The Cairo bulletin., 1910-12-14
The Tables Turned
An Awful Revenge Turned
on the Revenger
BY WILLIAM C. EMERSON
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association


Cruz and Puerto Cahello, in Honduras,
when she was attacked by pirates.
Captain Hazeltine of the Penguin, hav.
Ing four swivel guns on board two
port and two starboard, or larboard
and starboard, as the terms then We're,
with plenty of muskets aud cutlasses,
gave the pirates fight that cost them
one.third of their number In killed and
wounded. mostly killed But the pi
rates were too strong for the mer
chantmen, who were at length over
powered
The captors We're SO irritated at the
fight they had been put to and their
loss that they resolved 10 intlict q tor
ture upon Captain Hazeltine. TO whom
they were Indebted for both, as they
we'll knew, Cor 1t was he who had led
every movement against them. They
forced every person on the III fated
Penguin to walk the plank except
Hazeltine. whom they put In irons
down In the hold. Then the pirate
commander invited suggestions as to
methods OF execution that would give
| the most suffering.
Many OF the plans that were handed
in were impracticable, since the oil
rates did not possess the means VI car
rying them ont One struck the cap
tain's fancy as soon as It was pro
posed. 1t was that they should bury
their victim up to his chin IN the sand
at receding half tide. SO that on its re-
turn It would gradually drown him
Death would thus confront him for
hours and would llnger when Il came
1t seemed to the pirate that this men
tai strain on man in sound bodily
health would be far worse than phys
zeal pain. He ordered his craft headed
for the shore and anchored near n
| beach On arrival the bonts were low
| cred and filled with eatahles and cases
Of wine that had been taken from the
Penguin, for the pirates had deter
| mined to have spree on shore, where
they could have plenty Of room to
stretch their legs. However, their
numbers were so reduced by the fght
| they had been through that one boat
sufficed, and, since two men were left
| to guard the ship. but five men, inelud-
ing the captain, went ashore with the
| victim.
They found the tide within an hour
Of the ebb, BuryinG Hazeltine on the
verge, he would see the tide recede for
( an hour, then return for an hour. The
| pirates faced him toward the water
leaving only his head exposed. His
| arms were placed close to his tanks
and when his executioners had stamped
on the sand about him he felt himself
In a wise. Having finished their work
they carried their supplies little far
Their up on the beach and began to eat
drink and be merry.
IIazeltine soon discovered that nc
more frightful death could be devised
lie watched the tide recede. pause and
| begin its return BY this time the
pirates were very drunk. screaming
and fighting like madmen Hazeltine
hoped some one Of them, infuriatec
by liquor, would come and cleave his
skull with cutlass. But he was dis
appointed.
And now the first wave reached the
! victims chin. The next did not come
| so high nor the next, but the fourth
| washed his jaws. When II receded Il
took an inch OF sand from under his
chin The next wave took more. an(
successive waves left his throat bnre
But while the sand was sucked awa,
In front 1t was piled up At the back q
his head
! by this time the yells OF the pirates
were few and soon ceased altogether
They had intended to watch their pris
oner die, but had got drunk instead
The waves, dashing over Ha2eltin'
while he held his breath, kept suck
ing sand from his front Finally h'
could work his body backward and for
ward. The water poured In around bin
and softened the sand. BY an effort n
freed his arms and dug with his hands
In few minutes he was free.
Looking about him, he saw the p'
rates lying In drunken stupor. Hi
| first Impulse was to run, his second t.
take their boat and pull away. HI
third oh, his third marked grea
change In him Seeing the shovel witt
which the pirates had dug his grave
he seized 1t and dug five other grave
a few feet above where his would b
executioners had dug his own, Then
taking up pirate, he put him into a.
upright hole and filed in the sau
about him. Then he buried anothe
and another till all were up to thei
chins In sand. Some Of them awaken
ed, but did not realize at FIRST wher
they we're. Others were too drunk
know anything.
Halt an hour later the water reache
, them and sobered them The san
gave way before them. but Hazeltln
threw more sand in Its place. malr
tanning his position and theirs unit
the waves rolled above their heads.
But Hazetne was not satisfied
, Waiting till night had fallen, he rowe
r In the boat TO the ship and, arme
with captured weapons. stealthil
! climbed the side. The two men VII
, had been left aboard had initiated tn
a.