The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-12-10

everybody and apparently cultivate.
with pleasure his habItunl aptitudes
Lowell wrote of him ms "CoOpcr, who
written six volumes to prove he's a,
good ns a lord" An English magax.n,
described him as a '.biIious bragsarf.'
a "liar," a "full jacknss.v an 'Insect,'
a "Grub," and a "reptile.1 The "Ncv
Yorker pleasantly wrote Of hint III.
As as proud OF blackEuarding rs a fish
woman Is of billinssgate. 1t Is M
natural to him AS snarIing TO a tomcat
or growing to a bulldog. He has the
scorn and contempt Of every well In.
formed American"
~ a late afternoon OF a winters
" Gay, during the American Rev.
olutlon. a rakish schooner and a
majestic frigate anchored well inside
a little bay on the northeastern coast of
England. A w%haleboat drove shore
ward a young officer scrambled up
the steep cliffs and a few minutes later
a mysterious stranger was transferred
TO the frigate'S deck. He answered to
the name of Mr.. Gray" and was said
to be merely a pilot, but he was greet
ed with surprising Difference.
For no ordinary man would these
vessels have ventured so near that
coast of sandbars and hidden rocks.
The wind was a mere ruffle of air. But
the incessant mutter Of the long. slow
waves fOretOld that q storm was
brewing. Ever more f1tfully and faint
ly blew the land-breeze; the mutter of
the waters grew deeper. Only here and
there did a few stars twinkle between
the fast gathering clouds. It was time
to beat out to open sea, If It were not
even now too late. Men swarmed aloft
and hung up the yards; sails futtered
out; the anchor was pulled in: the
frigate gathered Roadway Then the |
faint breeze died. The spread Of can
vas hung useless; the currents drove
the ship shoreward.
With a roar the wind came suddenly |
from the east. White spray dashed
from n bow. Yet the Pilot paced the
quarterback seemingly oblivious to
danger. But open water was far
ahead and suddenly from the forecas-
tie came that dreaded cry, "Breakers!
breakers, dead ahead!" The Pilot
shook off his trance of thought. His
orders Numbered forth. sailors sprang
hither and thither at his bidding. the
frigate swung about at his cry of
Hold on everythingw Tortuously she
picked her way through the twisting
channels. in darkness amid the howl
ings Of the great winds.
She Shivered from bow to stern as
hundred men loOsed the huge MAIN
sail. The jib was torn free with a
crash like Il lannon's blast, but the big
sail held and the frigate bowed like a
reed IN the wind. White foam showed
1imly upon both sides, but the Pilot
Kept the ship. as by a miracle, within
narrow ribbon of dark water. He {
ook the wheel himself. Time and
the frigate seemed to have )
'eeled tree from peril time and again
ne plunged anew toward a weller Of I
water. But she drove ever on t
nd at last she rode the great waves
# the open sea. t
Not the storm alone had these ships e
jared. They were American vessels, v
urking about an enemy's coast. This n
title bay had a peculiar fascination b
two young lieutenants aboard, Ed d
yard Griffith and Richard Barnstable. p
far inland lived Colonel Howard,
Tory who had fled from America q
hen the c~olonists revolted. With him Ct
welt his niece, Cecilia Howard. be- "
wed by Griffith, and his ward, Kath- q
rine Plowden, betrothed to Barnsta- as
lie. In st. Ruth's abbey fingered, too, d
christopher Dillon. a poor kinsman cl
nxious to better his condition by we'd l.
ing the wealthy Cecilia. Redcoats
mt a picturesqueness to the venerable w
bbey, for a small garrison under til
aptain Borroughcliffe had been sum- di
by the owner. For aught that W
zen knew, John Paul Jones himself bs
light be aboard these ships lowering ne
earby. br
While accommodating the next night ns
Ar. Gray" and Griffith were captured or
1t Borroughcliffe's drunkenness ena- nj
ed them to escape. Griffith was, how az
1er. retaken. kr
The impetuous B~arnstable. fretting Co
fshore with his enormous coxswain, {
ong Tom Coffin, had been nearly cut I
I from his schooner by an Englisf :
liter, but he scrambled aboard safel. {
ID the drum beat to quarters. Will. =