Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1907-08-08
THE FRIENDLY
WHALE

that / was bound to the ivory coast
IN the English brig Plowboy, Capt.
Scott, commander She was a dry
raft, well found, but very slow, and
although those were risky days along
he heather coasts owners OF crafts
we're stingy about arming them for
protection. We had two old six
founders. which had been purchased
At sale of condemned ordnance, and
en- or dozen muskets and cutlasses
Of but little value.
THE captain was informed that a
French ship had been plundered and
sunk between there and the tropic
,nly two weeks before. and that two
,r three suspicious sail were cruising
along the coast. We felt brave enough
as we sailed to the south with those
.wo old cannon on deck, and the wish
vas expressed time and again that
we might fall in with pirate.
I'VE got light and battling winds
along the Barbary coast, but were
nearing the tropic, when, one after
noon an hour before sunset, a strange
sail was seen standing out from the
coast to cut us off. She was also a
brig, and from the very first sight of
1er there was no doubt in our minds
hat she was pirate. We altered our
;ourse a few points to the west, and
hen began to get ready for her.
I'VE had no sooner set about load
ng the guns than 1t was found that
our cannon balls were all too large
or the bore. Not one of them could
pc made to fit.
"The stranger walked up on us at
'apid rate, and when darkness came
IN he was not more than four miles
away. Our captain went into the rig
ging with his glass for a long squint,
and when he came down he called us
aft and said there was no longer room
20 doubt. The stranger was pirate,
and there was no hope of escaping
aim. At that very moment the wind,
which was off land, began to fall, and
zen minutes later we hadn't enough
TO blow feather.
I'VE could no longer see the stran-
ger, owing to the darkness. We knew
that he must have lost the wind first,
and that he was all of three miles
away. If the calm held through the
night he would have to attack in
boats, il at al, and we then stood
some show Of beating him Off.
Midnight came, and we had heard
nothing. The fog was now very
:hick, and every man was listening in
emily to catch the first sound, when
all of sudden there was a terrific
crash, followed by shouts and shrieks.
There was another crash, more shouts,
and then splash In the water as II
an iceberg had rolled over. In a
minute or two we got swell which
fitted the brig like cork and kept
1er dancing for three or four min.
ltes. When 1t subsidized the captain
and mate agreed 1t had been caused
oy whale preaching. Both had
sailed in whaling ships, and they
asserted that nothing else could have
caused the commotion.
From midnight until dawn every
nan stood at his post. When daylight
came we saw the pirate brig about
two miles off. Between the two YES
sells was q lot of wreck stuff which
he captains glass made out to be
he shattered remnants OF several
small boats. Only four men could be
observed aboard the brig. and as the
captain was watching them they got
INTO fight. One was killed, one ran
below, and the two men left on deck
got a white cloth from the cabin and
sent 1t aloft in place of a flag.
'In about half an hour we got the
wind and ran down to her, lowered a
boat and went aboard. / went in the
boat, and followed the mate on deck,
where we were welcomed by two men
who spoke English. 1t was queer
case, as you will agree.
Zone of the men was an English
nan, the sole survivor of an English
Fessel wrecked on the Barbary coast
| i've years before. The other was an
American who had deserted his ship
1t the Cape Verde islands three years
previously, and while making voy-
lge in a coaster had been captured
md spared by the vessel he was now
IN.
ION the previous night, when the
wind went down, they got their boat
md towed the brig about mile. The
entire crew, with the exception of the
| tour men, then armed themselves, and
the boats set off to attack us. What
followed could be pretty safely
guessed at. The four boats were in
company when the whale struck at
least one of them as he came up.
He must have thrown this boat many
feet into the air. He might have
fallen upon the others or shattered
them with rap of his flukes, but that
he destroyed them the evidence was
before us.
Not a man had escaped, and, In
stead of being captured and made to
walk the plank, as we had reason to
expect, we had turned about and cap
.ured the piratical craft without firing
shot. She was fine prize, can
tell you, having over $4,000 worth
Of plumber aboard, besides being a
better vessel than our own. We car
red her down to Sierra Leone, where
she was delivered over and passed
lpon, and every one of us got com
Portable lump of prize money from the
adventure. She was an English brig
which had been captured five years
before under Cape Blanco. and re-
corded as lost in gale.
Love, the Debtor.
"The greatest thing" says some one,
"a man can do for his Heavenly Fa.