Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-24
The Argus Daily Short Story
My Grandfathers Story-By Edna L. Troop.
Copyrighted. 1911 by Associated Literary Press
board. exposing a broadside.


"a man in the bow holding a long
pole with an enormous hook on the
end was evidently the leader of the
party. and he made an efficient chief
/ heard him tell his men in negro
dialect that there was only one man
aboard the ship. that there was
enough loot there to buy the freedom
OF every one Of them and that it
might be possible for them to take
the ship and sail away with her.
Then he ordered the places of the dis
abled men filed. eQualizing the crew
on both sides. and under his direction
the boat was headed for the ship.
81 felt that my fife depended on pick
ing off that man standing in the bow
with his graphing hook. aimed
straight for his head. but at the mo-
ment the boat lurched, and I missed
him. l fred again and saw him stag
ger. but 1 could not have wounded him
severely. for he maintained his post.
my stock of loaded muskets was
now half exhausted. and L did not
from the first calculate on reloading.
But / hadn't even time to use one Of
those that were charged. for the boats
nose struck the ships side. and while
one of the men below used an ordinary
boat hook the leader endeavored to
put his grappler over the gunwale l
fought it of with a cutlass till several
of the men in the BOAT jumped into the
water and swan for the anchor chain.
Here was a division of tsle attack
ing force which l had dreaded from
the first. 1 did what L should have
done as soon as the boat struck the
ship. Selling a hand grenade, l threw
it down on to the boat. 1t struck the
water and did not explode. The man
with the long hook had by this time
got it fastened over the gunwale and
was climbing up by the pole hand over
! hand, carrying on one arm the end OF
rope ladder. He was an athletic ras-
cal and brave as he was strong The
distance he must climb was not over
half a dozen feet l waited till he had
come within a yard of the gunwale,
then reached over and Glove his skull
with cutlass. He dropped back into
the boat in which there were but three
others. and saw that his loss caused
confusion and faint heartedness among
/ them.
Il now had two sets of men to deal
with; but. their leader having been put
out Of the fight, felt more hope than
at any time since the attack. With
/ out giving the men in the boat time to
/ recover l seized another hand grenade
/ and, poising it with a deliberate aim,
! hurled it down on those below. 1t
/ struck the bottom of the boat. explod-
/ ed and blew both boat and men TO
/ smithereens.
! What / have told you as having oc-
! Cured after the men started to swim
/ for the bow occupied only a portion
/ of minute. AS soon as one party
was destroyed l turned my attention
/ to the other. Three men were swim
ming forward and before l had time
| to form plan one of them had swung
! himself up on to the chains under the
| bowsprit, another was within a few
! yards of the anchor chain. while the
third was still some distance away
from anything to cling to. Selling
! cutlass. l ran forward. 1t was not my
only weapon, for l had two loaded
! pistols in my belt Running under the
| gunwale on the deck that / might not
! be seen, l appeared on the bowsprit
! Just as the foremost man was laying
| hand on it. With my cutlass dropped
! him into the water.
/ Il now realized for the first time that
/ l was in no further danger. There
! were two men against me. but they
had no other weapon than cold steel.
while | had the advantage of position
/ and loaded pistol. had shed enough
| blood. so 1 called TO the man climbing
the anchor chain to let go or l would
! shoot him. He dropped into the water
and struck out for the shore. followed
by the man who had Jagged behind.
''They had scarcely swum out of sight
when / heard the sound Of oars. and,
| turning, there but a few hundred yards
| away was the boat / had sent on an
/ errand OF mercy. When the crew came
/ aboard the fugitives had reached the
shore. Ny men had heard my first
shot. and the planter took to thicket.
! Fearing trouble, they returned. but too
| late TO be of service.
81 believe l would have concealed
| the facts of the narrow escape / had
| had il could have done so. But since
/ the boats crew had heard the reports