The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1901-03-08

Admiral Blake Among the Pirates
Page from the History of Tunis.
BY David Ker.

"T1HERE," said my French COM
/ panion, pointing southwark over
the smooth, bright water, as we glided
into the Bay of Tunis under the
splendor of the African sunrise
there is the place where battle was
fought which you Englishmen ought
all to know by heart"
admiral Blake's attack on Goletta,
you mean?"
"Just so. Yonder, where that sand
bank juts out, stood the five forts
that defended the place, and the pi-
rate ships were moored just behind
them, in that little bay. Not much
sign of all that now, is there?"
Indeed it was not easy to call up
any thought of battle amid the uu
troubled stiffness and repose of that
glorious landscape. , Far along the
eastern sky the great purple moun-
tains stood out in endless range,
crowned with the two-peaked summit
CT the mighty Hamet-El-Lif.
Through the deep, narrow gorges
that cleft the huge mountain-wall
every here and there the first rays of
sunrise were just streaming across
| the vast eXpanse of blue, sparkling
sea that stretched away to the north
far as the eye could reach, with a
| few tiny white sails dotted over it like
| wreaths of foam.
Along the western shore of the bay
extended line of low, green hills,
| upon the crest of which a mass of
crumbling masonry marked the spot
where the ancient citadel of Carthage
had fallen before Scipio and his Ro-
mans.
Just al the nearer extremity of the
broad yellow sand-bar that spanned
the whole breadth of the deep blue
bay nestled the dainty little town of
Goletta, and on the opposite hillside
lay, like drift of snow, the countless
white houses, and crumbling walls,
and tall minarets, and clustering palm
trees of imperial Tunis.
But despite the perfect peace of the
| spot which once witnessed the finest
battle fought there since the fall of
Carthage, the memory of that days
work will never die while one man of
| Anglo-Saxon blood remains to keep
alive the instinct of courage and fair
play, and standing up against the
strong in behalf of the weak.
| 1t is well worth while for anyone,
however he may hate war and blood
shed in general, to look back and see
what was done here on certain
hne spring morning, two centuries
ago.
1t is the Sd of April, 1853, and the
whole city of Tunis is in an uproar.
| Wild faces, ivid with fear or black
| with rage, crowd the narrow, wind
ing. gloomy streets, which echo with
| the clamor of countless tongues, the
tramp of feet, the clatter of horse
hoofs and the rumble of artillery
wheels.
Hundreds of swarthy figures, sword
in belt and Matchbox on shoulder,
are swarming over the decks of the
nine huge war-galleys which lie
moored close under the forts of Co.
/ letta.
In the forts themselves crowds of
men are hard at work running out
leavy guns, piling up cannon-balls,
filling powder-chests, or laying sand
bags alons me ramparts as an adj
ditional shelter; and all eyes are
turned watchfully toward the en-
trance of the bay, and the five great
hne-of-battle ships that are gliding
into it, with the black mouths of
loaded cannon gaping hungrily
through their open ports, and the red
cross of England-not yet altered
into the union jack-futtered jaunt-
lily at the mizzen.
high on the poop of the English flag
ship stands tall. handsome man, in
the uniform of British admiral. His
fire face is perfectly calm, but close
observer would notice that he wears
the same set, stern look that it wore
when he held Tauntontown years ago,
against the bravest of Charles LIS cava-
| liers.
In truth hard fight against over
whelming odds is nothing new to Rob-
ert Blake, the worthy forerunner of
Rodney and Nelson; and the cause in
Which he is 10 fight to-day might well
nerve any mar to DO his best. Yonder,
behind those batteries that frown upon
him from behind the shore, are thou
sands of Christian supplementary of
them Englisbmen like himself
chained, ragged, half-siaryed, bis
tered by the scorching sun, and sea med
with the scars of whip and branding
iron. And now. after years of hideous
bondage among brutal pirates. which
have made the memory OF home and
friends and the hope Of one day return
ing to them, seem dim and distant as
half-forgotten dreams, their weary
eyes See once more the waving of Eng.
iiah flags over feet coming to their
rescue.
Well may the haggard faces brighten.
despite the curses and blows of their
savage taskmAsters. When Adm:raI
Bake came here three weeks ago with
i demand for the Surrender of ali
Christian capuves," and sailed awav
egan with no answer save an iusolent
defiance from the hey OF Tunis and hi.
] pirate chiefs. there was many a heavy
neart among the prisoners. But n
Gay ne Is here again, no longer 70
threaten, but to do; and the mes,ace