The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-02-24

| described him as II bilious braggnrt,'
4 'Iinr," "fulI jackass." an "insect.'
| grub" and a "reptfIe." The "NeN
| Yorker pIeasantIy wrote of him: "He
IS as proud OF Safeguarding as fish
woman ~ of biIIingsGate. 1t is as
| natural to him snnrling to a tOmcat
or growing to n bulldog. He has the
| scorn and contempt of every well In.
formed American"
Ig \ a late afternoon of a winters
| & 3 day. during the American Rev.
! OluttOn. Il rakiSh schooner and a
| majestic frigate anchored we'll inside
a little bay on the northeastern coast of
! England. a whalebOat drove shore
| ward. a young officer scrambled up
| the steep cliffs and few minutes later
] a mysterious stranger was transferred
to the frigateS deck He answered to
! the name of Mr.. Gray" and was said
| to be merely Il pilot, but ne 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 mere ruff1e of air. But
| the inceSSant mUtter of the long, slow
waves fOretOld that n storm was
| brewing. Ever more titfully and faint
| ly blew the land-hreeZe: the mutter of
| the waters grew deeper Only here and
! there did few stars twinkle between
| the fast gathering clouds. Ii 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 f1uttered
out; the anchor was pulled in; the
| frigatc gathered Roadway Then the
faint breeze died. The spread of can
| vas hung useless; the currents drove
| the ship ShOreward
With roar the wind came suddenly
from the east. White spray dashed
from the 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 TnundeIoJ Tor II, sailors Sprang
hither and thither at his bidding, the
frigate swung about at his cry Of
Hold on eyerything" TOrtuously she
picked her way through the twisting
channels. in darkness amid the howl
ingS of the great winds.
She Shiyered from bow to stern as
a hundred men lOOsed the huge main
sail. The jib was torn free with a
crash like a lannon's blast, but the big
sail held and the frgate bowed like a
reed in the wind. White foam showed
dimly upon both sides, but the Pilot
kept the ship. as by miracle, within
a narrow ribbon of dark water He
took the wheel himself. Time and
again the frigate seemed to have
reeled free from peril time and again
she plunged anew toward a weller of
white water. But she drove ever on
and at last she rode the great waves
Of the open sea.
Not the storm alone had these ships
dared. They were American vessels,
lurking about an enemy'S coast. This
little bay had a peculiar fascination
for two young lieutenantS aboard. Ed
ward Griffith and Richard Barnstable.
Not far inland lived Colonel Howard,
a Tory who had fled from America
when the COlOniStS revOlted. With him
dWelt his niece, Cecilia Howard, be-
loved by Griffith, and his ward, Kath-
crime PlOwden. betrOthed to Barnsta-
bic In st. Ruth'S abbey fingered. too,
Christopher Dillon, poor kinsman
anxious to better his condition by we'd
ding the wealthy Cecilia. RedcOatS
lent a pictureSqueneSS to the venerable
abbey for It small garrison under
Captain BorrOughcliffe had been sum-
monct by the owner. For aught that
men knew. John Paul Jones himself
might be aboard these ships lowering
nearby
While accommodating the next night,
MI. Gray" and Griffith we're captured.
but BGrroughcliffe's drunkenness ena-
bled them to escape. Griffith was, how
ever, ret zen.
The imrctuous Barnstable, fretting
o@shnre with his enormous coXswain,
Long Tom Coffin, had been nearly cut
off from his schooner by an Ell gltSh
cutter, but he scrambled aboard safely
and the drum beat to quarters. Waile
roaisiGo2 roarpd and the decks grew
Upper! with blood, the little fighting
hips met and grappled. Before Barn
table could lead his bOarderS to the
nemyS deck. Coffin tumbled into the
-. Shouting Re nge Long Tom !"
lie lieutenant rushed with his men
Ipnn the Zoe. 1t was fighting at close
quarters and the issue was in doubt
vhen IL" drenched and furious cox
vain emerged from the sea and with
is harpo1n pinione1 the English cap
ain Ia his mast. In q Jew minutes
he Americans were masters of the cut
ef. Covering n that scene of blood
led The Eictors discovered the crafty
Dillon, who pleaded to be sent off as
ostage. promising to return in person
I to have Griffith delivered in his
tcdd
His word CT honor was trusted and
e was sent away with Long Tom. He
luckily overheard DillOn'S treacherouS
Hot to entrap Barnstabl@'S waiting
'arty. The reSOurceful Old seaman
aged BOrrOughcliffe and drove Dill
on. at the point of his harpOOn, back
q the waiting schooner BY this time.
however, a battery on the cliff brought
Town the sch0oner's mainmast. She
was driven from he~ course by heavy
III.