LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1938, 11 May 1880, Page 3

LITERATURE.

TRACKING A PRIVATEER ( Concluded .) ‘ She made a deadly forge ahead then,’ said the desponding mate, and the captain, as if influenced by his subordinate’s evident opinions, went again into the rigging, and after a good long look at the fast approaching ship, the hull of which was now visible, he shouted ‘Mr Matthews, I’ll put my head into a bucket of tar and eat it if that’s not an English frigate; and before tea minutes you’ll know it yourself, when you see the ensign at the peak and the jack at the foretop.’ As the captain seemed so perfectly confident, the champagne corks popped, and the men had their rum and water, which they infinitely preferred to wine, or, indeed, to spirits of any description, but all kept their eyes alternately on the, frigate, now fast nearing us, and rolling majestically before the following seas, ‘ Look at her teeth —look at her teeth!’ shouted the captain in ecstacy, as the frigate gave a slight yaw on a cross sea —‘ a fortyfour at the least. Thirty-twos and eighteen at the very least.’ Meantime the Frenchman showed no change of tactics, unless it was a tendency to go on down to the leeward, her movements betokening suspicion of the big fellow coming down before the wind, with a magnificent wreath of foam decking her ample bow.

At length she was within a mile, when she made a sadden sweep, and then rushed round with her broadside to us—backing her main topsail—letting go her stunsails—firing a gun —and hoisted her colors—French! ‘Now then, captain,’ said Mathews, ‘ now then, what do you say now V Before he could answer, the privateer also fired a gun, and also hoisted the tricolor. The captain had a moment’s time to take counsel with himself : and then he gave a most unexpected jump on the deck, flung up his straw hat, which blew into the sea, and exclaimed : ‘ It’s a dodge—a dodge—he wants to bring the privateer closer, so that he’ll be surer of her. ’ Mathews shook his head. At this moment the frigate fired another gun ‘No ball,’ said Mathews, looking rather disappointed than otherwise. Then an officer appeared on the chains in French uniform.

‘ Do you see that,’ said ’ athews, all but triumphantly. The officer hailed, and the words came distinctly cn our ears. They were English. ‘Do you hear that, Mr Mathews ?’ retorted the captain. ‘Schooner, ahoy! Back your fore-topsail, and lay to under our lee.’ The operation was performed, and the officer hailed again, ‘ What schooner is that ?'

‘ The Mary A nn, of Bristol,’ thundered the Captain, after waiting for the first call. The lieutenant bowed and rejoined :

« This is Her Britannic Majesty’s frigate Hero. The ship down there is the Jean Bart. She is too fast for us in a chase ; but we are going to try her a trick to-day. Haul down your colours.’ It was done, and the ensign flattered from the peak to the deck. At the same moment, tho two quarter and the stem-boat of the frigate dropped like feathers into the surging water, and their crews came shining, hand under hand, down the tackles, a cataract of blue jackets. The frigate again hailed, ‘Our men will board you as if you were our prize, and kaptain ’ ‘Macleod!’ roared the skipper. ‘Macleod,’ resumed the lieutenant, ‘will be good enought to send on board a portion of his crew, ’ and then, as it he anticipated an objection, raising his voice, he shouted, • there will bo no pressing work, upon my honour. We only want to cheat our friends down yonder the batter by pretending to take on board prisoners. Our men will stay abrard until your own come back. It is a 1 right, Captain Macleod, is it not ?’ < bye, aye, sir!’ responded the skipper, quite assured; * which of m/ lads will volunteer ?’

‘ Me and mo, and me and me !’ burst from a score of voices. And the next moment the three cutters dashed their boat hooks s multaneonsly into our lee side, that next the Frenchman, while the Lieutenant and the midshipman in each, followed by the crew, only leaving a boat-keeper, scrambled uj-on our decks. The Second Lieutenant bowed politely to the master and the passengers, and looked round at our warlike preparation. ‘ You were going to fight our friend down there ? I hope we can save you the trouble, but meantime Jameacn, bis coxswain, came up with a French ensign—‘for once, Captain, the Mary Ann must carry a tricolor.’

‘No objection, no objection,’ stammered the sldppor; although he clearly didn’t like it. Up, however, went the token of conquest, the English ensign beneath it, and our volunteers, carrying empty bags and hammocklesa hammock cloths, so as still further to deceive the little Frenchman, went over the side, the half of the boats’ crews remaining on board with their second lieutenant and a couple of midshipmen.

Again the boats, with the apparent prisoners, pulled around the the schooner’s stem and stern, giving the privateer a full view of them. The trick took perfectly. The Jean Bart filled her main-topsail and cams up, making small tacks, until we could see the swarming crew on deck. The interest of the scene was now growing intense. We could see a stealthy movement In the frigate’s sails, and as the privateer made the last tack which would clear the schooner’s bowsprit, the main-topsail of the frigate was suddenly filled, her top gallant sails sheeted home, and she started like a greyhound, gathering way astonishingly quick, while, amid the banging of her bow chasers fnjl at the Jean Bart, the French flag passed the English on the halyards, one descending, the other ascending, and, in a moment more, the frigate’s bowsprit was entangled in the privateer’s mizen rigging, and the crash of meeting ships was heard amid the rattle of the Hero’s musketry. The breeze ai fresh encngh to blow away the smoke, and the instant that the ships touched, with a cheer which only excited .Englishmen can give, with rattling pistols and flashing cutlasses, a swarm of b ardors poured like a cataract over the frigate’s bows and down from her bowsprit right upon the Frenchmen’s heads, the marines following as fast as they might, aud forming as they managed to scramble on the decks. Bat there was no need. Taken utterly by surprise, the men net at quarters, the guns untaokled, the small arms below, on the racks, and attacked by a force at least double their number, the French did no discredit to their manhood, though they followed the sentiment of sauve qui pent, and disappeared like rats, said Captain Maclcod, down into the interior of their vessel. A few alone kept their ground, headed by their officers, but a moment sufficed, as the ring of marines closed around them, to make them throw down their cutlasses which they had snatched up, and made a sulky surrender. And then the tri-color came down, and presently went up ‘at the stara,’ said Captain Macleod, 'the St. George and St. Andrew’s ensign.’ The operation, however, reminding him of the tri-color at tha truck of his own ship, he speedily had it down; and the national symbol, hoisted again, was received with a universal burst of acclamation. There remains but little more for me to say, only that there was another exchange of prisoners made—a truo one this time, and a more desperate lot of desperadoes I give you my honor I never saw. They seemed to be ruffians of all nations on hoard ; but, of course, the French predominated. Now I hope you don’t think that what I say is the effect of prejudice. I give you my word of honor that I speak the exact fact, but you must remember that they were —not men-of-war’s-meu—nor yet honest merchant sailors—hut privateer’s-men, who are the dregs of the sea ports from which they come, and are very little better, if at all, than pirates. I know that the strict rule is, when it can be done, to give a privateer the stem ; but, bad as they are, I think that’s too bloodthirsty a thing for Englishmen to do. even if the privateer’s-men were as wicked as the devil himself. Well, we got our men on board, with the captain of the frigate’s thanks and compliments, aud thres dozen of claret; and the frigate men, of course, returned to their own berths in their own boats.

‘ Gentlemen and men,’ said Captain Maoleod, 4 we’ll give the Hero and her prize a parting salute. We’re clear of the ships, so the shot of the guns won’t do any harm to anybody but the fishes.’ v And accordingly the light carronarles were very cleverly fired, one alternately from each side, while Long Tom gave a finishing bang. 4 And now,’ said Captain Maoleod, 4 gentlemen, dinner!’ The following day saw the frigate and her prize standing on the same course as ourselves, and the following night we saw the Lizard lights, when we were drinking the Hero’s claret.