Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-12-02

/ N prehend the reason for the vi
Ihk cious attack upon their consort
by ship Of supposedly
| friendly power, 1t was evident to the
Spaniards In the two remaining ships
that the English frigate was approach
! ing them with the most sinister and
malevoIent purpose. Consequently the
exultant men on the Mary Rose could
hear the shrill notes Of the trumpeters
on the two other ships calling their
men to arms.
With a confidence born Of success,
however, Morgan resolutely bore down
upon the enemy. Even the dastardS
In his crew had been excited by the
ease and success Of the first treacher-
Gus blow and plucked up courage, be-
heving that their captains 1nvincible
SKILL address and seamanship would
carry them safely through the next
encounter.
The Spanish had little warning after
all, for the breeze was rapidly fresh
ening, and in what seemed an incredi-
bly, short time the English frigate was
close at hand. Though they worked
with desperate energy, they had not
entirely completed those preparations
required by the shock Of battle. AS
usual, Morgan was determined to lose
30 time. If he could have thrown his
Fessel upon them out Of the fire and
smoke of the first broadside he would
have gained the victory with scarcely
less difficulty than he had seized the
first advantage, but that was not to be,
and it was with considerable anxiety
that he surveyed the crowded decks
Of the two remaining ships
He had no fear Of the armament Of
either one, but if those Spanish sol
diers ever got footing upon his own
deck it was probable they could not
be dislodged without a tremendous sac
rifice Of life, and as he gazed over his
motley crew he even questioned their
ability to contend successfully with
such mass of veterans. He had hoped
that the remaining frigate would de-
tach herself from the galleon, in which
event the superior hardness and mo-
bility of his own ship, to say nothing
Of his probable advantage in the way
In which his batteries would be fought,
would enable him to dispose Of her
without too much difficulty. Then he
could with ease place the huge and
anwieldly galleon at his mercy. But
the two Spanish ships stuck close to-
gefher, too close indeed, Morgan
thought, for their own safety. They
were both on the wind, with their lar
board tacks aboard, the frigate slight
~ ahead and to WindWard of the gal
leon-on the side, that is, whence the
Mary Rose was approaching. So far
as he could divine it, the Spanish plan,
If they had formulated any in their
hurry, appeared to be for the frigate to
engage the Mary Rose, and while she
had the latter ship under her battery
the galleon would tack across the Eng
ish vessels bows or stern, as might
be, rake her, get her between the two
ships, run her aboard and thus effect
her ruin. The plan was simple, prac-
dcable and promised easy success, pro
vided the Englishman did what was
expected of him.
Morgan was not to be caught nap
ping that way. AS he rushed down
upon them there came into his head one
Of the most daring ideas that have ever
flashed across seaman's brain. Has
tily summoning Braziliano, he babe
him take a dozen Of his men, descend
to the after magazine, procure two or
three barrels of powder from the gun
ner and stow them in the cabin under
the poop deck. He charged him to do
it as quietly as possible and take only
men for the purpose upon whom he
could depend While this was being
done young Teach was also summoned
from the forecastle, his place being
taken by old Velsers, whose division in
the battery was placed under the COM
mand of Raveneau. There was whis- !
pered colloquy between the chieftain
and his young subordinate, after which
the latter nodded his head, ran below
and concealed himself in one Of the |
staterooms under the quarter deck. In |
a little space the Portuguese reappear-
ed with his men and announced that |
IuOy udu COLupACICu IACAA t10A, "hOAC-
upon they were directed to return to |
their stations.
Meanwhile the crew had been re-
charging the battery and reloading the
small arms Morgan addressed to |
them a few words of hearty approval |
of their previous actions and predicted
an easy victory over the two ships.
The Spanish captain naturally suppos-
ed-and indeed the courses upon which
the three ships were sailing if persist
ed in would have brought about the
result-that the Mary Rose would pass
along his larboard side and the two
vessels would engage in the formal
Of the period, yardarm to yard
arm until the galleon could get into
action and so settle it in the purposed
way He intended, of course, if it
could be brought about, to throw the
masses of soldiers he was transporting
home upon the English decks and car
y the frigate by boarding.
in, in 1