The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1894-12-22 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

WARNED TO KEEP OFF.  broken English warned us to keep off or take the consequences. He boldly declared that they were escaped convicts from the penal settlement referred to, having got safely to sea they would fight to the death sooner than be retaken. He added that an English ship had no business to meddle in the matter, and though we carried guns he was not in the least airaid of us.  Every man of the 90, as I may tell you, had been transported for a serious crime, and nowhere else could one have got together a more villainous crowd. The worst of the lot, however, looked honest and mild tempered compared to that fellow they had elected as captain. He was a giant in stature, as dark as a Spaniard, and his face was that of a savage wild beast. We were so near that we could look into his eyes and catch his ferocious expression, and I think every man of us realized that he would have to be killed before the brig could be taken. The defiant attitude of the convicts seemed to put our captain in an embarrassing position, but after a moment's thought he called out to the fellow on the rail:  "You must have captured the brig to get away from Cayenne. What has become of the crew?"  "Dead—every one of them killed and thrown overboard!" shouted the fiend in answer.  "Do you mean to say you murdered captain, mate and all hands ? " "Yes, all the crew, but we've got the captain's wife and her sister aboard! Now, you've got the news, and you sheer off and go your own way! Let a French ship pursue us and retake us."  We were compelled to widen the distance between us to prevent" accident from the lubberly manner in which the brig was steered, hut we reduced sail so as to keep abreast of her, and the captain and his officers descended for consultation. I don't know whether they questioned their right to interfere or discussed the best method of recapturing the brig, but they were not absent over a quarter of an hour. When they came on deck, we got the order to load with solid shot, and in 10 minutes every man and gun was ready for action. One of the convicts was aloft with a glass and could plainly note every movement aboard of us, and our captain, who was likewise posting us, reported that the fellows had armed themselves with rifles and revolvers and were erecting shields against the bulwarks. A solid shot was fired across her bows as a summons to heave to and as a warning of what was in store for her if she did not, but the roar of the gun was followed by a chorus of yells and three or four bullets came whizzing over our heads. The brig widened the gap until out of rifle range, and the captain then said to the crew of Long Tom : " I want to save the women if they are aboard, and though yonder rascals are a desperate lot I don't want to sink. them. Aim to strike her above the water line. A few shots may take the fight out of them." The first shot passed between her fore and mainmast without touching anything, but the second smashed her bulwarks and killed two men. A third and fourth were fired, both of them creating havoc aboard, and we were looking for some token of surrender when the bark ported her hehn and came bearing upon our quarter. We had the weather. gauge, but she had been three or four points off the wind. The fellows were evidently determined to get near enough to use .their rifles, but with their poor seamanship they stood no show. We gave the brig more sail, and after a couple of Jacks were off her quarter and sending solid shot aboard again. There was great confusion among the convicts, And we were hoping for a signal when the wretches brought the women on . deck. We could see them very plainly without a glass, and their presence put a stop to orur. firing, as the convicts had expected. IA bile we continued to gaze across the waters one of the women was lifted above the starboard rail