
ed, and though the Spanish galleon was
five times our size we would have
thought nothing Of tackling her, five
Spaniards to n Englishman being by
no means crushing odds, but there
were three other ships outside of us
evidently waiting to pick up %stragglers,
so we were to all appearances hopeless
ly shut In.
The men looked at one another In
CONSERVATION.
Alec, however, had made his plan.
"Put back the POWDER" he cried, land
buckle on your side arms. Not a shot
must be fired, mind, or we shall have
the whole nest of wasps buzzing round
our ears. Every man Of you take a
pike or ak and hide under the bull
warks. We must make that fellow
think he has caught us mapping"
Our preparations were quickly and
quietly made. and long before the big
Spaniard was near enough to see what
we were doing every man of us was
under cover, and the decks looked quite
deserted. But when he sheered along
side and hove his grapnels into our rig
ging Alec gave the word, and with a
ringing cheer 60 lusty English lads
rushed from their hiding places and
were hacking and prodding away
among MS crew peIoTe the uususpect-
Ing Spaniard knew that anything had
happened. They were taken complete
ly by surprise, but after the first min
ute or SO they recovered and fought
like wildcats. They were about three
to our one, SO counting n English
man to five of them the odds In our ia
vOr were overwhelming. The Span
iards fought desperately enough until
about half of them had been killed,
then the rest threw down their arms,
called for ''quarter" and scrambled
down the ladders In utter rOut. We
clapped the matches on them. and the
big galleon OF Spain was ours.
Leaving me with 20 men to take care
OF our prize (whose sails were all set),
Alec tumbled back with the others TO
our own ship aud set about making
sail as quickly as he could.
can ak here and cut the cable" l
heard him call NO time to weigh!
Let 60 those spritsail brails! Lay out
along the bolt spirit and cast the gas