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Show iWDdring Enterprise j : : t A. COMPLETE STORY. t . : BY JOHN JEROME. "Caramba! What insolence!" These I words were uttered by a lovely woman, whose flushed cheek, flashing eye and knitted brow spoke even more than words of the indignation which filled her heart. She was the young wife of Commodore Commo-dore Cordova, the commander of the .small navy of Montevideo. The lady was Spanish by birth as well as in feeling, feel-ing, and the cause of her anger was the sight of a ship which for two days had been standing off and on before the har-..bor, har-..bor, using every signal of insult and defiance de-fiance to induce the vessel of Cordova to come out and fight him. This the latter could not do, for two reasons. The first was illness, which confined him to his cot; the second, that he had not one-third of a crew, not even men enough to work his battery. At the moment when she uttered the words mentioned above Seville, the commander of the enemy's ship, had hoisted a flag at his gaff, whereon was embroidered in large, legible letters the inscription: "Cordova, the Coward!" This was more than the noble, fiery wife could stand, for -she well knew her husband's truth and valor. After gazing an instant at the flag she raised her jeweled hand and, taking from it a diamond of great value, she cried to the officers and men who stood around her j on deck: . "I will give this diamond to any man who will firing me yonder flag." For a moment there was no response. The men looked at their officers, the officers glanced at one. another, but volunteers for a service so desperate seemed scarce. "A;hat! Is there not one of all of you who dare the trial? Is my husband's ship, indeed, manned with cowards?" exclaimed the lady, while her beautiful lip curled with scorn and . her fleshing eye gleamed with the fire of contempt. A young officer, an American, who 1 had been lately appointed, stepped forward for-ward and modestly said: j "I was only waiting for my seniors to speak, 'senora.' Had any of them volunteered vol-unteered I shauld have begged to accompany ac-company him. As it is, I pledge mysel? to bring you yonder flag before the sun rises again or to die! But I ask not your jewel as a prize for my success; onct tress of your glossy hair shall be my reward!" , "You shall have both, brave boy," replied re-plied the lady, and her cold look of scorn changed into a sweet smile as she asked his name. "It is Harry Allen, 'senora,' " replied the young man, blushing beneath her earnest gaze. He was slim, but well formed; looked very young, but in his dark blue eye and compressed lip an observer could read one whose manhood was not made by years alone. The sun was setting behind a dark bank of slowly, 'rising clouds, which threatened darkness and storm. The moment that his services were accepted young Allen turned to the crew, and as he glanced among them, said: . "I want six men to man the whale boat which hangs at the after davits!" Encouraged toy his gallantry, nearly one-half the crew started forward. Now that they had a leader, volunteers were plenty. Allen glanced his eyes over them, and in a, few moments chose six by name, men whom Tie knew to be botfi daring and firm. They were all Americans. "Sharpen your cutlasses," said he. "I shall not have a musket or a pistol in the boat. Tf we fight, it must bes;teel to steel, and breast to breast; for we succer.ed or die!" A look was the only answer from his chosen crew. They were of that class of oarsmen whose motto is "deeds, not words." They hurried below to obey his orders, while still others proceeded by his dire6tion to muffle the oars of the boat, to place sails, water, etc., in it. Half an Iour later the sky was covered cov-ered with clouds, and darkness had set in. Allen had been careful to take the compass cours2 of the enemv's ship when, the last 'light of the dying day gave opportunity, and by this alone he had hoped to find her. All this time the lady was on, the deck, standing: by the binnacle light, regarding the preparations prep-arations of the little party, who were about, to shove off. At the moment when the boat's crew cried out that all was ready tp start, their young leader wc,nt aft of the "senora," and, taking from his neck a miniature, he handed it and a letter to her, oaying: "If I am not on board at sunrise, lady, pieasc send this minature to the direction of the letter." The iady looked at the. picture. Tt was the likeness of a . young and beautiful beau-tiful girl. A tear Jilled the "senora's :?. " "You need not go," said she. "No; you love,-perchance, are beloved. Your life is precious. I ,will not expose it. This is" I "My o nly sister, whom I almost adore," interrupted the youth, "but one who would scorn me if I played the coward or f'yrhonored my name. Send that Ittter and likeness to her if I fail. Farewell till tomorrow or forever." The lady was about to answer, and again to entreat him to etay, but ere she could speak he was over hte .bulwarks, .bul-warks, and the boat had shoved off. : The night was pitchy dark. A calm was on the sea and in the air, but it was portentious of a storm. A small binnacle light and compass had been placed in the boat, and by these Harry shaped hi course, himself taking the tiller and steerins. "Give way cheerily, men! A long' strong and steady pull!" said he, in a low tope, as he left the ship's side. And he- soon felt, by the trembling of the frail craft," that his directions were obeved. s " Out right jnto the ofllng he pulled, regardless of the rising clouds, keeping his eye fixed steadily on his compass, until he knew if the vessel had remained remain-ed hove-to as she was at sunset, that he must be very near her. But he looked look-ed in vain to see her dark hull loom up in the gloom; he looked in vain to discern dis-cern a light which might guide him to her. Admiril Seville was too old a fox to show his position to the enemy's fire by, having his lights burning. At this moment, when he was at a loss which way to steer, the dark clouds which had been gathering over them burst with a lone, vivid flash of lightning light-ning and a peal of deafening thunder. He had not heard the thunder; he heeded not the rising storm. That flash of lightning had revealed to him the position of the vessel, not one cable's length, from him. , "Steady, boys! Steady!" he whispered, whisper-ed, when the thunder, ceased. "I shall run directly under her stern and get on deck by the carved w-ork and netting on her quarter." The men, towed silently and slowly on, and as he marked well her pisition. the young officer in a moment found himself under the 'vessel's stern. Another An-other flash of lightning- illuminated sky I and water; and thon, as he glanced up at the gaff, where the flag had been hoisted, he saw that it was not there. It had been hauled- down. He had not anticipated this state of affairs, and paused to consider what he should do. He quickly formed his resolution. K "I shall go on board alone, men," said he. "Keep the boat where she is. If the flag is where I think it is, in the ' admiral's ad-miral's cabin I will have it. If I am i not back in five minutes and you hear an alarm, shove off. scud back to our ship, and tell them that Harry Allen died like a man,? You must be cautious. cau-tious. Reef that foresail, for the storm will be down upon us in less than ten minutes." i All this was whispered to the men. whose heads were bent forward to hear the orders which they dared not to disobey, much as they wished to share their -loader's peril. Springing lightly, from the boat. Harry caught the quarter nettings with his hands, and noiselessly ascended to the bulwarks. He could hear the regular tramp of the officer of. the deck, who having jalready had everything every-thing reefed down; for the blow, had nothing to do but pace the deck; but it was so dark that he could not see him. - A second more . and the brave boy was down on the deck and at the cabin door which stood slightly ajar. He peeped in through the narrow crack, and saw the red-faced old admiral seated at his round table, with two of his officers by his side, engaged over the contents of a. square bottle, which looked very like that usually found to contain schnapps A glance at a settee just to the left of this table showed the object of the enterprise. The flag for which he had jeopardised his life lay there where it had been careiessdy thrown after it was hauled down. The young officer did not pause long to consider, but quietly walked into the cabin, and taking off his(? cap, bowed very politely to the officers, and as he stepped toward? the flag, said in a calm and courteous, manner to the admiral: "1 have come to borrow this ?ig, sir, to use tomonvw, if you please!'' "Who in the deuce are you? What does this mean?" cried Seville, as he and .his officers sprang to their feet. "I am. Midshipman Allen, sir. of the Montevidean service." replied Harry, who had now seized the flag, "and I am now to carry this to Commodore Cordova!" As he said this, he bounded to the cabin door with the banner in his grasp, followed closely by a bullet from Seville's pistol which grazed his ear, and ere the alarm became general, he stood upon the taffrail of the vessel. "Look out for me below!" he shouted', and flung himself into the r.ea without a -moment's hesitation. His boat's crew recognized hia . voice, he was caught in a-moment and dragged into the boat, while a volley of pistol balls was sent . down at random by those who were above. The storm had now broken, and the wind began to come in with fierce and fitful gusts. "Up foresail!- Be in a hurry, lads! Up foresail, and let her slide!" cried the young hero, as soon as he could draw breath after his ducking. " They did so, and the next moment the little boat was flying in towards the harbor, before the blast, like a glad eea-bird wings its way to its young one's nest. The enemy opened a harmless random fire of grape shot in their direction, but it only served to tell the anxious watch-ers watch-ers on board .of. Cordova's vessel that something had occurred. The latter, therefore, at once showed lights, and enabled Harry to make a straight course for her. ' It was but half an hour after the first gun had been fired by Seville's, vessel that the boat of the young, adventu nr rounded to alongside of., .his own cait. "Have you captured the flag?" cried the "senora" as the midshipman bounded bound-ed over the side. ' : - V 'The only answer she received was. the banner, dripping wetrfrom the water, and cut in two places by. b.alls that had been fired at its captori , . No diamonds gleamed brighter than did that lady's eyes wlen she caught the" noble youth in. her. arms and kissed him again and again.- ' |