Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-02-08

was child of five when he disappeared
had come back as boy of IS, TO take
part in his rescue,
Onward come the great floating cas-
ties, in grim silence which awes the
fierce Arabs in spite of themselves.
Suddenly there comes rattle and a
splash, as all five ships cast anchor at
once. Then boat is seen gliding shore
ward from the admiral's vessel with a
flag of truce to give the over-confident
pirates one last chance to surrender be-
fore it is too late.
But instantly there comes 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 Biake'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 battle-psalm, to the sound OF
which Cromwell's Ironsides had swept
the best of the royalist soldiers from
many a hard-fought field.
God is our refuge ard 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 be; yea, though the hhls
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 TO listen to the dull boom
ing of the distant cannonade, and trem'
bled as he heard it.
Men with powder-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 az
fercely as men could do, the logged
unslackening steadiness Of the English
fire at length began to tell.
The fort which had fred 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 Tunisians yelled and fired
and struggled and shook their swords
at the death-dealing ships, and dashed
their prisoners forward to repair the
shattered breastwork. Slowly but
surely the battle was going against
them more and more.
Suddenly curl of smoke was seer
to rise from one of the pirates gal
leys. The Arabs rushed like madmen tC
ouench the fire, but in vain. The smoke
REDEEMED into fame, while fresh spouti
of fire broke from galley after galley
till the while pirate feet was one rec
and roaring blaze.
Then the enemy began to lose hear
altogether. AS their fire slackened
that of the British redoubled, and thu
cheers of the sturdy blue-jackets were
heard, even through the thunder of thu
bombardment.
"Hurrah for old England" shouted
gray-haired prisoner in the nearest bat
terry.
"Silence, dog!" roared a ferociou
Arab, striking him savagely across thu
face.
That blow was an unlucky one for thu
striker. One swing of the iron ba
with which the Englishman was work
ing felled the Arab dead on the spot
and the next moment came splash II
the water, a shout from the flagship
and in few minutes more the long-los
Tom Jackson was being hauled oil
board of her by his own son, amid
burst of cheering that seemed to spill
the very sky.
Half an hour later all was over. TIL
pirate prince, as abjectly mean now
ne had been boastfully insolent before
sent to beg for mercy, and to promis
the surrender of all his prisoners.
The next morning Blake sailed GU
again with the rescued captives, leaving
the defeated corsairs to recover thei
courage by slow degrees, and TO brini
down upon themselves by fresh mis-
deeds still more terrible punishment
| Golden Days.