Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-05-07
INTO A WHIRLPOOL,
BY DAVID KER.

hist that made the rail of the quarterback
| tremble, Capt. Richard Spanker, the
| bravest and hardest of the stout English
| captains who served under King William
| Ill
The battle of Cape La Hogue had just
been fought and won; the "invincible feet
of France" was scattered far and wide over
the waters of the channel, and the English,
disregarding shattered rigging, shot-torn
hulls and decks heaped with slain and
wounded men, were tiercely following the
chase, and capturing ship after ship as they
| swept on.
But France had her stout commanders as
well as England, and Capt Spanlser, to his
own unspeakable delight-for he always
said that the next best thing to stanch
friend was bold enemy-had fallen in with
one of the stoutest that day
| For five hours the Britannia and the st,
Antoine had lain within pistol shot of each
other, banging away with broadside after
broadside, till the guns were almost too hot
to be loaded, and the smoke was so thick
that at last the crews could not see each
| other, and fired quite at random.
| Them mounseers has got something in
'em, after all, Bill" growled big top
man to his mate, in tone of grutf admira-
ton; they're fellows worth fighting,
| these!"
| But when the French line of battle began
to break up, and the ships to fly in all direc.
lions, Capt Spanker lost patience alto.
gether, for, although the st. Antoines
masts had all fallen over the side, and fully
u,nm,d no+ a. Az Enol;sh -. so ns
agely observed, ''either blow up, or go down,
or give in"
on the contrary. she had actually the i'm.
n,dence "a rio I'M a H;rr,,.,nost J, s,,at ,,hat
sail she could mon II and then artemnt to
sail off and escanel
This WAS ron much for Can't snonLer
He admired his enemy's nlnck az thoroughly
as man could do. but he had no intention Of
isttina HIM ast - sf.er aIi the n,;soh;of h W
had done. e. - -'e' 49, VIZ f'SSi'iei ''e
rrowd;nc al, coil ,,no .h ,+ a..
he had left and r;ao;ns q lind Of n,aIesh;ft
"iib that the R,;tenpia n,;ah+ still ans,var
her helm. he went after the Frenchman 90
fast as wind and tide could carry him
And now the excitement Of the chase he.
came overwhelming The snn was already
beginning to sink in the sea. and unless
| the st. Antoine could be brought IN hav he.
| fore darkness set in her escane amid the
blackness of a moonless night. with the
French coast not many miles awav. was ali
DuC certain.
Shot after shot did the britannia fro Of
the Frenchman's iurv.mast from the bio
| swivel gun on her forecastle while the ST
Antoine replied with her two LONG "stern.
chasers;" but still the fyinp shin held her
course, and the pursuer's nowder began tn
run short.
at doesn't matter" said Can't. Spanker.
fercely, when he was told of This. tsWe've
still got our cntlasses and well, carry, ber hv
boarding"
But to do this they had to catch her first
and she seemed in no hurry to be caught
The sun sank nearer and nearer to the
horizon. and Capt. Spanker was beginning
to bite his lips, when joyful shout broke
from the crew:
'"The Race! the Race! Now we've cot
her!"
The wind. which had lulled during the
battle, had freshened again. and was now
fast rising into a gale. Far as the eve could
reach the whole sea was white with tossing
waves; but right ahead, black and grim
amid the swirling foam, stood out two long
ranges of Jagged rocks, set in line as reeu.
larly as the stakes of palisade. Between
them, the sea. compressed into strait bare.
ly quarter of mile in width. rushed like
a mill race, and midway alone the meeting
of two cross-currents. that came bursting
through gaps into the thanking reefs. formed
whirlpool which the boldest sailor in the
channel would have shrunk from facing.
High on his battered quarterback brave
old Capt. L'Estrange took in at a glance
the whole situation.
Behind, the relentless Englishman, far
more than match for him in his present
crippled condition; before him, the terri
BILE Race, into which it was certain death
to venture. His face hardened suddenly, like
congealing metal, and his mighty voice
rolled along the blood.stain deck:
Lads, will you stand by me?
10 the DEATH! shouted the few gallant
! fellows who had survived the slaughter.
Take in all sail, then, cried L Estrange;
strip the yards and lash the helm amid
ships. Better carry the old flag with us to
the bottom than let it be torn down by an
Englishman!
The sailors obeyed without word, though
they well knew that they were throwing
away their last chance of life. Without sail
or rudder, they must be carried straight into
the Race! And then
AT that moment the setting sun broke
Through the clouds in all its splendor, as if
to light the devoted vessel to her doom. The
English had ceased to fire, and stood watch
ing with plying and half-repentant admira-
ton the gallant ship rushing headlong into
the jaws of death.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. still, the foam
upon the huge black rocks showing plainlv
and more plainly every moment. -l.'S
Suddenly there burst from the whole Eng
lish crew a deafenino "1Inrrah' for tha
Frenchmanl"