Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1913-09-12
THE
BUCCANEERS
BY F. A. Mitchell

Some 200 years ago piracy was much
IN vogue on the ocean. The bucca-
Deus Of that day arose in this way:
The English and the Spaniards were
at war, and the English fitted out pri-
vateers to prey on the Spanish ships
bearing treasure from Spa1ns Mexico
possessions. When the war closed the
peivateers continued their depredations
Illegally under the flag of the skull
and bones instead of the Cross of St
George. After awhile the attention of
the British navy was directed to eradi-
ealing them, but it proved a slow proc
ess and had not been entirely achieved
at the beginning of the last century.
One afternoon the English merchant
chip Petrol, Captain Stoughton, sail
ing down the east coast Of Mexico,
passed a corvet also bearing the Brit
tsh flag and was asked If she had seen
anything of low cut, rakish vessel.
Captain Stoughton replied that he had
not and passed on. An hour later,
coming TO the mouth OF the Rio Grande
river and the waters not being as well
eharted In those days as now, he con-
Guided to run in a short distance and
bay ut anchor till morning
Now, when the Petrol entered the
xfver the low cut, rakish vessel men
toned was lying a tride farther up
stream. Captain Stoughton brought
his glass to bear on her and didn't like
her looks. But 1t was nearly dark
when he discovered her, and he did
40 30 h.
in the darkness.
Nevertheless as soon as the anchor
had been dropped he called his first
Officer into his cabin. told him that he
suspected the craft he had seen to be
a pirate and directed him to take a
boat and six men, go northward, find
the corvet and report the vessels pres
ence In the mouth of the river.
Meanwhile the captain of the pirate
lay low during the night intending as
soon as daybreak to make a prize Of
the Petrol, put the crew and every one
else on board to the sword and loot
her. Captain Stoughton, knowing that
If the vessel near him was what he sus-
pected this would be the result, await
I'd the dawn with great anxiety, hop
ing his messenger would bring the cor
vet
But when light came a heavy fog
came with it. This brought disap-
pointment to the pirate captain, as well
as to Stoughton, though the latter was
not certain whether it would be dis
advantage or an advantage to him. II
certainly brought delay. and delay
meant suspense. Before break of day
he awoke all on board and, tell
ing them of his suspicious, directed
each and every one of them not to
make the slightest noise, even to speak
in whispers. There were women and
children on board, and the dread was
so great that the order was obeyed
The children were shut in the cabins
where they would not be heard.
Half an hour after daybreak the
sound of oars was heard. They must
be either from the pirate or the boat
sent to the corvet. That they were
from the pirate was soon evident from
volley of oaths spoken by the cap
tain who was in command of the boat
and in search of the Petrol. The wo
men all went to the cabins to make
sure that if a child made a sound II
should be muffled, while the men stood
in a group on deck armed with such
weapons as the ship afforded that they
might sell their lives as dearly as pos
sible.
The pirate commander had noted the
direction Of the Petrol and steered by
compass. In his yawl We're twenty
men armed TO the teeth. They passed
the Petrol some 800 yards astern and
reaching the shore. turned and this
time passed under her stern 100 fee
away. Every man on the Petrel's decl
stood mute, listening to the orders IL
the boat, which they could hear a.
plainly as if spoken on the Petrer'
deck. Every man thanked heaven fol
the density Of the fog and prayed tina
il might not tighten. The women il
the cabin heard almost as plainly al
the men, and every child too young t
understand the danger was covered
with blankets.
The boat passed without detecting
the ship and it was fortunate that II
when it turned again it went a hun
dred yards too far above. Captain
Stoughton felt temporarily relieved
but every moment dreaded that thu
fog would lift and the ships presenc'
be detected. But as the sounds from
the boat receded he felt that the evi
was at least deferred.
When the fog passed it was blown
out to sea. first exposing the pirate
boat, next the Petrol. When the boat
crew saw the ship they gave a blood
curding yell and pulled for her. Blu
suddenly they ceased rowing AS tn
fog passed out it revealed the corve
nearer the Petrol than were the pi
rates.
That was the last of the latter
Being upstream, there was no escap
from the man-Of-war Panic stricken
"A g. Il .