Part 49 (1/2)
The brig, now close to her, also backed herwas piped away, and Fleetwood, with a heart less depressed than he had long felt, went on board the frigate
He arhted to see you, Fleetwood Froht it was all up with you; and I ca you alive; but now you shall have that satisfaction yourself By Jove! we must blow up the hornet's nest without delay When did you propose to make the attempt?”
”The very mohly gratified at his friend's zeal
”Well, what do you say to this very night?” asked Grantha up after me, and your Greek friend cannot be far off
I am afraid she is not likely to h, as it is, to drive every one of the rascals into the sea”
”To-night, by all means,” exclai better We shall have a sufficient force to ensure success; and as there is no moon till a late hour, we shall have less risk of discovery before we are upon theht let it be; and I suppose there's no use insisting on your re Rawson, of the _Venus_, lead the attack,” said Captain Granthaallant fellow, and will do it well”
”I trust, Granthaive the command of the expedition to me I shall, indeed esteem it a most especial favour if you will do so,” pleaded Fleetwood ”I would, on no account, if I can help it, lose that post”
”Well, I suppose, under the circumstances of the case, we h, indeed, Fleetwood, I do not think you are yet strong enough for the exertion you h”
”I have a Hercules of a coxswain, and I s failsadly ”But you know, Grantha”
”Yes, indeed, I know, and feel for you I suppose the felloill show fight”
”Not a doubt of it, from the specimen we have had of them They know that they have no ht with ropes round their necks”
”We h of it, then; but I suppose, with the force we have collected, we shall have no great difficulty in forcing our way into the harbour I understand they have got there, though it seems to be well fortified”
”We should be blown to atoms if we attempted it in the boats,” said Fleetwood ”You have no idea how strong the place is”
”How, in the naet at them, then?” exclaimed Captain Grantham, as more celebrated for his dash at an ene any plan where stratagem was required ”But let me hear what you propose to do”
”I have, as you ht much on the subject, so I ht otherwise venture to do,” said Fleetwood ”I would on no account attempt to enter the harbour; but there is at the east end of the island a small cove, with an entrance so narrow that one boat can alone pass at a time”
He spoke of the one into which the Greek captain had steered the mistico, all the circumstances of which he explained
”Now, I propose,” he continued, ”that the three English shi+ps should stand towards the place, as soon as it is dark, and there is no chance of our being seen from the shore, while the _Ypsilante_ I will e up close in shore, and have all the boats ready to drop into the water, at the same moment I will lead in the _Tone's_ cutter, and, with e, and secure the approach to the suained, the other boats can enter; and Raby, who knows the passage, will lead the h it We will then proceed, as silently as we can, to the causeway, across which we must make a dash, and, I hope, may take the pirates by surprise I would send the _Ypsilante_, meantime, to approach the harbour; and e reach the causeill throw up a rocket, and she ned attack on theaway as hard as she can
This will distract the attention of the pirates, and make them fancy that they have most to fear from their enemies on that side As soon as she opens her fire, ill rush on; and as the Greeks will have hurried to the defences of the fort towards the harbour, I hope that we may have an easy victory”
”I like your plan very much, and it has my hearty concurrence, as I have no doubt it will have Rawson's,” said Captain Grantham ”We shall soon have him up with us, and when he comes on board you can explain your proposal The _Venus_ should be near us by this ti his bell, and the steward appeared ”Mason, learn from the officer of the watch how soon the _Venus_ will be up with us, and beg hinalise her captain to come on board”
”She's close to us now, sir,” said Mason, as he went to fulfil the rest of the order
In about a quarter of an hour, Captain Raas ushered into the cabin He was a short, fat ood-natured countenance, and if he was a fire-eater, as he had the character of being, he certainly did not look like one, except it ht be supposed that the ruddy hue on his cheeks could have arisen from that cause He shook the hands of his brother-captains, as if he would have wrung them off, and then threw himself into a chair to recover froan to speak, instead of the rough voice one ht have expected, a soft, ht better win a wo of the teht claireed to the plan proposed by Captain Fleetwood
”In fact,” he said, laughing, ”there is no great credit due to ht a shi+p twice the size of my oith the deck under my feet, than have to scraht, to thrash a few scoundrels of pirates”
”If I don't mistake, you tried the first, and with no little success,”
observed Grantham