Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-08-09

| ond She thrilled with PRIDE, QulVereO
with love- trembled with despair. He
was there-he was hers-he would be
killed! She gripped the rail hard and
'clinched her teeth to keep from
screaming aloud bis name. while her
gaze strained out upon his handsome
figure. Pride. love. death-an epitome
of human life in t.i::; h-,',..S moment
all were EerS!
On the r.a,n dee: o. 80 frigate the
name carried CONSERVATION to Lieuten-
ant Lord DcsbOrough. SO Seymour
was alive again. Was that the end
| of my lords chance: No. JOY. The
rebel was under tie guns of the battle
shin, Never. vowed the lieutenant,
should guns be better served than
those under his command. Unless the
man surrendered. he was doomed. SO
he spoke eagerly to his men, bidding
them take good aim and waste no shot,
| never doubling the inevitable issue.
| These thoughts took but moment,
however. Beauchnmp. who had done
the talking. now stepped aft to Captain
Vincent's side and replied to Seymour's
hail by calling out:
do you strike. sir!'
"Yes, yes, OF course; that's what we
came down here for Well strike fast
enough" was the answer.
| A broad smile lighted up Captain
vincent's face. He turned to the colo
| mel, laughing. and said with scarcely
veiled sneer:
Il told you they were not up to 1t.
The cad. He might have fired one shot
at least for the honor of his flag, don't
you see:"
The colonel. with sinking heart,
| could not see ut all. Cowardice in Sey-
mOur in any officer was thing he
could not understand. The world
turned black before Katharine. What!
| Strike without blow! Was this her
hero! Rather death than a coward!
In spite of her faith in her lover, rs
she heard what appeared to be pusil-
| luminous offer of surrender. DesDor-
oush's chances took sudden bound
upward. while that gentleman cursed
| the cowardice Of his enemy and rival,
which would deprive him Of pleasing
opportunity Of blowing him out Of the
| water. Most of the men at the differ
ent guns relaxed their eager watchful-
ness. while sneers and jeers at the
| Yankee" went up on all sides.
"lIeave to. then" continued Beau
champ peremptorily and with much
disgust, "and send boat aboard
AYE, aye. SIR
Oh. il was true, then: he was going
| to surrender tamely without
Stand by.' There was note OF prep
aration I'm the words In spite Of Sey-
mour's effort to give them the ordinary
intonation Of commonplace order.
note which had so much meaning TO
Katharine's sensitive ear that her
heart stopped its beating for moment
as she waited for the next wor. 1t
came with roar Of defiance. Back the
main topsail. But the braces were
kept fast, and the unexpected hap
pened. In an instant sheets of flame
shot out from the muZzles Of the black
guns OF the Randolph, which were I'M
medlately wreathed and shrouded in
clouds of smoke. At the moment OF
command Seymour had quickly ordered
the helm shifted suddenly, and the
Randolph had swung round so that she
lay ut broHd angle Off the quarter OF
| the Yarmouth. The thunderous roar OF
the heavy guns mt short range was i'm
| medately followed by the crashing or
| timber as the heavy shot took deadly
effect, amid the cheers and yells and
curses and groans and shrieks of the
wounded and startled men on the liner,
while three hearty cheers rang out
from the Randolph.
The advantage of the first blow in the
grim game, the unequal combat, was
| with the little one.
How now. captain" shouted the
colonel in high eXultation. Wont
fight. ch? What do you call tSis?'
"Fire. Fire. Let him have 1t. mem
The mans hero. Twas cleverly
donew roared the captain excitedly. ii
retsac.. Give it to him. boys. Give 1t
to the impudent rebel" he roared.
Katharine. forgot by every one in the
breathless excitement of the past few
moments. bowed her head OH her hands
On :. e rail and breathed prayer or
thankfu.ness, oblivious of everything
but that her lover had proved himself
| worthy the devotion her heart so un'
crudgingly extended him. There was
| great confusion on board the Var
mouth from this sudden and unexpect.
ed discharge. which. delivered ut short
range, had done no little execution on
the crowded ship; but the officers raj
lied their men speedily with cool words
of encouragement.
| "Steady, men, steady"
"Glve 1t back to them"
Look sharp now!'
"Aim! Fire"
And the forty odd heavy guns roared
| out in answer to the determined attack.
The effect OF such Il broadside at close
range would have been frightful had
not the Randolph drawn so far ahead
aud her course been so changed that
large part Of 1t passed harmlessiy
astern Of her. One gun, however, found
its target, and that was one aimed ana
fired by the hand of Lord Desborough
himself-a heavy shot, thirty-two,
from one of the massive lower deck
guns of the Yarmouth. which the pleas
ant weather permitted them to use ef-
fectiyely, came through one of the aft
er gun ports of the Randolph and swept
away the line Of men on the port side
Of the gun. Some Of the other shot did
slight damage also among the spars
and gear, and several Of the crew were
killed or wounded in different parts OF
the ship; but the Randolph was prac-
tically unharmed and standing boldly
down to cross the stern Of the Var
mouth to rake her.
But the English captain was a sea-
man, every inch Of him. and his ship
could not have been better handled.
Diyining his bold little antagonists
purpose, the Yarmouth's helm was put
up at once, and in the smoke she fell
} off and came before the wind almost as
rapidly as did the Randolph, her
o,,ntnoes frustrating the endeayOr