The Tomahawk., 1917-05-31
and made what sail he could without
taking all the hands from the guns.

and made what sail ne cOulu WlLIlOut
taking all the hands from the guns.
This kept the vessels nearly along
side a few minutes, and the fight
was hot as fire. The pirate now for
the first time hoisted his flag. It was
black as ink. His crew yelled as it
rose :; the Britons, instead of quailing,
cheered with fierce derision, the pi-
rates. wild crew of yellow Malays,
black chinless Papuans, and bronzed
Portuguese, served their side guns,
12-pounders, we'll and with ferocious
cries; the white Britons, drunk with
battle now, naked to the waist,
grimed with powder and spotted like
leopards with blood, their own and
their mates, replied with loud un-
daunted cheers, an6 deadly hail Of
grape from the quarterback; while
the master gunner and his mates,
loading with rapidity the mixed
races opposed could not rival, hulled
the schooner we'll between wind and
water, and then fired chain shots at
her masts, as ordered, and began to
play the mischief with her shrouds
and rigging. Meantime, Fullalove and
Kenealy, aided by Vespian, who
loaded, were quietly butchering the
pirate crew two a minute, and hoped
to settle the question they were fight
ing for; smooth bore versus rifle, but
unluckily neither fred once without
killing, so "there was nothing proven"
The pirate, bold as he was, got sick
| Of fair fighting first; he hofsted his
| mainsail and drew rapidly ahead,
with a slight bearing to the windward,
and dismounted q carronade and stove
| in the ships quarter-boat, by way Of
parting kick.
| The men hurled contemptuous
cheer after him; they thought they
had beaten him off. But Dodd knew
| better. He was but retiring a little
way. to make q more deadly attack
than ever; he would soon wear and
cross the Agra's defenseless bows, to
rake her fore and aft at pistolshot dis
lance, or grapple, and board the en-
feebled ship 200 strong.
Dodd flew to the helm, and with his
own hands put it hard weather to
give the deck guns one more chance,
the last, Of sinking or disabling the de-
stroyer. AS the ship obeyed, and
deck gun beloved below him, he saw
vessel running out from Long Island,
and coming swiftly up on his lee quar-
ter.
It was a schooner. Was she coming
to his aid?
Horror! A black flag foated from
her foremost head.
While Dodd's eyes were staring al
most out of his head at this deathblow
to hope, Monk fired again, and just
then a pale face came close to Dodd's
and a solemn voice whispered In his
ear: "Our ammunition is nearly
done!"
Dodd seized Sharpe's hand convul-
sively, and pointed to the pirates con-
sort coming up to finish them, and
said, with the calm of brave mans
despair: 'Cutlasses! and die hard! ]"
At that moment the master gunner
fired his last gun. 1t sent chain
shot on board the retiring pirate,
took off Portuguese head and spun
it clean into the sea ever so far to
windward, and cut the schooner's fore
mast so nearly through that it trem-
bled and nodded, and presently
snapped with loud crack, and came
down like q broken tree, with the yard
and sail, the latter overlapping the
deck and burying itself, black flag and
all, In the sea; and there IN one mo-