By Conduct and Courage

wn to the cabin, which he handed over to them. Then, having ordered the cook to prepare some

us, and we guessed that the ship had been attacked by pirates. The clashing of [pg 158]swords and the falling of bodies went on for two or three minutes, and then there was a loud savage yell that told us that the pirates had taken the ship. Next moment the ruffians

the ship and left us to perish. One of us managed, in spite of his bonds, to make his way up the companion and endeavour to open the door. He found, however, to his horror that it was fastened outside. Time after time he flung himself against it, but it would not yield. The water rose hi

was an affair of seconds. If we had been two

t terrible pirate?" ask

hope some day to avenge the mu

ip looks a good deal

count of size. We captured two pirates in on

a small thing, too, in c

take her up and carry her. Weigh

u really he

ad a great deal of luck in several fights we came through, and as a result was entrusted by the admiral with the command of this vess

ks for the manner in which you saved our lives. How close a shave it was is shown by the fac

I expect the schooner wouldn't have run away from us had she not been so full of the cargo she got from your ship. They could not have had time to stow it all below, and it would have hampered them in wo

you going

, so if you will let me know where you are bound for, I will

d the others will be able to find their wa

ce of the ladies. There are the sofas, too, in the saloon, and if these are not enough I will get some hammocks slung. I shal

was the daughter of one of the richest merchants in Jamaica. At the death of her mother, when she was five years old, she was sent home to England in charge of the governess who had been drowned in the Northumberland, and when this catastrophe occurred had been on her way to rejoin her father.

o you," she said, "to be giving orders

s; but custom is everything, and I don't suppose the men give the matter a thought. At

d to be off in search of the schooner that had escaped him. He was again loaded with thanks by the

he entered the cabin; "no prizes this time? And

ut, as usual, the admiral in

ore," he said when Will had finished. "Y

relate how he had rescued

roud of as the capturing of those two pirates. Well

first place, because I am most anxious to fall in with that s

laudable ambition. And

saving their relatives, and so on, sir. If I get away at once, then I m

for you acted very w

a lot of thanks for onl

esented with a piece of plate, and probably after that you will have to attend a complimentary ball. Now, you can go back to your ship at once. He

urn, that I shall bring that pirate in tow. C

e you will be able to

ke two boats and bring everything back with him. At five o'clock in the afternoon the two boats returned, carrying all the stores re

examine inlets, at other times running right out to sea in the hope that the pirate, whose spies he had no doubt were watching his movements, might suppose he had given up the search and was sailing away. Nevertheless, he could not be certain that she would endeavour to avoid him should she catch sight of him, for with a glass the pirate captain could have m

ich had gone up a deep inlet

; "I think she is the one we are in search of

n out to sea at once; that will mak

had the satisfaction of seeing the schooner following his example. He then set the whole of the crew to shift the long-tom from the bow to the stern. Its muzzle was just high [

e have put this up as a protection

hooner for a quarter

l over the bow to deaden her way. A small topsail wi

the schooner yawed a

she didn't, but they might have hidden it, as we have done. Don't answer them yet; I don't wa

hat wide, as Will was anxious that the pirates should not suspect the weight of his metal, and did not wish, by inflicting some small injury, to deter her from continuing the chase. The schooner evidently de

f a mile off now, I think,

ll then, we will

out four feet above the water. In return the schooner yawed so as to bring her whole broadside to bear on the cutter, and six tongues of flame flashed from her side. At the same moment L'Agile swung round and fire

ll, "and bring a mast about their ears. Get that sail on boar

at once manifest. Again and again Dimchurch fired. Several of the shot w

e to the righ

he fired the schooner's foremast was seen to topple over, and her h

as well take her mainmast out of her too. Fire

nd with the last the pirate'

stern and rake her with grape. I don't want to injure her more than is necessary, but I do want to kill as m

ach time she poured in a volley from two broadside guns and the long-tom. The stern of th

y, as they have not done so already, her captain and most of her offic

n, and then lowered again. When they saw this the crew o

rels are quite capable of pretending to surrender, and then,

ery well do that, for they must know we

thin a hundred yards of t

ving a reply in the negative, shouted back

of the schooner, and, lowering one of the boats, to whi

en a hawser to that boat

few men gathered on the deck of the pirate,

dered, or I will

one of the thwarts of the boat. The boat was then hauled back to L'Agile, an

e, if the wind were to drop at night, they might haul their o

I don't think any trick of that sort would be likely to succ

king-trumpet and questioned them about their casualties. They replied that at the beginning of the engagement they had had one hundred and twenty men on board. The captain had been killed by the first volley of grape, and the slaughter among the

as to blow the ship and yourselves and us

ted savagely; "if we could but have paid you out

have lost nearly all our number, for, not knowing how many of the crew survived, I could not have ventured to go on board witho

ature to pay back a blow for a blow, and with savages like these, especially when

than hanged. I suppose the reason why they did not blow up the ship when they

each man may think that although no doubt th

it likely, however, that any one of them will be spared after that affair of the Northum

ill put her head r

back

er. Some of their associates will in that case be on shore looking after it, and if their ship doesn't return they will divide the most valuable portion of

u do with the pri

log on the water. When we see what plunder they have collected I shall be able to decide how to act. Th

do with the pirate

all that could swim the chance of getting away. Those of them that are unable to do so would probably manage to get off on spars or hatchways. They have been richly punished already, and I

should have to take great care on shor

ke no firearms on shore, and I should keep ten men with loaded muskets always

hey found a well-beaten path going up through the wood. Before following this, however, Will took the precaution to have fifteen more men sent ashore, as it was, of course, impossible to say how many of a guard had been left at the head-quarters. When the second party had landed, all advanced cautiously up the path, holding their muskets in readiness for instant action. They met, however, with no opposition; the pirat

much that is of value in the huts. You had better take four men, Dimchurch, and set fire to them all

he entered the first he paused in amazement; it was filled to the ve

but they evidently had another intention in storing these goods. Probably they proposed, when they had amassed sufficient, to charter

w open, and when Will examined its contents he found that they consiste

n they had captured, fill her with the contents of their prizes, and then with the papers a

" Dimchurch said; "I only wonder

ose bills of lading and pick out the most valuable goods. We will then take these off to begin with, and can leave it to the admiral to send a man-of-war or charter some merchantman to bring the rest. The schooner should carry between two and

en very neatly stored, those belonging to each ship being separated by narrow passages from the rest. The remainder of the men except two were meanwhile brought from the cutter. Sentries were then placed to watch all the

at all was well with the hulk of the schooner. With the aid of his telescope he could s

e then left to guard the stores, and the rest, going on board, sailed out to the schooner and towed her in. They did not, as was at first intended, stop a mile outside the inlet, but came right into it and anchored opposite the path, as t

oined by their friends from the schooner, and attack us, they will have no firearms with them, for, as the hulk is anchored about two hundred yards from shore, it would require a marvellously good swimmer to carry his musket and ammunition ashore with him. In future, however, we will leave twenty men to

think it would be advisable to take twenty-five men with you and leave me with fifteen, which would be ample. I should divide them into two watches, so that there would always be seven on deck. Jefferson, who is an uncommo

h to allow of this. It was a great advantage, as the goods could be

red watches, and a large amount of ladies' jewellery. Many watches had also been found in the huts before these

es perceived a dark mass moving from the wood. He at once fired his musket, and in

ill they see that all are loaded. In that way we shall always have sixteen muskets ready for them. I have no fear of the result, and even if they close

and the third eight, waiting only till the first section had reloaded, followed suit. Nearly every shot told, and the shock was so great that it caused the advancing enemy to hesitate for a moment. This gave the second and third sections time to reload, so that, when the pirates again advanced, three more deadly vo

the tremendously heavy pu

re worse than the other twenty; but we had ourselves seen some of the crimes they had committed. We have accounted for forty in all, so of those who

n. All the [pg 176]hatches had been closed and made water-tight; and so full was she that her deck

re all ready to s

u don't suppose I am going to leave all these hogsheads of sugar, puncheon

you pre

hooner's guns and mount two on each battery; they shall be loaded and crammed to the muzzle with grape-shot. The batteries shall be built clear of t

matter explained to him, and h

prise, and you may be quite sure that, no matter how strong a mob may come down, they won't stand the discharge of eight cann

imchurch; I have had it

delighted to know that all this booty was not to be lost, set to work with great vigour. Will marked out the sites for the batteries, and t

had been taken out of the huts before they were burnt; so it was not necessary to draw upon the stores of the cu

sure that they have kept a watch on our doings from the edge of the forest, and that the sight of the guns will inspire a wholesome dread in them. I cannot but think that eight discharges of grape and langrage will send them to the right-about however strong they may be. Besides, we have given the men three muskets each, in addition to their own, from those we found on board the schooner; so if the enemy press on they will be able to give them a warm rec

nk the prize will be

be worth some thousands of pounds. What we have left behind must be the contents of about