The National tribune., 1903-10-01

by torpedo, and de Admiral vas vrantic.
He rushed up dere on de Cricket, and
wound Capt Phelp and crew working DER
souls out to get her afloat. De rest of de
gunpoats and transports we're making DER
way down de riffer, which vas steadily
valling, so dat dey we're constantly running
aground. worse dan all, Parks vas val
ling pack some more and leafng de rep
pels to will up de country as dey would.
Neffer saw such a man to vail pack as
Parks. =u.u s.4. -t.
de Eastport's guns we're daken out, and
she vas gotten afloat, and started, but soon
struck a par, and when she vas gotten off
struck another, and so on for days. She
would make only a few miles, when she
would run aground, and take day to get
her off. Parks vas now 60 miles away,
and de country on poth sides de riffer as
vull Of reppels as hog-pen of feas. Dey
kept cracking away at US all de time, and
We had to work under musketry wire. De
Admiral sent all de vleet down de riffer
but de tin-clads Cricket and Juliet, and
gunboat Fort Hindman, ana determined to
stay py de PASSPORT to de last. Lieut..
Commander Phelps, who commanded de
Eastport, had worked as neffer man did
before to safe his vessel. He had becu-
liar love for her, for he had captured her
vrom de reppels, yoOst after Fort Henry,
in de beginning of de var, had fitted her
up as gunpOat. and commanded her effer
since, making her famous. Regard for
his veelings had kept Admiral Porter NIT
him much longer dan vas safe. She at
last grounded on a raft of logs. and We
saw dere vas no hope for her. De Admit
raj gate orders to destroy her, and Com
mander Phelps vent apOut de work NIT de
saddest heart a naval officer effer had. De
Cricket vas tied up to de pank to watch.
Dey villed her hold init parcels of powder,
sent de crew apOard de Fort Hindman,
and Lieut.. Commander Phelps, who vas de
last to leave, set wire to de train himself.
Yoost as she plowed up, l happened to
look another way, and l saw vrom LOCO
to 800 reppels who had peen sneaking
through de woods, make rush Offer de
cleared ground, get apoard de Cricket pc
fore she could cast loose and get away.
yelled at de Captain, who ordered de
ropes cut, and, Weeping Rachel de way de
Cricket, de Juliet and de Fort Hindman
did feed dose Chonnies grape and canister
vrom dose 32-pounders, 1t made de
country look like stubble-6eld in about
five minutes.
I've thought We had settled dem for
good, and could now go on down de riffer
mitout further drouble. We needed rest.
safe de Eastport. I lay down in ham,
mock on a sofa in de Captains cabin. and
vent asleep at vonce. Eferypody dropped
down dat vas not on watch. But you nef-
fer know when you're going to get left eS-
pecially when yOu are out on de Red Riff
fer NIT Cheneral Parks, who always walls
pack. De reppels we're preparing sur
brise barty for us down at Cane Riffer,
20 miles pelow, dat peat by far any en-
tertainment dey had yet set up, or any, for
dat matter. dat L effer attended. in my
four years in de var. Several thousand
reppels nit IS bieces of artillery we're lay
ing for us down dere. and We run right
into dem, mitOut a moments warning. In
a minute de Cricket vas shot through and
through until her sides looked like col
lander, de crews from all de guns on dat
side we're swept away. de Chief Engineer
and Blot killed, and efferybody who vas
not wounded vas knocked down and more
or less disabled. l vas only scratched by
some splinters. and, chumping up, l saw dc
Admiral run for de bilOt-hOuse. to dake
de veel from de hand of de dead Blot. He
vas CITING orders as cody, though, as if
on parade.
600 down pelow and see what has hab-
bened,' he said to me.
AT almost de same minute shot vent
through de pOilers of de Juliet. de steam
apoye de guns, and scalded more dan 200
people who we're on poard.
II ran pack on deck, and called to the
Admiral:
"'Derrible work down here. sir. but We
have some men and some Eiggers alife yet.
Put effcry soul of dem TO work in de
fire room and at de guns. Fire on dem
tamt batteries. Lifeiy. you cotton steal
ing son of de Tabernacle
81 ran pack. Another engineer. though
he vas Wounded. had hold of de engines.
put some of de runaway darkies who we're
lying vlat on de decks yelling and braying.
to work at de furnace. to take de blaze of
lie men who had peen killed or Wounded
vOund some of de gunners who had peen
Wounded. working one of de guns. and gath
ering some more darkiees | set dem ut work
on de other gun, Watching and initiating
What de sailors we're doing. At Wrist de mig
gers we're so daZed dat dey couldn't under
stand nodinss. but after | walked dem Up
nit capsran par. dey PECAN TO take no.
tice. and presently dey we're working dc
gun almost as good as de sailors.
Directly. We run bast de batteries. when
de Admiral. coming down. saw DAT we
had sort of Strengthened things up a littlr
on deck. and we're working de guns all
right, when he turned de poat around, and