Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-07-28


with its long wing broken-an utter
cripple.
The victorious crew raised stun
ming cheer.
"Silencew roared Dodd, with his
trumpet. "All hands make sail |"
He set his courses, bent a new jib,
and stood out to windward close
hauled. In hopes to make a good Of
ing, and then put his ship dead before
the wind, which was new rising to
stiff breeze. In doing this he crossed
the crippled pirates bows, within 80
yards, and sore was the temptation to
rake him; but his ammunition being
short, and his danger being imminent
from the other pirate, he had the self
command to resist the great tempta-
ton.
He hailed the mizzen top: "Can
you two hinder them from firing that
/ gum?
81 rather think we can" said
/ Fullalove, "eh, colonelY and tapped
his long rifle.
( The ship no sooner crossed the
schooners bows than a Malay ran for
ward with linst0ck. Pop went the
colonel's ready corbine, and the Ma
lay fell over dead, and the linstock
flew out of his hand. A tall Portu-
guese, with a movement Of rage
snatched It up, and darted to the gun,
the Yankee rifle cracked, but a mo-
ment too late. Bang went the pirates
bOw-chaser, and crashed into the Ag-
ra's side, and passed nearly through
her
"Ye missed himl Ye missed him !"
cried the rival theorist, joyfully. He
was mistaken; the smoke cleared, and
there was the pirate captain leaning
wounded against the mainmast with
a Yankee bullet In his shoulder, and i
his crew uttering yells Of dismay and
vengeance. They jumped, and ragged,
and brandlshed their knives, and made
horrid gesticulatiOns Of revenge; and
the white eyeballs of the Malays and
Papuans glittered fiendishly; and the
wounded captain raised his sound arm
and had signal hoisted to his con-
sort, and she bore up in chase, and
jamming her fOrelateen fiat as board,
, lay nearer the wind than the Agra
could, and sailed three feet to her two
besides. On this superiority being
made clear, the situation of the mer-
chant vessel, though not so utterly des-
perate as before Monk fired his lucky |
shot, became pitlable enough. If she
ran before the wind, the fresh pirate
would cut her off; If she lay to wind
ward she might postpone the inevlta-
Bile and fatal collision with foe as
strong as that she had only escaped
by rare piece of luck, but this would
give the crippled pirate time to refit
and unite to destroy her Add to this
the failing ammunition, and the
thinned crew.
Dodd cast his eyes all round the
horizon for help.
The sea was blank.
The bright sun was hidden now;
drops Of rain fell, and the wind was
beginning to sing and the sea to rise
a little.
Gentlemen" said he, 'Iet us kneel
down and pray for wisdom, in this sore
strait"
He and his officers kneeled on the
quarterback. When they rose, Dodd
stood rapt about a minute; his great
thoughtful eye saw no more the en-
envy, the sea, nor anything external 1t
was turned inward. His officers
looked at him in silence. III
SHARPE" said he, at last, "there !
must be way out of them with such [
a breeze as this is now, If we could but
see itw
"Ay, IT," groaned Sharpe. 1
Dodd unused again.
"About shlp!" said he, softly, like an {
absent man. ~
SAY, ay, sir"
"Steer due north |" said he, still like ,
one whose mind was elsewhere. :
While the ship was coming about q
be gave minute orders to the mates
and the gunner, to insure cooperation I
in the delicate and dangerous maneuv- I
ers that were sure to be on hand. G
The wind was W. N. W.; he was G
north; one pirate lay on his s
zee beam stopping a leak between
Wind and water. and hacking the
ieck clear Of his broken masts and
'ards. The other fresh, and thirsting 4
or the easy prey. came up to weather v
IN him and hang on his quarter, pirate s
ashton. S
When they were distant about a ca /
lies length, the fresh pirate, to meet b
he ships change Of tactics, changed v
lis own, luffed up, and gave the ship r
broadside, well-aimed, but not de- h
tructive, the guns being loaded with l,
all. h
Dodd, instead OF replying immedI- r
tely, put his helm hard up and ran 4
ndar the nlrnfn,a storm Nrhiln ho ,r.na ] q