Connecticut western news., 1904-11-03
BUNKER HILL AFL0AT
[copyright, 1904. by T. c. Mcclure l


 to carry $10o,OO0 in silver from Flu | chau to Japan, and her crew of four | teen Americans were re-enforced by thirty Chinese soldiers, and two heavy cannon were mounted on our decks to bid defiance to pirates.
 On the morning of our second day out, which happened to be on the 3d of July, we found q suspicious looking junk bearing down on us from the west. She ran down to within q mile | of us, apparently established our iden- | tity to her satisfaction and then laid | her course parallel with ours. As We | had q light breeze ell day, the junk | held Ter own, and just at sundown two | more craft of her size came down on Us from the lee of the Chinchin is- | lands. Word must have been sent on at least three days ahead of us that we were treasure ship.
 | Night closed down with the three junks q mile to windward, and each of them held its position through the long hours. We could have gone off to lee | we could have turned and hoped that they would not dare to follow.
 No, I'll be hanged if 1 dor' shouted | Captain White when the crew gath cred aft and asked him if he should take that course. I'm bound for Ja- pan under charter, and 1T there were six junks instead of three l wouldn't vary point from my course. Dern m American who'll run away from anything! They won't attack till morn ing, and tomorrow Is the glorious | Fourth. We'll dress the ship and then dress the pirates"
 | We would have daylight at o'clock, and when the first signs of dawn came stealing over the waters there was wind enough to do with the Ranger as we saw fit.
 Every flag we had aboard, no matter what the nationality, was hoisted, and In addition to them the steward was ordered to make other flags of the cab in sheets and tablecloths, and every blue or red shirt in the mems chests was likewise converted into bunting.
 The old craft must have had queer look to the pirates, and when she her aided the day with a salute of cannon and small arms, followed by three rousing cheers, the fellows must have wondered what sort of a menagerie they had been following during the night. The cook had breakfast al once, and by sunrise we were waiting for a move on the part of the Junks Then the native officer was sent for and Captain White asked:
 "Well, are you goiHrrto fghtr'
 If not too many eome," was the re ply. ...... -.'.
 "Too many, you slab sided son of 8 gunl What difference does it make to us how many there are2 Trot out your gang while I give them a word or j two"
 The Chinese soldiers came shuffiinl forward, and one glance was enough to show that they had no heart for a fight
 You miserable, cowardly trnshr shouted the captain as he caught one of the gang and lifted him of his feel and cracked his heels together Now then, are you going to help us? Wake up here and listen to me! You'll either fight like devils or we'll chuck you overheard to the sharks. Mates, take hold and help me to kick some grii into their cowardly hearts"
 It was the funniest scene ever wit messed before a battle. For ten min. T down the decks, with the crew laugh ing and cheering, and we ceased kick Ing only when they promised to dc their full duty They feared our boot toes more than the cannon of the junks They were scattered along between the guns, where our men could keep ar eye on them, and we were all at oui stations when one of the junks flew q signal and the three bore down on us.
 Our ordnance was twelve pounders with fuse shell for the first charges and there was hardly a whisper among the men as the foremost junk came sailing down to get us within range of her four pound pieces. The captain let her loose to within two cable lengths and then gave the order to fire. The two starboard guns were discharged at al most the same second, and as the men knew little or nothing of big gun prac- tice it was luck or accident that sent the shells where they landed. Both went plump into the junk's hull on her port bow, and both exploded inside of her. The pirate wsr literally blown out of the water. It wasn't thirty sec onds from the time the shells struck her before she was out of sight under water, and not one of her forty or fifty men escaped death.
 "Now for the nextw shouted Cap tain White when his voice could be heard above the cheering, and the star. board watch ran to the braces and brought the ship around so that our port battery could be brought to bear
 AS we came around we had the sec ond junk almost under our bows, and such of our men as were not at the guns, assisted by the soldiers, opened fire with muskets. We got hot fire back, but only for a couple of minutes Then the big guns pumped their shells into her, and she was simply torn open to follow number one to the bottom Out of her complement of fifty men ws observed about half a dozen ciingine to the wreckage. The third junk hung in the wind for a moment and ther made off to the westward.
 Not if I'm Yankee and patriotr exclaimed Captain White as he saw her turn tail. We've got two, but 1t. the glorious Fourth. and we want tho third one. Round with her, men, an6 we'll finish this job in shipshape fash ion"
 We ran one of the guns forward opened on her with shell and sanl her. M- QUAD.