Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-10-27
CHI Apl i.lt |
~ THE FOG Orr rsIAN'r.

wa i''f-ffi iisA't i'' u l't''''t1
- about in thick fox off
the island Of rshant on
the Breton literal A. least. in de-
fault Of astronomical observation,
tina is whore lio,u. PHILIP Grafton,
her commanders imagined his ship
TO be. The Boxer vas loHnd in fer
Portsmouth. ENGLAND. with dispatches
from Admiral EosraVen. thrn com
manjinS at Gibraltar She had made
n quick passage irom the straits and
had met with no bad luck or mistor-
tune until She had run into the fog
near Belle Isle. since which time she
had been slowly working her way
northward. as tho fitful breezes and
mist-hidden seas permitted The dis
patches she bore were Of grave i'm
portance. and haste in their delivery
had been enjoned upon the young
commander Therefore. ne chafcd
lnder the vcyaIious delays with all
he impatienrc Of 4 sailor to whose
rogr"ss loHs and Gains ar" obstacles
yell-nieh insurmOuntablc by his sea-
philosophy
TO his Impotence was added a vivid
consciousness OF probable and immi-
nent danger for the Poker was drift
ing about wi .hin easy striking dis
tancc OF the ereat French naval do
pot OF Bresl, which was filed with
the capital shps and cruisers Of the
enemy; ana the narrow seas. in the
absence of any English fleet nearer
than Gibraltar, swarmed with men
time no English blockade had been
established on the French seaboard.
ard the ships Of the well beloved"
king ran in and out Of Brest at their
pleasure
so long as the fog held the English
brig was safe from observation and the
danger Of capture by a ship OF SUI
perior force was minimized: il
amounted TO almost nothing in fact.
But when the fog lired-unless il
were accompanied by a good breeze.
which would scarcely be likely at that
be at the mercy Of anything Of sufi-
cicni size that happened along.
Though young in the service. Lieut..
Grafton had earned well-deserved
reputation for daring and skill. and
GLADLY would he have welcomed an
opportunity for brush with a cruiser
Of force equal to. or even sOmeW hat
Greater than. his own. English ships
then were accustomed to giving odds :.
indeed. unless there was some prepon-
derance in force in favor OF the
French they took but little credit for
victory But a vessel which would
at all match his own was no. likely
TO appear.
Grafton vas ono Of the few Ameri-
can rrovincials in the royal naval serv-
ice. His father had been in command
Of one of the armed vessels Of the
squadron Of HE colony of AIassachu-
sets which had done remarkably
good work I'm Poppcreu's successful
campaign against Louisburg in 17i5
As a reward for his serv on that
occasion services tr TO means i'm
con -idorablc stout old Holm Grafton
had been Given a commission IN The
t.:,,,.. ,,.,., ..G , ,.. o. ro.~ , o.
,,ir,1 ro,i,.d Ifri,- IN ,bo an.1,.
mont If III. too.,. tr his or...,,..
homo in 1I,..o.n.so,,. t,is ,o, ,.,,
had followed his fathers protest.
a., ,.,,io,..3 ,t,,. ,..., ro,.,. 49,, 49,
rt.,r r.,id,,. ,h,.rrat ,La ,,....,.
orolos ~ tn- naval .ar,ioa 80 -h. n,,f
80 Ii.u,n,,rt tIa haa j., ~. hn.o
ooroo, ni,.n,, o,.;lo,,o 80
ohi,i,y on1 =, uas ,houo,', ~, va
;rnr',,o, tto, h., ,,.o,,t, 1.,.D,,,,,.,,,. -.
tain birb rarl. IN tho so-,.'oo
n, 49, ,nr,,ina 90 a., ., - r,,,.
1754 tho vo,,ro ca,,tai,, was r.e.lassl,
rocine tbo u,oa,har siao ~ a., ..,,-
cuarter-focl; of bis br;s in ,ro,,o c,.,.
Srl,at;o, vim hi. tr,, Iiau,an.rt
lindrod enir;+ no,,a4 r,on,a,',
.no-,, 1,.,,,,, ..',',.., -.
ro,icr,i,. dr",,,,i,., ~. '.,'.',
for rho ronco os ,bo, ,rar. AMI mi
heariua Of oyoryhodr o>.oo, ~, ~.
se.r,.r at ,ho n.,o.I v.h, bad .o,,..
vim C.,t,.,r,. $685.. .,..i.....,
ard hod naturoll. a-t.,n.f lt,,...i
10 rho for,mas of ll.'s,r .n,-l mn.
hut ME i. yovi,., tr.... c... .t.. ,,s..
inr chant ,ilo .'r .,,..t,.I,,.r. chase
ho,stl,. .w,Il. ,,J ,o, , ,n,r. ,o t.l,
ma where we ar, ar whore We ar.
driftinr,"
True. Cant. Grafton" answered the
| ,.-...--. .-.-- 80. .,,..,.,;..r hi