Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-07-14

though it was diflcult to understand
how enemies could make their appear
anoe in these quiet waters. they must
be attended TO- either by fight or flight
When the three boats came back,
and 1t was late before they appeared
every man upon the Royal James was
crowded along her side to hear the
news. and even the people on the prizes
knew that something had happened,
and stood upon every point of vantage,
hoping that in some way they could
fnd out what It was
The news brought by the boats waa
to the effect that two vessels, not sail
ing as merchantmen and well armed
and manned, were now ashore on sand
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bars, not very far above the mouth
of the river. Now Bonnet swore brave
ly. II the work upon his vessel had
been finished he would up anchor ahd
away and sail past these two grounded
ships, whatever they were and what
ever they came for. He would sail
past them and take with him his two
prizes; he would glide out to sea with
the tide, and he would laugh at them
as he left them behind. But the hoyai
James was not ready to sail.
The tide was now low; Eve hours
afterward, when it should be high,
those two ships, whatever they WERE
would float again, and the Royal
James, whatever her course of action
should be. would be cut off from the
mouth of the river This was greater
risk than even pirate as bold as Bon
| net would wish to run. and SO there
was no sleep that night on the Royal
| James. The blows of the hammers
and the sounds Of the saws made
greater noise than they had ever done
before so that the night birds were
| frightened and flew shrieking away.
Every man worked with all the energy
that was in him. for each hairy rascal
| had reason to believe that II the vessel
they were on did not get out OF the
river before the two armed strangers
should be afloat there might be hard
times ahead for them. Even Ben
Greenway was aroused The dell
shall not get him any sooner than can
be helped" he said to himself, and he
hammered and sawed with the rest of
them.
On his stout and well-armed sloop
the Henry Mr. William Rhett, OF
Charles Town, South Carolina, paced
anxiously all night Frequently from
the sand-bar ON which his vessel was
grounded he ctlled over to his other
sloop, also fast grounded, giving orders
and asking questions. On both YES
sells every body was at work, getting
ready for action when the tide should
rise.
Some weeks before the walls and
complaints of tortured sea-coast had
come down from the Jersey shores to
South Carolina, as ing for help at the
only place along that coast whence
Aelp could come. A pirate named
Thomas was working his way south
yard 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 Blac' beard 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 thelr
commerce, this new pirate must not
come to Charles Town harbor, 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 tt
destroy him and his ship. Mr.. Rhet
was not a military man, nor did he
belong to the navy. He was either
capable of commanding soldiers, ant
as such he went forth to destroy the
pirate Thomas.
Mr.. Rhett met people enough alont
the coast who told him where he nigh
find the pirate, but he found no on'
: to tell him how to navigate the dan
gerous waters of the Cape Fear River
and so it was that soon after entering
|
! found themselves aground.
Mr.. Rhett was quite sure that h
t had discovered the lair of the big gam
7 he was looking for. Just before dark
} three boats, well filled with men, hal
appeared from up the river, and the.
I had looked so formidable that every
= thing had been made ready to resis
an attack from them. They retired
} but every now and then during tn
S night, when there was quiet for fe'
. minutes, there would come down tn
river on the wind the sound OF dis
y tant hammerng and the noise of saws
d 1t was after midnight before tn
!, Henry and the Sea Nymph fioated fret
e but they anchored where they wer
n and waited for the morning, Whethe
e they would sail up the river after tn
s pirate or whether no would come dow
d to them. daylight would show.
n Mr.. Rhetts vessels had been
anchor for FIVE hours, and every ma
II on board of them were watching an
d waiting when daylight appeared an
t. showed them ,all ship, under fu
o sail, rounding the distant headland Il
l. the river. Now up came their anchor
l. and their sails were set. The pirat
d was coming!
o Whatever the Royal James intende
Y, to do. Mr.. Rhett had but one plan, an
that was to meet the enemy as soon
e possible and fight him. SO up sale
ii the Henry and up sailed the Sc
n Nymph, and they pressed ahead
d, steadily to meet the Royal James tht
ID the latter vessel, in carrying out VIII
ii. was now her obvious intention Of ge
It. ting out to sea, was forced shorewar
1t where she speedily ran upon a ba
- Then from the vessels of Charl