The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-02-26
By Weatherby Chssney and Alick Munro,


long and desperately, and then they /
fell. for they expected no quarter and
asked none. We 4 our side fought as
furiously as they, stabbing with short |
ened weapons where there was no
room to swing them and thrusting
many a foe through the open portfolios
into the sea. 1t was a bloody conflict,
for not until two-thirds of the cabins
defenders lay dead and dying did the
Spaniards suffer themselves to be driv
en- out into the waist.
We ourselves had lost Jan Pengony,
his friend George and three others kill
ed outright. and two more were so
sorely wounded that they died there
on the cabin floor Scarce one of us
but had his red cash to show.
But it was no time to groan or lick
our wounds. The two doors under the
poop were closed and barred with fur
niture piled up against them, loaded
patareroes We're thrust through the
loopholes to command the waist, and
the hatch of the treasure room was
cleared of bodies and thrown open.
The pieces of eight we found snugly
dozen of us stood ready by the swivel
gun the rest made all haste they could
TO hand up the treasure and lower it
through the windows on to the
Scourge's deck below
But rapid as were our movements
Don Miguel had no notion of allowing
us to spoil his ship unmolested.
Scarcely had we got into the swing of
work than he and a strong party with
him mounted the poop again and COM
menced annoying the little craft whose
bulwarls We're grinding against his
ship far below. They hurled down ey-
erything weighty and unpleasant that
came to hand. and finally they dropped
a barrel of powder. which on bursting
scorched several of our lads so severely
that they cried to us in the galleon's
cabin that tie deck was too hot to hold
any longer.
At this Alec. leaving me in charge of
the cabin, returned to his own vessel
and hailed the poop above.
don Miguel, ahoyw
The tall Spaniard appeared above,
gritting his yellow teeth with rage.
don Miguel, if you do not cease from
annoying my people you shall. have
something else to think about. swear
to you that if you do not permit me to
! finish my task unmolested I'll sweep
| your crowded waist with hurricane
of patareroe balls, and that the surviv
ors may not want employment to keep
| them out Of mischief I'll fire your gal
Icons hold before leave her. There's
keg of spirits under the table that
! will help her to burn
"And if ! permit you to carry off
J your robbers booty in peace?"
, "Measure your words, Don Miguel!
If you permit me to carry off my law
! full prize
! The Spaniard interrupted him with
harsh laugh of impotent rage.
my lawful prize, say, taken from
my country's enemy" went on Alec
calmly, ''and if you offer no further an
noyance to my men, l, on my part.
faithfully promise to do you and yours
no further injury for the present. For
tune will, | hope, grant us another
meeting on some future day, when ac-
counts may be settled Meanwhile,
senior, your answer is awaited
Don Miguel, who seemed almost be-
side himself with suppressed fury. was
evidently about to hurl a defiance mt
us and raised his hand to clinch his
refusal with a pistol bullet. But his
officers and underlings had had all the
fighting they wanted. Though each
might have q stakehin the golden cargo
below, each remembered that with an
other throw of the dice he would lose
not only that, but life as well. And
choosing, like wise men, the lesser OF
the two evils. they laid violent hands
on their reckless commandant anG
jumped up into his place and signifiet
, that they agreed to the armistice. They
promised, he said, not to modest us fur
, ther, and they looked to us to keep :
| like faith with them. With ringing
cheer our lads set to work again on thu
, gold chests, but none the less we KEEP
the swivel gun trained on the crowd il
the galleon's waist. for he is besot
i ted fool who trusts penny's worth t,
a Spaniard's word.
J They dared not break faith with us
however. because of the gun, and S,
] we We're able to transship the colder
: harvest without further loss of life.
While the party in the galleon's cab
in hustled merrily among the booty an
: other party retitted our damaged head
e sails. and when the last chest of gold
1 pieces had been dumped upon our dec
: we raised an ironical cheer for tn
wealth of Golden Spain, and as the ris
e ing breeze slowly bellied her sails tn
e little Scourge sheered slowly off froI
] her whipped and sullen adversary.
: Aye, we were victorious, and Will
/ the red blood still flowed from on
y wounds we rocked little Of the heav
< price we had paid. But when the ma
e frenzy of fighting is over gaping cut
Jingle and grow stiff, and then it is tina
g men begin to count the cost and spar
t thought for those who have fallel
b comrades who were alive and full {
d hope few short hours before. w