Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-04-14


South Carolina, asking for help at the
only place along that coast whence
help could come. A pirate named
4 Thomas was working his way south
ward, spreading terror before him and
leaving misery behind. These appeals
touched the hearts of the people of
Charles Town already sore from the
Injuries and insults inflicted upon them
by Blackboard in those days when
Bonnet sat silently on the pirate ship,
doing nothing and learning much.
There was no hesitancy; for their
own sake and for the sake of their
commerce, this new pirate must not
come to Charles Town larbor, and an
expedition Of two vessels, heavily
armed and well manned and COM
manded by Mr.. William Rhett, was
sent northward up the coast to look
for the pirate named Thomas and to
destroy him and his ship. Mr.. Rhett
was not a military man, nor did he
belong to the navy He was citizen
capable of commanding soldiers, and
as such he went. forth to destroy the
pirate Thomas.
Mr. Rhett met people enough along
the coast who told him where he might
find the pirate, but he found no one
\ to tell him how to navigate the dan
gerous waters of the Cape Fear River,
and so it was that soon after entering
that fine stream he and his sconsort
found themselves aground.
Mr. Rhett was quite sure that he
had discovered the lair of the big game
! he was looking for. Just before dark,
/ three boats, we'll filled with men, had
appeared from up the river, and they
| had looked so formidable that every
1 thing had been made ready to resist
an attack from them They retired,
but every now and then during the
| night, when there was quiet for a few
minutes, there would come down the
river on the wind the sound OF dis
tant hammering and the noise of saws
1t was after midnight before the
Henry and the Sea Nymph fioated free,
but they anchored where they were
I and waited for the morning. Whether
they would sail up the river after the
pirate or whether he would come down
to them, daylight would show.
Mr. Rhett's vessels had been at
anchor for five hours, and every man
on board Of them were watching and
waiting, when daylight appeared and
showed them a tall ship, under full
sail. rounding the distant headland up
the river. Now up came their anchors
and their sails were set. The pirate
was coming!
Whatever the Royal James intended
to do, Mr.. Rhett had but one plan, and
that was to meet the enemy as soon as
possible and fight him. So up sailed
4 the Henry and up sailed the Sea
4 Nymph, and they pressed ahead SO
steadily to- meet the Royal James that
the latter vessel. 1n5carryinss out what
was now her obvious intention Of GET
ting out to sea, was forced shoreward,
where she speedily ran upon a bar.
| Then, from the vessels of Charles
Town there came great shouts or
triumph, which ceased when first the
Henry and then the Sea Nymph ran
upon other bars and remained sta
/ tionary.
I. Here was an unusual cond ition--.
4 three ship of war all aground and
1 about to begin battle, a battle which
1 would probably last for Ave hours If
! one or more of the stationary. vessels
were not destroyed before that time.
4 1t was soon found, however, that there
would only be two parties to the fight,
for the Sea Nymph was too far away
to use her guns The Royal James had
!. an advantage over her opponents,
i since, when she slightly careened, her
4 decks were slanted3 away from the
i enemy, while the latter's were pre-
sented to her fire.
At it they went, hot and heavy.
Bonnet and his men now knew that
! they were engaged with commissioned
war vessels, and they fought for their
lives. Mr.. Rhett knew that he was
lighting Thomas, the dreaded pirate of
the coast, and he felt that he must de-
n stroy him before his vessel should float
Il again. The cannon roared muskets
h blazed away, and the combatants were
near enough even to use pistols upon
each other. Men died. blood flowed,
ind the fight grew fiercer and fercer.
Bonnet roared like an incarnate
DEVIL he swore at his men, he swore
Ut the enemy, he swore at his bad for
tune, for had he not missed the chan
nel the game would have been in his
own hands.
So on they fought, and the tide kept
steadily rising The five hours must
pass at last, and the vessel which first
Hoated would win the day.
The five hours did pass, and the
Henry fioated, and Bonnet swore louder
and more fercely than before. He
Foared to his men to fire and to fight,
no matter whether they were still
aground or not, and with many oatnsE
he vowed that IL any one of them
showed but a sign of weakening he
would cut him down upon the spot.
But the hairy scoundrels who made up
The crew of the Royal James had no
idea Of lying there with their ship on
its side. while two other ships-for the I