The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-03-02
n A BATTLE In THE STORM.

we were in for heavy weather, and
the worst yet. Long before daylight
the tug was hove TO, but she was that
crammed with cargo and coal there
vas no life in her. The seas We're
vashin' clean acrost her, and hammer
I, INK.
l thought we were plenty bad
enough Off, but when day broke we
found our troubles hadn't fairly be-
sun. We could make out vessel.
love to a mile CT 50 away, low anl
.f2l and gray, a vessel Ct war show
ii:s 10 colcrs.
1t was a remarkably funny thing, la
dies and gentlemen, and somewhat
Gisturbin'. Ii this was Salgada gun
cat, then she was cruisin in search
ui US to sink us with all hands. And
here we were in plain sight, within
easy range OF her guns. but she was
as helpless as we were. 1t was sill
d gamble whether both vessels would
not go to the bottom before the day
to try to buck the storm, hove to,
and pray that their engines would
hold together. BY this time the pa
triots were chatterin' like a flock of
parOkeets, feebly waving their arms,
and trying to find their rifles and ma
chetes.
Morales said: 1--WE are up against
it for fair, my beloved Martinez Coe.
| will bet you the best box OF cigars
in Rio de Contas when we have cap
tured it. you and me, that this vessel
is the little cruiser Emelio Sanchez,
which is good for eighteen knots. She
was built for river service, wherefore
she has three fighting tops on each
mast for shootin' over the banks. She
las good battery. too, some four-inch
guns. She will make us look like 80
cents, l think"
BY noon the wind was falling ard
the sea was not quite so heavy. But
we We're taking in water so fast that
the pumps had all they could do to
keep the freroom from being flooded
out.
Thinks I. I'VE can't run away. an
it looks as if we'd have to fight" l
set Morales to try and get his gun
crew for'ard, If they wasn't too sick
or washed overheard. 1t looked bad
to me, but the lad who was ready to
wade through two thousand troops to
get his arm around his sweetheart
wasn't going to be dcwnhearted over
a proposition like this.
l found three men who could walk,
and hauled them on hands and knees
to the stern, where by old 12-pounder
was shining between the seas that
most buried her.
Morales grabbed three or four other
tarriers by the back Of the neck, and
cuffed them for'ard to man the other
gun. We got ready not minute too
soon. We were hanging on, half under
water, just rammin shell into the
breech of my gun, WREN heard dull
"boOng," and In minute something
cried in the air overhead and sp.ashed
of to starboard.
right, and they had opened the ball.
Before l could make ready to fire,
crash! and the old tug shivered as il
she had hit reef, and I crawled to
the rail to see past the deckhouse, and
there was Morales waving his hand to
me, and hangin' on to the breech Of
his 12-pounder. He had cut loose
ahead Of me. 1t was gun practice st
for q crazy house, you can guess, with
both vessels pretty near rolling their
under, but it struck us as
mighty serious and absorbing bust
ness.
The cruisers shells were wailing and
all around us, but the only
damage SO far was her knockin' q
couple of feet off the top of our fun
eel, which didn't do our draught any |,
good
Meanwhile Morales landed she'll so
close astern of the cruiser that l
thought he must ha' taken the stern !
cost out Of her. yelled to him to /
Keep it up, and he waved his hand |
md got busy again.
All, but he was the picture Of
)rave and handsome lad as he stood |
here over the gun, the water swashin'
lrCund his knees, his black hair fly
ng into the wind. was on my way
@ him when his finish happened.
'Bang!" went our bow gun, and l
urned to follow the shot. Holy
mother! My heart leaped and l yell
ID like lunatic.