When London Burned

traders whose books he attended to in the evening, that unless they could arrange for him to do them in the daytime he must give up the work altogether. Both preferred the former al

ore Nellie Dowsett made her a

e previous evening. "The fever speedily left her, as I told y

he next day they are poor, woebegone creatures. If she gets no better in a few days, I will see when my old friend, Jim Carroll, is starting in his brig for Yarmouth, and will run d

inds it is no time for a lass to go a-sailing; and they say that Yarmouth

e we can start from here in the morning and maybe reach there late in the evening, or, if not, the next morning to breakfas

ee how she goes on. It may be, as you say, that she

's reports had not been exaggerated. She looked, indeed, as if recovering from a severe illness,

y Nellie. We shall have to feed you up on capons and wine, child, or s

e her hand to Cyril. As she did so, a sli

gain, Mistress Nellie," he said, "and

presently," she rep

orning,

ee you down again, for it makes but a dull table witho

ing that it was best to let her alone

sted the whole matter to him. He proved himself as brave a captain at sea as he was on land, and I will warrant he would lead his ships into action as gallantly as he rode at the head of his Cavaliers on many a stricken field. The ships are fitting out in all haste, and they are gathering men at every sea-

g for the last year. I have been too busy to read the Journal, and have not been in the way of hearing the talk of

to tell us something about it. Now, girl, can't you do something to set us right in this matter, for I like not to be behind my n

t her husband should have, without her knowing of his intention, brought in these gentlemen. Still, the matter of their conversation was new to us, and we became at last so mightily interested in it that we listened to the discourse without bemoaning ourselves that we had lost the amusement we looked for. I know I wished at the time that you had been there. I say not that I can repeat all that I heard, but as I had before read some of the matters spoken

iling through the Mediterranean now to one that sailed there ten years ago

increased, and raised their jealousy higher and higher. There was nothing in this of which complaint could be made by the Dutch Government, but nevertheless they gave encouragement to their East and West India Companies to raise trouble. Their East India C

h still held Cape Coast Castle, Sir Robert was sent out again with orders to take it by force, and on the way he overhauled a Dutch ship and found she carried a letter of secret instructions from the Dutch Government to the West India Company to take the English Fort at Cormantin. Seeing that the Hollanders, although profes

there; but he soon afterwards captured Cape Coast Castle, though, as the gentlemen said, a mightily strong place. Then he sailed across to America, and, as you know, captured the Dutch Settlements of New Netherlands, and changed the name into that of New York. He did this no

ing to our Company; he then sailed to Barbadoes, where he was beaten off by the forts. Then he captured twenty of our ships off Newfoundland, and so returned to Holland, altogether doing damage, as the House of Commons told His Majesty, to the extent of eight hundred thousand pounds. All this time

pany by seizing their post at Cape Coast, and the reprisals that Sir Robert Holmes took upon them with our Company's ships-but they made no great mark on my memory, for I was just taking over my father's w

ighty like the war that our English buccaneers waged against the Span

trouble begun in Africa should have shi

ut in the English Channel, off the coast of France, so th

come to such a head had it not been that De Witt, who is now the chief man in Holland, belongs to th

own business, but is ever meddling with her neighbours', and, if not fighting herself, trying to set them by the ears against each other. If I were a bit younger, a

uppose it will be as much longer before I can think of entering the service of one of the Protestant princes; but as soon as I am fit to do so, I shall g

exclaimed. "I would go myself if the Captain could s

ke hands with the lad. "You have proved a real friend and a true; but were there a chance of your going as an officer, I would not balk you, even if I could do so. It is but natural that a lad of spirit should speak and think as you do; besides, the war may not last for long, an

on his kindness. To go as a cabin boy would be to go with men under my own condition, and although I do not shirk hard work and rough usage, I should not care for them in such fashion. Moreover, I am doing work which, even without your hospitality, would suffice to keep me comfortably, and if I went away, though but for a month, I might find that those for whom I work had engaged other assistance. Spending naught, I am laying by m

right, lad. I like a man who steadfastly holds on the way he has chosen, and will not turn to the right or left. There is not much that a man cannot achieve if h

l la

I have set myself to do will ever be in my power-that is, to buy back

nd your share in the sack of a city or two, and in other ways, you may come home with a purse full enough even f

, but her manner was still quiet and subdued, her sallies were less lively, and her father noticed, with some

e is changed a good deal, somehow. She is gentler and softer. I think she is all the better for it, but I

ut the household, and now she assists me in my work, and is in all respects dutiful and obedient, and is not for ever bent upon gadding about as she was

ll soften down in time, when they get to have the charge of a household. You yourself, dame, were not so staid when I first wooed

being obliged to take part in the conversation, by inducing Ca

several engagements with the Tunis Rovers," he sa

gement; but, fortunately, I was not very long a priso

heart as when I was lying, bound hand and foot, on the ballast in the hold of that corsair. No true sailor is afraid of being killed; bu

ou were taken without

did you make

e step, though all too young for the responsibility. We had met with some bad weather when south of Malta, and had had a heavy gale for three days, during which time we lost our main topmast, and badly strained the mizzen. The weather abated when we were off Pantellaria, which is

n the other came up again. I turned out once or twice, but everything was quiet-we had not seen a sail all day. There was a light breeze blowing, but no chance of its increasing, and as we were well sheltered in the only spot where the anchorage was good, I own that I did not impress upon Pettigrew the necessity for any particular vigilance. Anyhow, just a

spring to their feet, and the crew had all been caught in their bunks. It was bitter enough. There was the vessel gone, and the cargo, and with them my savings

ever thought there was the slightest risk-not a shadow of it-and feeling a bit dozy, sat down for five minutes' caulk. Seeing that, no doubt the men thought they might do the same; and thi

us to get on our feet and to cross over into their ship. The crew were sent down into the forward hold, and some men went down with them to tie them up securely. John Wilkes, Pettigrew, and myself were shoved down into a bit of a place below the stern cabin.

on his watch, even if his ship is anchored in a friendly harbour, and you are to blame that you gave way to drowsiness. Still, even if you hadn't, it might

it to heart badly, and was groaning and muttering to h

ost, for with a fair wind they can run from here to Tunis in four-and-twenty hours, and once there one may give up all hope. There are all our crew on board this ship. The Moor carried twice as many men as

thing, captain,' the y

e the word, I would ge

blow the ship

ow let us think it over. In the first place we have to get rid of these ropes; then we have to work our way forward to the crew; and then to get on deck and fight for it. It is a stiff jo

ckon that we could hold on without food or water easy enough until they got to Tunis; having agreed as to that point,

Pettigr

a lanyard round my neck. It is under my blouse, so th

knife in his teeth and Pettigrew got hold of the blade in his, and between them they made a shift to open it; then, after a good deal of trouble, Pettigrew shifted himself till he managed to get the knife in his hands. I lay across him and worked myself backwards and forwards till the blade cu

o put your fingers between the planks. So we hailed the men and told them how we had got free, and that if they didn't want to work all their lives as slaves they had best do the same. They were ready enough, you may be sure, and, finding a passage between the planks wider in one place than the rest, we passed the k

andy for the fight. Not a thing could we find, but we came upon a lot of kegs that we knew, by their feel, were powder. If there had been arms and we could have got up, we should have done it at once, trusting to seize the ship before the other could come up to her help.

of the sailors said, 'for they have c

couldn't move it any more than if it had been solid stone. We had a goodish talk over it, and it was clea

up to within a foot of the top; then on that we might put a keg of powder, bore a hole in it, and make a slow match that would blo

ey would have been with us, but were simply turned over and clinched. We had no means of straightening them out, but we could cut through the woodwork round them. Setting to work at that, we took it by turns till we could see the light through the wood; then we left it to

orm about four feet below it. We reckoned that, standing as thick as we could there, and all lifti

erboard in their fright. We came to see that the scheme was really a good one, so set all the crew to carry out the business, and they, working with stockinged feet, built up a platform under their hatch, as well as in our den af

ered under the main hatch, for we had settled now that if we heard them making any move to open the hatches we would fire the powder at once, whatever hour it was. In or

st we saw the light in the cut fade and darken. Again the men wanted to be at work, but I pointed out that if we waited till the crew had laid down on the deck, we might carry it through without losing a life, but if they were all

John here spok

night. They have made a good haul, and have taken a stout ship with a full hold, and five-and-twenty stout slaves, and that without losing a man. There won't be an

second comes, we chuck it over and leap out. If you see a weapon, catch it up, but don't waste time looking about, but go at them with your fists. They will be scared pretty well out of their senses, and you will not be l

s the sailor struck his flint agai

nour,' he said, 'I

t them at the tinder-box, and went fore and aft, while a

dy, fore and

men haile

tches, then, a

xplosion aft. The ship shook from stem to stern. There was a moment's silence, and then

But not too high. That

or the

head as the Moors ran forward.

There was no fighting to speak of. The officers had been killed by the first explosion under their ca

we rushed up most of the others did the same. There was no difficulty about arms, for the deck was strewn with weapons. Few of us, however, stopped to pick one up, but, half mad with

ds,' I shouted, 'and

ucky the powder had blown so much of the decks up that we were enabled to get at

pt on to the rail, drew his pistol from his belt and fired before he sprang overboard. In the excitement and confusion no one had noticed whether the shot took effect, for two or three men had stumbled and fal

the fire she had sailed on, regardless of the shrieks and shouts of the wretches who had sprung overboard from us. But she was still near us; both vessels had been run

o scared by the explosion to think of getting one of the guns aft and peppering us while we were engaged in putting out

s body and laid it on the hatch we

aining on

t. I expect they wanted to keep close to the barque, and so kept her s

that we were closing on her. We shoved a bag of musket-balls into each cannon, so as to sweep her decks as we came alongside, for we knew that her crew was a good deal stronger than w

ring the boats,

ught in a trap if we came up to them, and though we are m

d up to the starboard side, and then the helm was put down,

, John Wilkes!' I sho

t back again that I was willing to let the poor villains go, since they were of a mind to do so without giving us trouble. We had punished them enough, and the shrieks and cries of those left

five hundred yards away, rowing at the top of their sp

ty. Let them take the tale back to Tunis how a British merchantman re-captured their ship. Now set to work to get so

go there. It brought in a good round sum, and, except for the death of Pettigrew, we ha

clusion. "If it had not been for your good fortune in finding those kegs of powder, and Pettigrew's idea of us

s a lesson to me, and for the rest of the time I was at sea I always carried a knife, with a lanyard round my neck, and stowed away in an inside pocket of my shirt, together with a tinder-box. They are two as use