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so far off, that to reach the same point, she would have to make the hypote-nuse, while the course of the ship formed the base of the triangle. The chase continued for some time with little change of bearing; but as the ship neared the western extremity of the island, eddies of wind would whirl around the point, and take her sails aback. The pirates were therefore com-pelled to haul more from the land, which brought the courses to a nearer converging point.
The alarm had now spread along the coast; and with an enemy's shore on one side, and an active and fast closing enemy on the other, the fate of the ruffians seemed inevitable.
The wind was blowing almost di-rectly on the land; still the pirates per-severed with a hardihood worthy of a better cause. As the first shot from the brig came crashing through her side, the ship flew up into the wind; and the next moment, braced sharp on the other tack, was standing to the eastward. By this manΕuvre the brig was brought on the starboard quarter, and the pirates began to flatter them-selves with the hope of escape; when, as they again approached the mouth of the harbor, they percieved several ves-sels, well manned, coming out to in-tercept them.
The pirates now hauled more to the Southward, bringing the brig on the starboard beam, and the other vessels on the larboard quarter; but as shot af-ter shot from the brig tore up the plank-ing or carried away a spar, it became more and more evident that the ship could not escape. At last, as the main-topmast fell over the side, the pirate a-bandoned by hope, put his helm up; and to the astonishment of thousands congregated on the roofs of houses and the adjacent hills, steered before the wind, directly for the anchorage.
A short time, and the desperate pur-pose was revealed. A thin light smoke first arose-then it grew denser and blacker; presently a red fiame burst forth, which, wreathing around the rig-ging and enveloping the spars and ship in one sheet of fire, rapidly approached the anchorage.
All was consternation among the shipping; and while the vessels that had started in pursuit fled precipitately from the burning mass, the brig mann-ed her boats and attempted to board her. But men who had lighted their own funeral pyre, were not to be thus subdued, and the boats fell back dis-comfited.
The batteries now opened their fire, and cinders and burning fragments were scattered in every direction; still the ship held her onward course, and was almost within the harbor, when, most probably from the burning of the tiller-ropes, she broached to and groun-ded just at the entrance.
While the spectators gazed in won-der, and watched the figures of the wretched men, as, retreating step by step, they reached at last the taff-rail, the whole mass sprung suddenly into the air, a loud and deafening report succeeded, and the water and immedi-ate shore were covered with brands, packages, and scorched and mutilated bodies. On board of the fishing-boat was found an apprentice boy, who had leaped from the cabin windows of the ship, and catching hold of the boat as it drifted by, gained her deck, and concealed himself.
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PAPER MONEY.
One of the best illustrations of the virtues of a paper currency, is the fol-lowing from the St. Louis Mound. It seems that a party of gentlemen were telling their "experience," while standing in front of the Gas Light Of-fice, when a well known genius came along, and, breaking into the "party," told his story in this wise:
"Hold your horses," says he, "and if you want to hear the greatest sha-ving story that you ever did hear, just keep cool. I never have, in my life, had much money on hand at any one time; but a short time before the sus-pension of specie payments by the Mi-nors' Bank of Dubuque, I had $200 of her bills, and when I heard the news of her failure, I thought she would rise again, so I held on to the money. After a few weeks, I saw it was going to ruin, and I determined to get rid of it; so I took it to a broker's, and exchang-