Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-06-28

10 loose the fore and main tOpgallant
sils as WE'LL
WHY. what's wrong, SEYMOUR"
said Talbot in surprise. 81 rather ex-
pected we should be in Massachusetts
bay this evening. and here we are head
ing south again. Isn't that Cape Cod
that blue haze yonder? Why are We
leaving it? What's the matter?
Take the glass. man; there, aft on
the starboard quarter, sail! You
should be able TO see her from the deck
now. Can you make her Out?"
Yes. by heaven it's ship, and a
large one too! What is 1t, think you,
| Seymour
AN English ship, of course-a frig-
ate: we have no ships like that in these
waters or in our navy either-mOres
the pity"
"WEew! This. looks bad for us"
well, we're not caught yet by long
sight, Talbot. A good many leagues
will have to be sailed before we are
overhauled, and there's many slip
twist the cup and the lip, you know;
that old stale maxim Is truer on the
sea than any place else. and truer in Il
chase too. A thousand things may help
| us or hinder her. See, we are going
better now that the reefs are out and
| the topgallant sails set, but it's fear
full strain on our spars. They look
new; pray God they be good ones" he
continued, gazing over the side at the
masses of green water tossed aside
from the bows and sweeping aft under
the counter in great swirls.
The spars and rigging Of the Mellish
were indeed fearfully tested. the masts
buckling and bending like strained
bow. The wind was freshening every
moment, and there was the promise of
gale in the lowering sky Of the gray
afternoon. The ship felt the increased
pressure frOm the additional sail which
had been made, and her speed had ma
terially increased, though she rolled
and pitched frightfully. wallowins
through the water and smashing into
the waves with her broad, fat bows
and making rather heavy weather of
it, In spite of all this, however, the
chase gained slowly upon them until
she was now visible to the naked eye
from the decks of the Mellish. Sey-
mour. full Of anxiety, tried every ex-
pedient that his thorough seamanship
and long experience could dictate to
accelerate the speed Of his ship-rath-
er a sluggish vessel at best and now,
heavily laden. slower than ever. The
stream anchors were cut away and
then one Of the bowers also; all the
boats save one. the smallest, were scut-
tied and cast adrift; purchases were
got on all the sheets and halyards and
the sails hauled fiat as boards and kept
well wetted down. Some Of the water
tanks were pumped out to alter the trim
and tighten her. the bulwarks and rails
were partly cut away, and as Il final
resort the maintop mast studding sail
was set; but the boom broke at the
iron. and the whole thing went adrift
in few moments. Talbot. anxious to
do something. suggested the novel ex-
pedient Of breaking out fieldpiece
from the fore hold and mounting 1t on
the quarter deck to use as Il stern
chaser This had been done, but the
frigate was yet too far away for 1t to
be of any service.
In spite of all these efforts they We're
being overhauled slowly. but Seymour
still held on and did not despair.
There was one chance Of escape. Right
before them. not half league away.
lay long shOal known as Georges
shoal. extending several leagues across |
the path of the two ships. Through
the smiddle Of this dangerous shoal
there existed channel. narrow and
tortuous. but still practicable for ships |
of certain size. He was familiar !
with its windings. as was Bentley, as
they both had examined 1t carefully |
in the previous summer with view |
to just such contingency as now Oc-
Cured. The Mellish was large and
clumsy ship. heavily laden and draw
ing much water: but he felt confident !
that he could take her through the |
pass. at any rate. the attempt was
worth making. and If he did fail 1t
would he better to wreck her. he |
thought, than allow her to be recap |
tured. The English captain either |
knew or did not know of the shoal and |
the channel. If he knew it. he would
have to make long detour. for In no |
case would the depth of water in the |
pass permit a heavy ship, as was the
pursuing vessel. to follow them, and.
aided by the darkness rapidly closing |
down. the Mellish would be enabled to |
escape.
If the English captain were new
man on the station and unacquainted
with the existence of the shoal. as was
most likely-well, then he was apt to
lose his ship and all on board Of her |
if he chased too far and too hard. The
problem resolved itself into this: If
the Mellish could maintain her distance |
from the pursuer until it was necessary
to come by the wind for short tack
and still have sufficient space and time
left to enable her to run up to the
mouth of the channel without being |
sunk or forced to strike by the bat
teries Of the frigate, they might escape;
If nOt-God help them all! thought Sey-
mour desperately; for in that event he |
resolved to run the vessel on the rocky |
edge of the shoal at the pass mouth |
and sink her.
They were rapidly drawing down
upon the shoal at the point from which
they must come by the wind, on the |
starboard tack. Some faraway lights |
on Cape Cod had just been lighted,
which enabled Seymour to get his
bearing exactly. He had talked the
situation over quietly with Bentley.
and they had not yet lost hope of es-
Gaping. The men had worked hard
and faithfully, carrying out the vari.
GUS orders and tightening ship. ana
now, having done all. some few were
lying about the deck sting, while the
remainder hung over tne rails gazing
at their pGrsuer. One of the men, the |
sea philosopher Thompson OF the
Rangers crew, finally went aft to the
quarter deck to old Bentley. who was
privileged to stand there uncer the