The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-07-07
NUMBER "a.

gone back to Nantucket to be sneered
at by everybody i'm town. Jest you
watch and wait 1t looks bad, but
sunthin' may turn up"
The boat came on with long, regular
strokes and in half an hour was along
side the brig. The lieutenant in charge
came over the rail, followed by three
marines with loaded muskets. He had
hardly touched the deck when he sang
out:
You impudent blackguard Of a Yam
we fired a gun?'
Because we didn't feel like itw an
swered Captain Bideford, who had all
his coolness now that the crisis was at
hand
WHAT What More impudencs7
My turkeycock, but you need a lesson
In manners. As a beginning I order
you to douse that ragr'
Il shall do nothin' Of the kind. II
you want to make prize Of this brig,
go ahead and haul down her flag. II
not, then take yourself Off"
"Oh, you won't muster your crew,
ehr' sneered the lieutenant 1T II a.
we suspected-too many British de-
serters aboard, Well, I'll soon weed
them out without your help. Here.
you Yankees, muster at the mastg
Had the crew been backed by the
captain they would have refused to
line up on the deck; but, receiving NO
| encouragement from him to resist, they
| shambled aft to the mainmast and got
In line They We're six able seamen,
| the mate and cook not being included
In the muster. The lieutenant Inn
pressed five out of the six
| II was al outrage to make bis blood
boil and yet Captain Bideford realized
that he was helpless. There was force
enough behind the officer to back him
up in whatever he wished to do. The
men looked appealingly at the captain.
but he turned away in sorrow and de-
spair.
For the last ten minutes Mary Bide-
ford had been watching the sky and
the British man-of-war and had been
seemingly oblivious of what was going
on beside her. She now turned to the
lcaptain and quietly said:
"Jest sort of carelessly sQuint into
the southeast and tell me what you
See"
by gosh, but it's an oxeye squan
or I'm no sailorw whispered Abnes
after look.
That's what it is. and they zee it
aboard the frigate and have run up .
flag of warnin'. The men In the boat
can't see it, as they are on the wrong
side, and the officer is too busy with
his conceit. If we can hold our men
ten minits, we can save them. You 60
and talk to the mate and post him up.
and I'll have few words with the Of
ficer."
The officer was not averse to an Ar
gument while waiting. and Mary took
care to keep him interested by allow
ing him to do most of the talking She
was seeking to gain nine or ten min
utes. and she succeeded. Then three
things happened all at once-the i'm
pressed men appeared on deck with
their bags, the frigate fired a gun, and
the squall came roaring down like an
angry lion.
1t was miracle that the brig was
not dismasted at once. She went over
to leeward until her yardarms dipped,
and only the loss of portion Of her
sails saved her from foundering out Of
hand In ten seconds daylight was
turned into semidarkness, and there
were shouts of terror and despair from
every soul on deck. 1t seemed a long
five minutes before the Dolphin lifted
herself out Of the foam and went dy-
. ing away before the wind, and as she
: started the boat which had been along
side with the three marines and four
sailors In it was seen floating bottom
up.
When the brig had been made snug.
Captain Bideford looked about him.
Mary was just freeing herself from the
lashings which had saved her from 60
ing overheard, and not a man Of the
!, crew had been lost. What seemed like
retribution had overtaken the others,
however. The three marines had dis
appeared, and the lieutenant lay among
> the spare spars in an unconscious con-
: dition. No one looked for the man-of-
:. war. While the fury of the squan
was spent after half an hour, 1t wal
:, followed by a breeze which ran the
!, Dolphin below the horizon.
"Waal, Abner," said Mary when
things had been Strengthened out and
the unconscious officer had been re
moved to the cabin for treatment
"mebbe you'll believe in Providence
after this