The Winslow mail., 1901-04-25

| JAIN nor man-o1-War IN sight, Dut
he'd continue to trust to luck. About
all he did in the way of prepara ton
was to advise his men not to jaw
ba'& or make up faces" in case
they were boarded by the pirate.
The Lucky Sally cut along at her
best pace, but two hours after the
strange sail had been raised the rover
craft was alongside. Luck had final
| ly deserted the brig. AS no resist
ance was made when a score of cut
| throats scrambled over the rail- no
one was shot or cut down. Capt.
Noah didn't got frustrated. He looked
the situation over and then explained
to the pirate leader:
"Wall, captain, she's loaded with
rum and sugar and won't make you
rich, but we've got to take luck as
it comes. I did hope to dodge We
jest this once more, but being as I
| couldn't, / must make the best of it.
By the usual rules and regulations
governing the pirate business, Capt.
Noah and his crew ought to have
been made to walk the plank and
the brig sent to the bottom after
them, but all rules and regulations
have exceptions. There was no
dearth of rum and sugar in the black
flag market, but such cargo always
came in handy. A traders crew
couldn't reasonably expect mercy
from pirates, especially when thev
hadn't dollar to give up, but the
rovers reasoned it out that it would
save their own muscle to let the crew
of the Lucky Sally work her up to
Acklin island, which was then a rem
devious, and break out the cargo.
When they had served their turn they
could be shot, hung or drowned, ac-
cording to convenience.
A crew of six Enthusiastically dressed
and serious-looking rovers were left
on board as a prize crew, and the
pirate craft took herself off in search
of a richer prize. The briggs crew
numbered seven, counting the cook,
but as jackknives were their only
weapons the pirates had no cause to
fear a revolt. They had arms in
plenty, and they also realized the
moral effect upon the peaceful trad
ers of their profession and presence.
They took possession of the cabin
and the captains big jug of Santa
Cruz extra, and though they drank
and gambled and cursed and sang,
they offered no violence to the help
less prisoners.
l have treated the widows cow as
cipher while relating the story of |
attack and capture. But for sight of |
the pirate sail she would have been |
milked at the usual hour in the morn
ing. The chase and capture put her
out of the thoughts of captain, mate
and cook, and up to five o'clock in the
afternoon she had neither been
milked, watered nor fed. At that
hour, when the pirates had ceased |
their registering for time to let |
their heads clear, and were assembled |
on deck, one of them suddenly espied |
the COW and cried out that he was
both farmer and pirate bold He
would milk her, and there should be
milk punch for night caps.
Pail and stool were fetched, and,
amidst much hilarity on the part Of
his companions, the cut-throat set
out to play the part of dairy maid.
The widows COW was hungry and
thirsty and suffering from want of
milking, and, though not an eXcit-
able cow, the presence of the pirates
had affected her somewhat. She had
become nervous and irritable, and
finally had a longing to break loose
n hot har .irrI &c
was in this mood when one of the
black flags united her and led her out
upon the deck, and the man with the
pail sat down to his task The first
move was a kick which rolled the
milker on his back and confused his
piratical ideas for full five minutes.
The second was charge which lifted
the man at the end of the rope off
his feet and let him fall with crash.
Then, as the four other pirates cried
out and started back the cow pur-
sued them. Two of them were picked
up on her horns before they could
escape, while the other two sprang
into the rigging.
Then it was that Capt. Noah Hutch
ins saw luck coming aboard and
reached out to give her a helping hand.
In two minutes they had four of the
pirates fast bound. and the brig was
their own again The cow kept charg-
ing about for the next ten minutes,
not discriminating between pirate and
honest sailor, while the two rovers in
the rigging swore they would never be
taken alive.
All things come to an end, however,
and in due time the cow was secured
and the pirates were tied hand and
heel The milking had hardly been fin
to the west, the yards of the Lucky
Sally were braced to the change and
she went squattering away up the
channel with all the dignity of man
of-war.
There were other rovers afoat, and
there were squalls and fogs and head
winds to be encountered but one fair
day the Lucky Sally sailed into the
port of Salem with flags flying, every
body whistling and the cook beating
on tin pan. The story Of the COW.
the capture and the escape was known
all over town almost before the brig
had been made fast to the wharf, and
everybody turned out to swing his hat
and huzza and assist in a triumphal
march to the Widow SINNERS. Capt
Noah led the cow with one hand and
waved the American flag with the
oh, L