Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-08-25
why, that that ERE ship is the Rad

nor, sir.
Talbot and his men were busy with
the gun aft: no one heard but Seymour
and Bentley.
'The Radnor! How do you know 1t.
man?"
II served aboard her for eighteen
months, sir. I knows every line OF
her. That there spllced fore shroud,
the patch In the mainsail. ! put 1t on
myself. Besides. | know her-I don't
know how-but know her ! do, every
stick in her. Curse her-saving your
honor's presence-Tm not likely to for
get her! / was whipped at the grating
till | YEA nearly dead just for stand
ing up for this country OF board of her,
and me a frecborn American too! I've
got her sign manual on my back n
her picture here. and I'd give all the
rest of my life to see her smashed and
sum- and feel that I'D had some hand
in the doing of IL. Aye. | know her!
Could a man ever forget her?" contin-
ued the turning away, white
with passion and shaking his fist in
convulsive rage at the frigate, which
made a handsome picture in spite or
all. Seymour's face was as white as
Thompson's was.
THE Radnor! The Radnor! Why.
that's the ship Miss Wilton is on. On,
Bentley, what can be done nowY' he
said. the whule situation rising before
him. IF we lead that ship through
the pass it means wreck for her.
Dacres, who commands the Radnor, Is
a new man on this station, and il we
don't try the pass this ship is cap
tured and u country, our cause. re-
ceives a fatal blow! Was ever a man
In such q situation beforeY'
Bentley looked at him with eyes full
of pity. 1--WE are approaching the
shoal now, sir, and unless we would
be on it we will have to bring the ship
by the wind at once"
This, at least, was a respite. Sey-
mour glanced ahead and at once gave
the necessary orders. When the course
was altered II became necessary to
take In the fore and main ~topgallant
sails on account Of the wind, now blow
, ing a half gale and steadily rising.
{ The speed of the ship, therefore, was
unfortunately sensibly diminished, and
she was soon pitching and heaving on
the starboard tack, much to the aston
ishment Of Talbot and the crew, who
! were ignorant of the existence of the
shoal, and the latter Of whom could
see no necessity for the dangerous al
iteration in the course. They, however,
of course, said nothing. and Talbot,
r whose ignorance Of ~seamanship did
not qualify him to decide difficult ques-
I lions, after n glance 81 Seymour's
stern, pale face decided to ask nothing
. about Ii.
. This present course being at right
= angles to that of their pursuer, whom
neither Seymour nor Bentley doubted
u to be the Radnor. would speedily bring
Is the two ships together. They had
= gained a small but precious advantage
= however, as the frigate, apparently az
, much surprised by the unexpected ma
" newer as their own men, had allowed
some moments to elapse before bel
= helm was shifted and the wind brought
on the other quarter. The courses Of thu
: two ships now intersected at an angle
of perhaps seventy degrees, which
would bring them together In a shor
- time.
The people on the Mellish could plain
= ly hear the drums Of the frigate, nov
almost In range, beating to quarters
ID They were near enough to count tn
10 gun ports-it was indeed a heavy frig
he ate-thirty-six; just the rating of tn
he Radnor. Talbot had made ready hi
fieldpiece, and In a moment the heav.
~ boom of the u echoed over the wa
10 tiers. The shot fell a little short, bu
was in good line. Much encouraged
W the men FASTENED to load the piec
ID again, while the Mellish crept alcnl
as all too slowly for the eager anxiety o
10 her crew, toward the mouth of tn
or channel, of which most OF them, how
ne ever, knew nothing. The frigate, par
III ~ because In order TO bring a gun [
ce bear on the chase Ii would have to In
~ up into the wind and thus lose valuabl
IN distance, and also because the rapidit
ne with which the Mellish was being owe
hauled rendered it unnecessary, ha
* hitherto refralned from using its ba
~ teries. The chances of escape undo
~ the present conditions were about eve
had il not beer for the complicatio
- introduced by the presence Of Kat
~ arine and her father upon the frigate.
Seymour was in a painful n frigb
:. full state of indecisiorA What shou
~ he do? The dilemma forced upon hi
10 was one of those which Katharine ha
:. foreseen. and of which they had talkt
IA together. He, apparently, must decit
nc between his love and his country.
no he held on when he reached the mour
Az of the channel and passed 1t by, Il
capture of the ship was absolutely |
90 evitable. II he went through the cha
~ mel and enticed the English ship aft
~ him, the death Of his sweetheart w
III likewise apparently inevitable.
Chasing with the determinatit
NC shown by the English captain. WI