Evening star., 1924-12-06
Continued from Yesterdays starr

Continued from Yesterdays Starr
The sight of that great red ship
With her gilt beakhead and open
n"rts, swinging bruadside on. must
have given check to Rivarol's soaring
.ultation. Yet, before he could
move to give an order, before he
"uld well resolve what order to give
volcano OF fire and metal burst upon
him from the buccaneers. and his
decks We're swept by the murderous
s'ythe of the broadsidc. The Ara
bella held to her course. giving place
- the Elizabeth, which, following
closely. executed the same mancuver.
And then. whilst still the Frenchmen
Were confused, panic-stricken by an
attack that took them so utterly by
surprise, the Arabella had gone about
aud was returning in her tracks, pre-
~enttng now her larboard guns, and
Losing her second broadside I'm the
vake of the first. Came yet another
hroadsidc from the Elizabeth, and
Ihen the Arabella's trumpeter sent A
call across the water, which Hag-
thorpe perfectly understood.
oh, now, jeremy cried Blood.
straight into them before they re-
"over their wits. Stand by, there.
Prepare to board. Haytou-the Crap
ner in the Prov to fire as fast as he
can load.
He discarded his feathered hat and
"oyered himself with a steel head
l'rece, which a negro lad brought him.
He meant to lead this boarding party
IN person. BriskIy he explained
himself to his twp guests. Boarding
heavily outgunned."
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 as
The nearer and heavier. and. there
fore. more Immediately dangerous of
their two opponents. VOlleyed upon
her jointly at almost the same mo-
ment.
Unlike the buccaneers. who had
fired high to cripple their enemies
above decks, the French fired low, to
mash the hull of their assailant.
Tho Arabella rocked and staggered
under that terrific hammering, al
though Pitt kept her headed toward
the French, 50 that she should offer
The narrowest target. For a moment
she seemed to hesitate, then she
plunged forward again, her beakhead
in splinters, her forecastle smashed,
and a gaping hole forward that was
only just above the water line. In
deed, to make her safe from bilging,
BLOOD ordered a prompt jettisoning of
the forward guns, anchors and water
casks and whatever else was NOV
.sDlc.
Meanwhile. the F'renchmeu going
rbuut, gave the like reception to the
Elizabeth. Tho ArabelliL, Indifferent
tN served by the wind. pressed for
ward to come to grips. But before
she could accomplish her object. the
Nictorieuse had loaded her starboard
guns again, and pounded her adVanC-
Ing enemy with Il second broadside
ut close quarters. Amid the thunder
Of cannon, the rending of timbers and
ih" screams of MANNED men, the half
wrecked Arabella plunged and reeled
into the cloud of smoke that con-
realCd her prey, and then from Hay
'uu went up the cry that she was go
tn-s down by the head.
Floods heart stood still. And then,
lu that very moment of his despair,
the blue and gold flank of the Eictori-
use loomed through the smoke. But
,.Ven as he caught that enheartening
.-iimpse he perceived, too, how slug
Ssh now was their advance, and how
with every second it grew more slug
eish They must sink before they
r"ached her.
Thus, with an oath, opined the
Dutch admiral, and from Lord Will
lpughby there was q word of blame
for Blood's seamanship in having
risked all upon this gamblers throw
of boarding.
There was no other chance cried
Blood, IN broken-hearted frenzy. IF
=" say it was desperate and fool
hardy, why, so it was; but the occa-
sion and the means demanded moth
luS less. I fail within an ace of vic
Tory
But they had not yet completely
failed, Hayton himself, and IA score
OF sturdy rogbes whom his whistle
had summoned, We're crouching for
shelter amid the wreckage of the