Gilpin observer., 1903-08-27

and descended dight Of steps, from
the lowest of which he sprang out to
the deck or platform where his sailors
were assembled
The boatswain was at the head OF
the table, and he was in the middle
of a story of some friends of his. sail
ors. who had been robbed of one hun
dred and forty pounds by two women
and young man desperately armed,
dressed up as a woman, when his eye
lighted on the captain, who stood un-
der the main-hatch surveying the
scene. The men. seeing their captain,
raised great, halfdrunken noise of
hurrahs, and Madison OF the squint
cried out. "Will you drink with us,
your donor?"
I've come below to do It," says
Pope, advancing to the table, and
taking pannikin with little rum
In 1t, he addressed the men. They
were as silent as figure-heads while
his words were being delivered. Moth
ing troubled the stiffness but Pope's
voice, the creaking of the briggs tic1-
bers. and once or twice the squeak Of
rat in the hold below. His speech
was very encouraging; he said he
wanted them to make home of the
brig, and to live happily together.
They should not want for leisure; he
expected they would be always prompt
in obeying orders; their lives would
depend upon obedience and dispatch; !;
he would try and provide them with
plenty to eat and drink, and, as they
sailed under the black flag, the usual
sea discipline would be greatly re-
plenty of money. and that they would
get If they fought stoutIy and feared
nothing.
All sorts of roaring cries followed
the captains address. The men were
fiattered by his presence. He drank
their health, then to the success of the
cruise. which he promised them should
be too brief to enable the British
cruisers to give them any trouble.
Now sing songs and be happy, my
hearties," says he; and he went on
deck, the men shouting their satisfac-
ton after him and beating the table
with their pannikins
At ten o'clock Captain Pope went
below. The cabin was warm though
the little skylight was open. In cor
ner was little table upon which were
a small compass. quadrant, and one
or two other mathematical instruments
leaned bag of charts, one of which
he extracted. and, carrying it to the
table in the cabin, fell to musing over
it with a pencil in his hand.
All of sudden. while he overhung
the chart, thoughtfully considering the
winds in that part of the sea accord
ing to his memory of them, he was
startled by loud and fearful cry on
deck, quickly followed by a general
uproar of voices, amid which he could
hear Grindal roaring like a bull:
Where the devil are yer coming to?
Starboard yer hellum."
Pope sprang from the table. rushed
to his cabin, seized his sword, and.
thrusting pistol into his pocket.
bounded on deck. Scarce was his
head clear of the companion-way when
he was nearly thrown by violent con.
cussion. The little brig heeled, trem.
bling to her keelson. with some noise
of splintering aloft and the seething
patter of fragments of timber, blocks
and the like launched from height
into the quiet water. The night was
extremely dark; the mist rad thick
ened into something like I fog since
two bells.
Shouts were to be heard over the
side. A yelling and groaning of voices
in an unknown togue. Close aboard
with her starboard bow caressing the
side of the Gypsy, while her bowsprit
carrying its black wing of jib shot
over the briggs rail, like branchless
fallen tree. was a vessel somewhat
larger than the pirate. apparently a
schooner, but it was so dark that no
one could have told you the true rig Of
her A man holding up a lantern was
shouting in some unintelligible Ian.
gyage. Some men were hauling at the
ropes. yelping In choruses. Others
ran about the decks as though panic
stricken; in all there might have been
some twelve or thirteen men visible
in that ship.
ITO be continued.)