The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1903-03-06
A SURPRISE AT SEA
[Original.]

llIc "uoiC poifuidtloh u II WV VI ~
were loungius the men smoking. the
ON gossipi.ig and watching the
children who We're rOmping OF the
heavy planks. Oue young fellow, Il fine
specimen Of a man. was walking back
and forth, alternately taking his pipe
from his mouth and putting it back to
give Il succession of rapid puffs.
Ned Chanberlin seems uneasy this
evening"
Hes expecting Rose Bickford from
Havana-they're engaged, you know
and that villainous picaroon, the Mar
gu"rita, has been reported scurrying
about beyond the point there"
At the moment a sloop rounded the
point mentioned and bore steadily up
to the wharf. When within hearing
distance. her master shouted:
"Thr Marguerite is chasing the Inez.
We left them ten miles out, both be
Gained. We caught a breeze three
miles this side of them and got away"
All looked at C~hamberlin, for all
knew that the girl he loved either had
fallen or would doubtless soon fall into
the hands of the pirate. He sat down
on the top of one Of the projecting
Spilcs of the pier and covered his face
with his hands. His neighbors thought
that he was giving way to his feelings.
This was not true--at least not for
long. He was forming a plan to save
the IneZ.
In another hour the Alice, the sloop
that had brought the news, sailed away
under command of Ned Chambrrlin.
The moon, slightly past the full, came
up ont Of the water. Illuminating all
within the circle Of the horizon. The
hrecZ" began to die away and bid fair
to cease altogether. This gave the hope
that the picaYoon had not been able to
move against the lncz. The Alice with
in another two hours was becalmed.
but not before Ned Chamberlin saw on
the horizon two ships in the doldrums
which he strongly suspected were the
ones lie sought. Ordering half Il dozen
men to man Il boat, he sent them ahead
to tow the sloop and while it was still
tlSIl tidceu utT oel Wccl the Decalll1cu
ships.
At the first gray light in the east the
young captain brought his glass to bear
first on one, then the other, of his neigh"
bors and sCon made up his mind that
the one OH his port was the Incz, the
other the Marguerite. Breathing a sigh
of relief. he leaned against the taffrail.
folded his arms and waited.
What was he waiting for? There was
not Il gun OH his deck nor protruding
from portfolios below, but half Il dozen
men were visible, and they were loung-
ing about apparently waiting for a
breeze. When the sun came up, there
was a stirring aboard the picaroon.
while the crew Of the Inez raised every
sail to be ready to take advantage of
the first morning breeze. Vain hope!
No breeze came. Presently the plea
dy longlegs, sweeps being thrust from
her sides, II she began to move. Ned
C~hamberlin's only hope was that she
would stop by the way in her journey
toward the lnez to take the sloOp. In
this he was not disappointed. The Mar
Suerita was obliged to make a slight
angle to reach the slOop, and when Ned
saw that she al heading directly to-
ward him he seized a basket standing
on the deck and climbed the ratlines.
On came the pirate. her captain doubt
less laughing in his sleeve at the fool
who had pulled directly in his way dur.
ing the night.
Ned Chamberlin kept his eye fixed on
the picaroon. and when he saw the
graphing irons fixed to the port side
he concluded that they were making
ready to board OF his starboard. Call
ing to the men OF the deck below. he
ordered them to swing the GAIT on
lash 1T. When the pirate came to with
in fifty feet and was slowly rounding
toward the sloop, Ned ran out to the
peak and, holding on to a line with his
left hand, began to swing with his
right a ball on the end of a rope in cir.
cles about his head. Presently letting
go the rope. it slipped through his fin
gers, and the globe landed on the nj.
rates deck. There was an explosion.
the deck was ripped to pieces. and
three-quarters OF the men on it were
blown TO atoms. The shock disIodged
Chamberlin, who fell, fortunately es-
Gaping the side. into the water, whence
he was dragged back on to his vessel.
The matches Of the sloop were opened.
out rushed fifty men armed with
rifles and cutlasses, with the former Of
which they shot every living man on
the picaroon.
On the Inez the captain. the crew
n the passengers watched the Mar
guerita approach the sloop, not doubt
ing that the latter would fall an easy
prey and that they would soon see her
crew walking the plank. after which
the pirates would turn their attention
to the Inez. There was scarcely a
weapon aboard, and the ship rolled
helplessly in the long sweIls. Suddenly
there was a boom, and a cloud of
smoke shot up from among the two
vessels-they could not at first tell
from which hnt praSopt)v Gov, +b,4