The Brave Tailor's Apprentice.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 43, 29 March 1884, Page 5

The Brave Tailor's Apprentice.

" When shall we know that the enemy has given in ?" asked a lad, a tailor's apprentice who had run away from hie maeter and entered the navy as a common boy about the year 1680. " When that flag is hauled down," answered the sailor addressed, " the ship will be ours." "Oh ! if that's all, I'll see what I can do !" Now this tailor's boy, when he ran away from his master, joined a ship which had the good fortune, a few hours after he entered the service, to fall in with a French squadron, and a warm action, bravely fought on both sides, was maintained. After fighting for a short time the boy was impatient for the result, and addressed the above question to a sailor. No sooner had he been told that the withdrawal of the white flag from the enemy's masthead would be the signal that the action had been decided than he determined to " see what he could do." At that moment the vessels were engaged yard arm to yard arm, and were obscured in the smoke of the guns, In an instant the boy I mounted the shrouds, passed from the ! yard of his own ship to that of the enemy, ascended with agility to the maintopI gallant masthead, struck and carried off the French flag unperceived, and | got back to the yard arm of his own ship in safety, Before he could get down to the deck the British saw that the flag had disappeared, and shouted, "Victory! victory !" The French crew, seeing also that the flag had gone, and thinking that it had been struck by order of the admiral, fled from their guns ; and although the officers attempted to rally them, the confusion was hopeless. Then the British, availing themselves ©f the opportunity, boarded the French vessel and captured it. In the midst of the excitement the new boy came down from the shrouds with the French flag wrapped round his body, and displayed it with no little glee to the astonished tars. The news spread quickly to the quarter deck, and the blushing boy was led into^he presence of the admiral, who praised him lor his gallantry, and rated # him there and then as midshipman ; and it was not long before promotion followed promotion, and the tailor's apprentice was known as Admiral Hopson, one of England's most gallant sailors. — " Heroes of Britain in Peace and War,"