The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-30

| British cruisers would hear of his pre- dicament before he could get his guns back on Le Feu-Follet, he prepared to fight them off where he was. Some ruins on the rocky islet on which they had struck offered him a spot for battery, and there he planted most of the guns as fast as they were taken out of the lugger to tighten her.
 | By this time the captured felucca was alongside of the rock and more car ronades were placed aboard of her. | These preparations were completed be- | fore the privateer began to move in an- swer to the strain that the men were putting on the hawser. She stirred, slipped and suddenly shot off into deep | water, rolling nearly deck under for | want of ballast.
 l While she was still rocking the first British boats appeared around the capeI | at the entrance to the bay. Ward saw | that there were three launches, mounting l carronades and four boats containingl 1 small arm men only. | They had some distance to go before . they could come to close quarters. In I that time the lusty privateer's crew, which | consisted of more than 50 men, managed | to get two guns in place on Le Feu-F ol- 1 let, and even some of her ballast though not enough to make her steady enough | TOT HSnIlnS. One was HOOTGO near l40 | felucca in such a manner that the gunSI | of both vessels combined would command the approach to the land battery, while | they were protected from direct attack 1 by ledge of sunken rocks that stretched between them and the direction from| which the enemy was coming. l The privateers now had nothing to do except to await the attack. Suddenly Raoul saw a small boat coming from the | land. It had much less of a distance to l go than did the British boats and reached the rock ahead of them It containedI Ghita and her uncle.
 Raoul besought her to leave him, but she would not. We will remain, Raoul," said she firmly. There may come a mol 1 ment when you will be glad to have the prayers of believers. We will stay toI look to thy eternal welfare amid the| | noise of war;
 Seeing that be could not induce her to seek safety Raoul hastily disposed of hisI visitors In a part of the ruins where mis- siles could not enter, and where the pri- | vateer's surgeon was already making hisI alarming preparations. Hardly had this been done before the cheers of the British | were heard as they dashed in close.
 Assailants and defenders loosed cannon| and small arms simultaneously. Almost | immediately dense smoke curtained theI rock. Din shook the heavy air. BothI sides delivered fire after fire. Men fell / over their oars dead. Ithuel spied a boat under the ragged curtain of smoke. He fired. The smoke closed in again and | there arose a great shriek When the cloud rose. as the firing lulled for mo ment, a cutter was seen sinking. Four teen of her crew of 1e had been killed by that one burst of canister
 The English were staggered, but only for an instant The boats sheered off scattered. and then came on again, each holding course different from the rest and thus dissipating the privateers fire In the midst of cloud of smoke shouts curses, screams, orders and the roar of guns all the English threw themselves suddenly at the land battery and became it's masters.
 The men left on the felucca and the lugger saw the English flag arise over the ruins. Then they saw at least hall l the French defenders lying dead, whjle Raoul lay on the rock, wounded sorely crying with his last strength to his lieu tenants to escape with the vessel.
 At that same moment the British crui- sers were seen coming swiftly toward the rock. The officer of the privateer realized that he could not hope to save his com mander. He slipped moorings and SC sail, followed by Ithuel in the felucca-
 The warships converged on the lugger leaving Ithuel and his men easy cQurst for escape, of which the American tool swift advantage. Under clouds of stud ding sails and stay sails the cruisers drove after Le Feu-Follet. Even in spitd of her lack of ballast the wonderful craf was making good her escape and nigh set in with the ships losing ground. Blu then suddenly a squa1l bore down and the Proserpine managed to fire four guns full at her.
 The lugger was seen to stagger like toppling spire. A last geam of sun shond Wa in ciyh on the wide ocean except the three crui sers. Le Feu-Follet had gone down last, lugger, people and all. The only vestige of her was her flag that wal washed upon the Ringdove's bow, flag that showed two large wings with beal of a galley between them.
 Even as Le Feu-Follet was seeking he ocean grave her commander Raoul Ward lay on the islet, with his face turned i'd heaven and his hand in that of Ghita
 fThat star haunts me, Ghita,' said he looking fixedly at a bright planet. ''If be really a world, some all-powerful hand must have created It."
 Ghita felt an ecstasy even in her bitte grief. "Raoul," she whispered in he 1 thrilling, pure voice, God is there al He is with us on this rock. Bless him Bless Him. oh my beloved one, and bd forever happy!
 Raoul did not answer His face re mained upturned and his eyes still seemed riveted on the star. Ghita, holding hia hand, kneeled down to pray. Then shi i stopped over him. The lips did not mee l hers with the customary smile of love They were compressed, as they were iI 1 battle with a stern resolution. Raou Ward was dead.
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