The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-07

the preconcerted signal telling that
 the barge had reached the inlet. and
 that the ocean was-bare of ship. showing that the brigantine had not
 slipped out.
 The following minutes were long
 ones, of intense anxiety. with every eye and ear strained for sight or sound to show that the launch had pulled into the cove and attacked the snug gler. The corvette forged slowly on.
 suddenly three lights were shown un-
 der the land. with many lights burned
 over them, in quick succession.
 Let the ship fall off! Square away the yardsr' ordered Ludlow. with a voice that showed his keen disappoint-
 ment. The signal told him that there was no brighntine in the cove. {:
 The ship turned majesticaiiy to run back to the entrance of the bay and guard the exit to seaward. with the land on three sides and this ship and
 our boats to seaward she cannot es-
 caper said the sailing master as the
 corvette lay back and forth across the mouth of the harbor. It was, indeed, evident that no vessel
 of the size of the smuggIer could | pass that vigilant cordon. Yet the de. sired hail did not come from the mer | clustered on the tops, though the look l out was 80 keen that they announced the sighting of the ships boats from time to time.
 At last the moon rose to seaward and in an instant showed the whole
 calm expanse of bay clear as day. ex. oept where Staten Islands bluff cast | a shadow. A murmur of deep disap- pointment hummed through the cfuis. er There was nothing in sight as faI | as eyes could reach.
 With Instant determination Ludlow ordered his course laid for the Mar
 rows. Confident that the brigantine had been under the Sandy Hook and equally confident that she had not been able to slip to sea, he made up his
 mind that the smugglers had dont
 what would be incredible in the case | of say other vessel When he ap- | preached the Narrows at dawn fish. erman coming out gave him informa- | ton that convinced him that he was
 correct in his surmise. The brigantine | shut off from escape by sea. had run
 boldly up the harbor to sail past the | city of York through the East River | to gain the Long Island Sound and | thence the open Atlantic ocean. a hun 1 dred miles east.
 Wind and tide were fair. The cor
 yette. with every sail set. flew up the | bay and entered the narrow river. her
 gun booming signal after signal for a pilot to take her through the whirl- pools of the dreaded He'll Gate.
 Though 1t was scarcely day. the re- peated roar of the heavy gun that
 shook all the windows of the town brought out the citizens to sSe the | strange and exciting spectacle of q chase in front of their peaceful houses
 With sail packed above sail, and ev- cry sheet of canvas spread. the cruis- | CT seemed to fly: but swifter still there | |, thAa fa xxthffd 6niraQ nf sail on the water-Witch. Mainboon big as a frigate's topsail yard, with a main -topmast stay-sail as big as a cruisers Jib. the brigantine showed hel pursuers why and how she had made | sailors believe that she was thing not of the world. Such fearful press of canvas had never been seen before on the coast of the Americas. Still the corvette thundered out her | intermittent demand for pilot. but none came. Ludlow did not know It. l but 1t was due to this scarcity of pilots | that he had come so close on the Wa ter Witch. She had lost precious hours
 waiting for one berself.
 | The corvette now began to use her guns to double purpose, for each new | signal for a pilot was charged with a Ludlow ordered that the gunners aim only at the rigging. His gallantly as | well as his desire to catch the beauti- full ship by fair trail of sailing forbade any attempt to sink her.
 Soon there was no time for using | guns. The ships dashed headlong into | the witches broth of the Hell Gate
 The white spume nzzed around them | black rocks showed on each side. what
 seemed fair passage one instant show | ed Itself rock -sown the next, as a cur
 rent twisted. Wind and tide urging
 furiously on. shoals appearing like in- fernal magic. whirlpools suddenly spin ming toward the how. cross-cnrrents
 sweeping with oily suction toward
 drowned reefs. ever more savage i'm petus from the tide with each foot ot | advance into the forbidden way-brig- antine and cruiser alike were in peril
 so deadly that the deadly work of man was suspended.
 Suddenly the Water-Witoh waved
 and rushed headlong at a reef. The cruisers men held their breaths to
 see the glorious towers of sail tum-
 ble in grevious wreck when she struck
 But she did not strike.
 Her navigator had taken a desperate
 chance and won. He whirled away in . channel that put the long island of