Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-26
tContlnued from our Iast issuel

tIontinueu from Ouf last lSSuel
Within a quarter of an hour
Biood's ships had rounded the head.
and stood in to the harbor mouth,
within saker shot of Rivarol's three
ships, to which they now abruptly
disclosed themselves.
Where the fort had stood they
now beheld Il smoking rubbish heap,
az the victorious Frenchman with
the lily standard trailing from his
mastheads was sweeping forward to
snatch the rich prize whose defenses
he had shattered.
Before Rivarol could move to give
an order a volcano of fire and metal
burst upon him from the buccaneers.
The Arabella held to her course,
giving place to the Elizabeth, which
executed the same maneuver. And
then the Arabella had gone about,
n was returning in her tracks and
loosing her second broadside in the
wake of the first. Came yet another
broadside from the Elizabeth and
then the Ara5ella's trumpeter sent a
call across the water, which Hag-
thorpe perfectly understood.
"On, now, jeremy" cried Blood.
straight Into them before they re-
cover their wits. Stand by, there!
Prepare to board! Hayton .
the grapnelsl And pass the word to
the gunner in the PROV to fire as
fast rs he can load"
He discarded his feathered hat.
and covered himself with a steel
lleadpiece. He meant to lead this
boarding party in person. Briskly
he explained himself to his two
guests. Boarding is our only chance
here. We are too heavily out
Eunned."
OF this the fullest demonstration
followed quickly. The Frenchmen
having recovered their wits at last,
both ships swung broadside on, and
concentrating upon the Arabella,
volleyed upon her jointly at almost
The same moment.
The Arabella rocked and staggered
under this terrific hammering, al
though Pitt kept her headed to-
ward the French so that she should
Sffer the narroweSt target.
Meanwhile the Frenchmen, going
Rbout, gave the like reception to the
Elizabeth. The ArabeIla pressed
forward to come to grips. But be-
fore she could accomplish her object,
the Victorieuse pounded her advance
ing enemy with a second broadside
at close quarters. The half-wrecked
Arabella plunged and reeled into the
nloud of smoke that concealed her
AftCyF anu then llOLl 1ldy lOA we'll ny
che cry that she was going down by
the head.
BIood's heart stood still. And then
In that very moment of his despair,
the blue and gold flank of the VIC
torieuse doomed through the smoke.
But ever as he caught that enheart-
ening glimpse he perceived, too, how
sluggish now was their advance, and
R1ow with every second it grew more
sluggish. They must sink before
they reached her.
Thus, with an oath. opined the
Dutch admiral, and from Lord Will
10ughby there was a word of blame
for Blood's seamansh1p in having
risked all upon this gamblers throw
OF boarding.
eThera was no other chance!"
eried Blood, in broken-hearted
frenzy.
But they had not yet completely
failed. Hayton himself, and a score
of sturdy rogues whom his whistle
had summoned, were crouch1ng for
amid the wreckage of the
gorecastle with grapnels ready.
Within nine or ten yards of the Vic
Eorieuse, when their way seemed
spent, and their forward deck al
ready awash under the eyes of n
jeering, cheering Frenchmen, those
men leapt up and forward, and hurI-
ed their grapnels across the chasm.
Blood, watching from his own quar-
serdeck, sent out his voice in a clar-
ION call:
''Musketeers to the prowi'
The musketeers, at their station
at the waist, obeyed him with the
speed of men who know that in
obedience is the only hope of life.
Starboard to starboard the two
ships swung against each other with
4 EARRING thud. BY then Blood was
down in the waist, judging and act
ing with the hurricane speed the
occasion demanded. The laundering
Arabella was literally kept aioat by
the half dozen grapnels that in an
Instant moored her firmly to h
Yictorieuse.
WiIloughby and van der Kuylen
on the poor had watched in breath
less amazenent the speed and preci-
sion with which Blood and his des-
perate crew had gone to work. And
now he came racing up, his bugler
sounded the charge, the main host
Of the buccaneers following him,
whilst the vanguard, led by the