The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-11-03

down the schooner's mainmast. She
was driven from her course by heavy
seas. The masts were felled and an
chors dropped, but she plunged on like
a bobbing cork in rapids. Barnstable
would have stayed by his ship, but
suddenly Long Tom seized him and
hurled him over the bulwarks. Goods
will be done with me-" Coffin cried
above the winds roar. Dillon's lifeless
body was rolled upon the shore, but
Long Toms stayed with the sea to
which he had dedicated his life.
Surprise succeeded surprise at the
abbey. Barnstable marched his ship.
wrecked mariners into the building and
they took possession, but they were
soon made prisoners by the redcoats
Then the mysterious figure Of the Pilot
appeared at the door and behind him
doomed the marines from the frigate
Colonel Howard, an unwilling prison
er, was marched away with Cecilia
and Katherine, who could not be down
cast at the triumph of their lovers.
Captain Borroughcliffe was freed, as
was another inmate Of the abbey, Alice
Duscombe. She had recognized the
Pilot in his disguise when he was first
captured. They had been lovers, but
she was so staunch in her love for her
king and she so hated bloodshed that
she had broken her troth to this "Mr.
Gray" whom she addressed as John.
She reminded him that did she but
once call aloud his true name the
whole countryside would ring with it.
What that name was is never revealed,
but there was but one sea rover who
could strike stark terror into all Eng
fish hearts.
On board the frigate repeated con-
ferences were held between the cap
tain, Griffith and "Mr. Gray" Sud-
denly out of the fog drove mountain
GUS ship Of the line. The drum beat
aboard the frigate, sailors leaped MIN
bly, about the deck, clearing for action.
The women were led below and gradu-
ally order resolved itself out Of the
chaos of shouting men. A terrific roar
filled the air as three tiers Of guns
blazed broadside from the English
ship. A few sails apd ropes were cut
but the frigate's sailing power was
hardly affected. One chance ball
struck the captain and hurled him to
death. Griffith succeeded to the COM
mand and he was appalled, as he saw
the frigate hemmed about. To the
east doomed the great ship of war and
far in the northeast the sails Of another
frigate.
"What are we to do?" cried Griffith.
"Fight them fight them' shouted the
Pilot. "Let me proclaim your name to
the men," Griffith appealed. But the
Pilot refused. "Should we come to a
grapple,' he said, II will give forth the
name as a war-cry and these English
will quail before It," wei.
The ship Of war was distanced, but
she cut off a retreat and the frigate
ahead had been REINFORCED by two
others. The foremost unanswered with
the American frigate for position.
Broadsides crashed and they grappled.
The American guns raked her foe and
left her helpless, with useless ropes
dangling from shattered masts. The
deck was cleared and as another enc
my appeared, Griffith shouted, "Hoist
away of everything!" Fifty men flew
aloft upon the spars and white can
vas was spread from every mast. The
frigate lunged ahead, but it could not
outstrip its rival, and the halt to give
battle had enabled the ship Of the line
to draw up.
Then, for a few breathless moments,
the Pilot leaped into command. Break
ers doomed ahead, but he drove the
vessels straight into the shoals, into
narrow passages where white foam
dubbed perilously close. The enemy
dared not follow, and when night fell
pursuit was hopeless.
Colonel Howard, fatally wounded in
the battle, lived long enough to see &C.
ella Howard and Katherine Plowden
welded by the chaplain to their lovers.
His last words were spoken to Griffith.
"Perhaps I may have mistaken my
duty to America-but I was too old to
change my politics or my religion; +
II loved the king-God bless him"
The frigate drove on to Holland,
where the Pilot landed in a small boat
that dwindled into black speck and
disappeared in the setting sun: Twelve
years later Cecilia Griffith saw her hus-
bands face cloud as he read in the
of the death of great man,
but not even then did he divulge his
name. He had promised to keep 1t Sc
cret. He said only, "Our happiness
might have been wrecked in the voy-
age of life had we not met the I'M
known Pilot of the German ocean,"
1918. by the Post Publishing Co. |
CThe Boston PosD. Copyright In the
United Kingdom. the Dominions. It's
Colonies and dependencies, under the
copyright act. by the Post Publishing
Co., Boston, Mass. y. @ A. All rights
reserved.