Part 48 (1/2)
Such was truly the case; the shot frouns of the mistico must have flown close over her, and on either side; and, probably, several had gone through her sail, but seely none had touched her hull The _Ione_ had now opened the mistico free of the boat to the northward
”Stand by with the foreun,” cried Mr Saltwell, as they did so This was a long nine of brass, while the other guns were carronades ”Fire!”
The gunner, who considered hioing well clear of the boat, struck theher with their glasses declared that they could see the splinters flying froer was she in the pursuit, that she would not haul her wind, seely determined not to do so till she had sunk the chase This there appeared every chance that she would do, for she had now got awfully near her, and it was surprising that her small-arm men had not contrived to pick off the helmsman, when the boat would, of course, have broached to, and have been her own Mr Saltwell again gave the order to fire as fast as the gun could be loaded and run out, but the skill of Mr Black did not shi+ne so brilliantly as at the first atteh to show the pirates what they were to expect if they persisted in their atteun ready there Hands about shi+p,” cried the first lieutenant
Bound caun was let fly The shot struck thethe greatest confusion on board, if not destruction of life She found that, in her eagerness, she had gone rather too far, and putting down her heleful broadside at her tiny chase, as she hauled her wind, and away she stood on a bowline towards the island
No sooner had she done so, than up sprung a figure in the stern sheets of the boat; and waving a cap round in his hand, see a cheer of derision The incautious action was returned by the pirates with a discharge of their swivel guns, and a shower of musketry, and he dropped into the bottom of the boat
”Poor fellow! the villains have killed him,” exclaimed Mr Saltwell
”Yes, sir; and I'ure it is Jack Raby
It is just the thing he would do, too,” said Tolass had been fixed on the boat at the ti on steadily with some one at the helm”
”Thank Heaven! so she is,” exclaimed Saltwell ”Be ready there to heave the shi+p to, to let the boat co was close up to the boat, and, to the surprise of all, the person in the stern sheets, who had been so long visible, was found to be a stuffed figure, covered with a _capote_, and a Greek cap on the top of it, while the head of Jack Raby was seen cautiously peering above the gunnel He very soon brought the boat alongside, when a couple of hands juood felloho have you there?” exclaiith several of the er to welcome their messmate
”I am sorry to say it is the captain, who is very badly hurt; but I was glad to get him off at any rate, for we've had a narrow escape of our lives,” replied Raby, from the boat
This announcerief froway, to superintend the transfer of the captain to the deck, which washih he was scarcely sensible of as occurring; and when he was carried below, all waited anxiously to hear the surgeon's report
In this anxiety about getting the captain on board, the otten; and when at last Saltwell thought of her, and ordered the foretop-sail to be again filled in chase, she had got so far to ard as to be again aluns were fired after her, but the shot did not succeed in cutting away any of her spars or rigging, and she drew so fast ahead, that it was seen to be useless following her further
The brig's helly put up, and she stood away to the southward, towing after her Raby's boat, which was kept in case she should be required for a future occasion
Everybody noded round Jack Raby, to learn from him all the events which had taken place; but Mr Saltwell suo circumstantially over them to him, and he afterwards had to repeat theeon and purser, who had not heard them
As the reader is already well acquainted with an his account of his successful escape from the bay, in which it appeared that he was assisted by no other person than Paolo Montifalcone
”YouItalian doctor was dressing the wounds, a fire broke out on the hill, above the bay, and the whole population rushed off to see the fire No sooner was the coast clear, than Paolo, as they called him, said to me--
”'Noould be your tie a boat'
”Of course, I told him that I could do that perfectly well by myself
”'Well then,' he replied, 'Hasten down to the beach, you will there find a small boat which we passed on our way here She has a sail in her, and oars, and if you are quick about it, you et out of the harbour and join your friends before you are missed; and if you remain, you will be knocked on the head and thrown over the cliff, to a certainty'
”'You don't mean to say that you expect me to run away and leave my captain to die hereby himself,' I exclaimed, ready to knock him down, for I saw that he was in earnest in his proposal, though the idea had only just occurred to hiuard I shall be, indeed'
”'But I tell you he cannot live, and you will be sacrificed if you renor Paolo,' I replied; 'a midshi+pman's life is not reckoned ofto do a dirty action to save ed to you for what you have done, and for your good intentions; but if the captain is to die, why it will be a consolation to hi, on board his own shi+p, and if you will lend me a hand to carry him down to the boat, why I can just as easy escape with him on board as by myself I'll trouble you also for soes, to doctor him with, and I hope he may yet do well'
”The Italian was silent for a few ht seemed to strike hih he warnedthe captain's life by so doing; but as he had just told me he would die on shore, I did not listen to hinor Paolo There was so in his eye, as he looked at the captain, which I did not like, and besides, I should like to kno any respectablewith such a set of cut-throat rascals I accordingly went outside the hut, to see how the coast lay, and I found that all was silent round us, for every one up to the fire; and had it not been for the glare of the conflagration, the night would have been pitchy dark; so, lifting the captain up in a cloak on which he had been laid, Paolo taking the head and I the feet, we bore hih I was afraid everybut the anxiety I felt would have enabled th we reached the boat, and placing the captain at the bottoain thanked the Italian for the service he had rendered us; indeed, after all, I was afraid I ronging hihter heart than I had felt for so the boat off the beach, and with the iiven her I let her drift out into the harbour I then, as silently as I could, paddled round by the west shore, keeping clear of the brig and the two misticoes, for the one which chased us had just come in; but I had not much fear of any of them, for I knew that the few hands left on board the up at the fire, and would not observe ht have done so, for the bright glare from the flames fell on the boat, and would have showed her distinctly, even right across the bay Anxious as I was to get out of the harbour, I was afraid of pulling hard, lest any one should hear the splash of the oars; and so near was I to the vessels, that every instant I expected that the alarht into the boat