A Lad of Grit: A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea in Restoration Times

Watches were set, five men in each, I taking my turn in the first watch. Towards morning the wind veered roun

enable us to keep up with her. I ordered additional preventers to be rove, had the hatc

to be seen. Even with her jury rig the Little Gannet gave a good account of herself, though it was necessary to

to be kept on the starboard tack for two hours, then on the larboard tack for another two hou

the two liberated slaves, a Genoese, who spoke no English, bei

directly the gale came on he could with difficulty be made to do any work at all, but lay in a hea

w the wind moderated, leaving us rolling in the t

was the Gannet, which we had evidently passed during the night; but three hours afte

se slightly to come up with us, and, with every stitch

the Gannet was somewhere close to us, though where we knew

, and with the aid of a glass I could see her colours--

e surrender would be as futile as capture after a determined fight. In either case the result would be d

were only of too frequent occurrence. Many a gallant English vessel has met her fate in a glorious but unrecorded effort in similar circumstances,

pple her aloft. With a flash and a roar the iron missile sped on its way, striking the pirate's topsail yard. There was a shower of splinters and the broken spar fell,

us; but before we could reload our gun the p

on the spot and two wounded, while both our jury masts went

n topsail and hove to at less than a cable's length off. Two of her boats were lo

tunned by a blow from a handspike, I was thrown into one of the boats and taken on board ou

vily armed and manned, her crew comprising a ruffianly assortment of every nation of south-western Europe, and

wn vessel. Much of this consisted of valuable stores that the Algerine had on boar

et to the boats, and thence to the pirate ship, being performed with a celerity and skill t

pirates fired their prize, and an hour later, burned to the wa

by fishing it with capstan bars and small spars. While this work was in progress there was a shout f

Sea gathered way. From where I was I could not tell whether we were chasing or in chase; but in a fe

e armoury of pistols and a short Turkish dagger. Cruelty and viciousness were stamped upon every outline of his face, but at the same time there were signs of a courageous natu

clamation of surprise, for he was none other than the man with the scarred face who had tried to rob me on the P

s features I knew that my fate was sealed. The two pirates conversed volubl

a fair share of fighting, and plenty of booty. In two years you'll be rich enough to buy the best inns in England, and can live

me, and, let me say, Dick Swyre will be avenged. I'll have a little way of my own that will make you wish t

ple was followed by the two remaining Gannets--Dick Blake and a man whose name I knew not, he being always called Old Shellback. The fifth was t

I had received, and this probably accounted for the complete indifference that I felt with regard to my fate. M

e Sea was in this case the fugitive. So busy were they that I edged towards an arm-rack, and, placing my bound wrists against a sharp cutlass, I succeeded in freeing them from the cords that

ch I fondly hoped would be the avenging Gannet; but I did not know what distance separated us, and even then, in the

f the pirate crew, and at the same time render material assistance to their foes. Now

d was well on my way up the shrouds. A hoarse shout announced that my escape was discovered, and a pistol

futtock shrouds, I gained the top, where I th