Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-06-29

'tThe Radnorl Ho1D do yo1t ksoeO tt Y' till was nearly dead just for stand ing up for this country on board of her, and me a freeborn American too! I've got her sign manual on my back and her picture here, and I'd give all the rest of my life to see her smashed and sunk and feel that I'd had some hand in the doing of it. Aye, I know herl Could a man ever forget herr" contin- ued the seaman, turning away, white with passion and shaking his fist in convulsive rage at the frigate, which made a handsome picture in spite of all Seymour's face was as white as Thompson's was.
 s'The Radnor! The Radnor! Why, that's the ship Miss Wilton is on. Oh, Bentley, what can be done now?'' he said, the whole 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 if we don't try the pass this ship is cap tured and our country, our cause, re- ceives a fatal blow! Was ever a man in such a situation before?'
 Bentley looked at him with eyes full of pity. "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 respite. Sey mour glanced ahead and at once gave the necessary orders. When the course was altered it 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, whose ignorance of seamanship did not qualify him to decide difficult ques tions, after a glance at Seymour's s stern, pale face decided to ask nothing about it.
 This present course being at right angles to that of their pursuer, whom neither Seymour nor Bentley doubted to be the Radnor, would speedily bring the two ships together. They had gained small but precious advantage, however as the frigate, apparently as much surprised by the unexpected ma neuver as their own men, had allowed some moments to elapse before her helm was shifted and the wind brought on the other quarter The courses of the two ships now intersected at an angle of perhaps seventy degrees, which would bring them together in short time
 The people on the Mellish could plain ly hear the drums of the frigate, now almost in range, beating to quarters. They were near enough to count the gun ports--it was indeed heavy frtg- ate-thirty- just the rating of the Radnor Talbot had made ready his feldpiece, and ina moment the heavy boom of the gun echoed over the wa ters. The shot fell a little short, but was in good line.' Much encouraged, the men hastened to load the piece again, awhile the Mellish crept along, all too slowly for the eager anxiety of her crew, toward the mouth of the channel, of which most of them, how ever, knew nothing. The frigate, part ly because in order to bring gun to bear on the chase it would have to Huff up into the wind and thus lose valuable, distance, and also because the rapidity with which the Mellish was being over hauled rendered it unnecessary, had hitherto refrained from using its bat teries. The chances of escape under the present conditions were about even had it not been for the complication introduced by the presence of Kath- arine and her father upon the frigate.
 Seymour was in a painful and fright full state of indecision. What should he do? The dilemma forced upon him was one of those which Katharine had foreseen, and of which they had talked together. He, apparently, must decide between his love and his country. If he held on when he reached the mouth of the channel and passed it by, the capture of the ship was absolutely in- evitable. If he went through the chan nel and enticed the English ship after him, the death of his sweetheart was likewise apparently inevitable.
 Chasing with the determination shown by the English captain, who had his topgallant sails still set, and with the little warning he would have of the existence of the shoal, owing to the rapid closing of the day, the frig- ate would have to attempt the4channel