Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 22, 2025
Then, when the two craft were about a mile apart, he ordered the Cuban flag to be run up to the main gaff-end, and the gun to be fired as a polite invitation to the other craft to heave-to, at the same time stopping his own engines.
It gave them the assurance that the Water-Witch had not escaped by the secret passage, during the time lost in their own preparations. "This is still well;" continued Ludlow. "Now he cannot avoid us show the triangle." Three lights, disposed in the form just named were then hoisted at the gaff-end of the Coquette. It was an order for the boats in the Cove to proceed.
At the same moment a blood-red flag streamed out over the taffrail and soared away aloft, until it fluttered out from the gaff-end a fit emblem of rapine and murder. "Red this time, by way of a change," remarked Bowen to George, in allusion to their encounter with the pirate schooner, which fought under a black flag. "Well, a change is good sometimes," he added philosophically.
Upon the receipt of this news on deck Captain Vernon at once ordered the ship's course to be altered to the direction of the raft, a gun being fired and the ensign run up to the gaff-end at the same time. It was a trifle past noon when the Daphne rounded-to about a hundred yards to windward of the raft, and sent away a boat to pick up those upon it.
Todd and the rest of the crew were below hatches with the guns. The brig came down the wind like a graceful bird a splendid craft, black, shiny, and shipshape, five guns to a side, brass-bound officers on her quarter-deck, blue-jackets darting about her white deck and up aloft, a homeward-bound pennant trailing from her main-truck, and at her gaff-end a British ensign as large as her mainroyal.
Even the black flag at the gaff-end wore a makeshift, slovenly air. It was a square section of the bark's foreroyal, painted black around the skull-and-cross-bones design, which had been left the original hue of the canvas.
He turned the leaves, studied a page for a moment, then said: "Run up H. V. R. That says, 'What do you want? and that's the nearest thing to it." These flags took the place of the answering pennant at the gaff-end, and again Poop-deck watched through the glasses, noting first the showing of the steamer's answering pennant, then the letters K. R. N. "What does K. R. N. say?" he asked.
The Englishman applied the trumpet, and words were heard amid the roaring of the winds. At that time the white field of old Albion, with the St. George's cross, rose over the bulwarks, and by the time it had reached the gaff-end, the bunting was whipping in ribbons. "Show 'em the gridiron!" growled Captain Truck through his trumpet, with its mouth turned in board.
Captain Bacon brought out the American ensign, and with his own hands hoisted it to the monkey-gaff on the mizzen, dipped it three times in respectful salute, and left it at the gaff-end. Then he looked at the cruiser, as every man on board was doing except the man washing clothes in the lee scuppers.
Parsons," to a man who was hovering close by, "bend on the ensign and run it up to the gaff-end." "There is no harm in doing that, of course," remarked Gowland; "but he is no Frenchman or at least he is not a French cruiser; I am sure of that by the cut of his canvas. Besides, we know every French craft on the station, and Johnny Crapaud has no such beauty as that brig among them.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking