The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1917-06-07

| than ever; he would soon wear ana
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.
| DoGd 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-
strcyer. AS the ship obeyed, and
deck gun beloved below him, he saw
a vessel running out from Long Island,
and coming swiftly up on his lee quar-
ter.
1t was schooner Was she coming
to his aid?
Horror! A black flag floated 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 pale face came close to DOdd's
and a solemn voice whispered in his
ear: sour ammunition is nearly
donei"
| 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 a chain
shot on board the retiring pirate,
took off a 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-
b1ed and nodded, and presently
snapped with a loud crack, and came
down like broken tree, with the yard
and sail. the latter overlapping the
deck and bufying itself, black flag and
all, in the sea and there in one mo-
ment, lay the destroyer, buffeting and
| wriggling-like a her0a on the water
with it's long wing broken-an utter
cripple.
The victorious crew raised a stun
ming cheer.
"Silence!" roared Dodd, with his
trumpet. Gail hands make sail -
He set his courses, bent new jib,
and stood out to windward close
hauled, in hopes to make a good off
ing, and then put his ship dead before
the wind, which was now 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
gun?"
81 rather think we can," said
Fullalove, sch, colonel?" and tapped
his long rifle.
The ship no sooner crossed the
schooner's bows than Malay ran for
ward with a linstock. Pop went the
colonel's ready carbine, 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.
aye missed him. Ye missed him J"
cried the rival theorist, joyfully. He
was mistaken; the smoke cleared, and
there was the pirate captain leaning
wounded against the mainmast with
Yankee bullet in his shoulder, and
his crew uttering yells of dismay and
vengeance. They jumped, and ragged,
and brandished their knives, and made
hOrrid gesticulations of revenge; ana
the white eyeballs of the Malays ana
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, ana
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 fred his lucky
shot, became pitiable enough. If she