Year: 1873

"Did l ever tell you, Samuel, how
near l came, once upon a time, Il
being hanged as a pirate?"


Thus spoke Uncle Ebenezer, who
having, man and boy, ploughed the
salt sea waves for the better part Of
half century, was now sitting on
the steps of his back porch of the
old homestead, and while slowly puf
fng at the amber mouthpiece of an
immense nargile, which he had
brought from India, enlightning ny
youthful mind with shreds anc
patches from the storehouse of his
multifarious experience.


My uncle had been well educated
in his youth, and came of a race o.
gentlemen, so that he preserved 6
refinement of speech and manner mo-
usually found among mariners. He
was, therefore, an excellent narrator
and forty years ago, / had no great
er pleasure than to sit in the ole
back porch, and listen to his wild
tales of life on the stormy ocean
This was the tale that followed the
startling question 1 have just re
peated:


In the month of June, 1S43, about
the middle of the last war, said my
uncle, I sailed from Charlestown, in
command Of a beautiful little clip
per.brig called the Snake. I had
letters of marque, and the Snake
was armed with eight brass 6-pound-
ers, for, though we did not hope to
be able to resist any Of the larger
cruisers of the enemy, nor did we
intend to attempt the capture of any
of his merchantmen, we knew that
that the narrow sea was sWarming
with English privateers, and it was
our intention to beat off any small
craft that attacked US, if we could.


Our cargo, in short, was powder
and shot, which we were to take to
the mouth of the Tagus, and trans
fer to one Of our frigates, ordered to
meet US at that point. Fighting,
therefore, was not our cue on that
voyage, and accordingly we set ev-
cry stitch of canvass that would
draw, and kept good lookout night
and day.


The last preeaution was the means
of accomplishing q greater good than
even our own safety. On the after
noon of the third day out, the look
out spied a vessel on our weather
bow, with signal of distress flying.
/ at once bore up for her and by sun
set we were alongside, just in time
to rescue her crew and passengers
from a watery grave. She proved to
be a West India trader, under Span
ish colors, bound from Havana to
Norfolk, Va, with a crew of eight,
including officers and two psssen-
gers. They had lost their boats
when their craft was thrown on its
beam ends in a squal four days
previous, and though working at the
pumps steadily, they had been un-
able to prevent the vessel from fill
ing slowly through the leaks, which
we're the result of the same disas-
ter. She was only just afoat when
we came up with her, and sank be-
fore we were fairly clear of her, after
taking off her people.


When we were standing on our
course again, / had leisure to look
after the comfort of our involuntary
passengers. The crew of tie Span
ish vessel were disposed of among
my own men, and the captain and
his passengers 1 invited to my cab
in. Much to my surprise, one was
a beautiful young lady, the other be-
ing her father, a gray-haired, portly
old gentleman, a Yirginian, by the
name of Manson. They were eYi-
IDENTIFY people of wealth and refine
ment, and the Spanish captain
proved to be a fine fellow.


OF course, I should have done all
1 could for them, had they been less
agreeable, but now my duty became
a real pleasure, which was, doubt
less, enhanced by the fact that the
young lady was both amiable and
beautiful 1 was but yonng at the
time, and easily impressed by female
charms; so that 1t was not strange,
under the circumstances, that soon
began to indulge in vague hopes that
Laura Manson might be eventually
induced to entertain a warmer feel
ing than mere friendship for the man
who saved her life. Not that ev-
er dared to breathe a word Of love
in her ear. But before she had been
a week on board, I resolved that
when she was once again restored to
her own home, ( would seek her
there and ask her to be mine.


But these fond dreams and tend
er fancies were destined to be quick
ly brought to an end by the sudden
approach of a peril that menaced
both of us with fate more fearful
than the widest Imagination could
conceive. Ten days after the rescue
of Laura Manson and her fellow
travellers, a suspicious sail was
sighted on onr Weather-beam, and
before long it became evident that
the stranger was an English man-of-
war, In chase of US.