Part 50 (2/2)
”Oh! yes, yes They said the _Sea Hawk_,--the _Sea Hawk_ They will escape Oh, Mother of Heaven! have h her tears
”Enough Down the ravine, my men Follow me,” shouted Fleetwood, as he rushed down the steps ”Colonel, do you re, if any rally”
At the bottom he fortunately met Dawson, the first lieutenant of the _Vesta_, and second in coh ground with half ourdown on the harbour The first division followthese words, he led the way to the path winding down the ravine, followed eagerly by seventy or eighty of the blue jackets As may be supposed, he flew rather than ran, and even Toood a cause to know the path, every turning of which he had noted with the greatest care, so he had no fear ofstrongly down the ravine; and this circumstance showed him, to his sorrow, that the _Sea Haould have no difficulty in running out of the harbour, if the _Ypsilante_ did not prevent her Still the pirate could only have had a short start of hih in vain, that he could ht yet reach the shore, even before the boats could shove off, and Ada ht supported him The wind rapidly increased, and its hoas heard even above the shouts of his followers At length he reached the shores of the bay; he rushed to the edge; he could distinguish so on the surface of the water, and further on, there was a sound as ifothers into it; yet he dared not allow any one to fire, for he could not tell what boat ht contain his Ada He led on his party in that direction The pirates had seen him, and defended themselves bravely So, and, by the time they were overpowered, only three boats remained on the shore Into these, Fleetwood did not for a moment hesitate to throw himself as soon as they were launched, with as many of his men as they could contain, but the oars of two only could be found, and in vain were those of the other hunted for With a hearty cheer the gallant fellows gave way after the ene pirates fired on theuish, by the flashes of the guns, the brig, and the two misticoes in the centre of it As he looked, their sails were loosened and swelled to the gale; the pirates waited not to secure their boats, as they leaped on board The cables were cut, and the two e into the open sea Old Vlacco must have knohat they were about, for the fire from the fort towards the _Ypsilante_ see at theht have done
The _Sea Hawk_ had still several boats round her, and towards her Fleetwood now steered His th; he felt a hope that he ht reach her, when her fore-topsail was let fall, and sheeted ho was on her cable, her head turned rapidly round, her yards were squared away, the cable cut, and she darted out frolish entangled, just as they were on the point of running alongside her, and following her tenders out to sea, discharging her broadside full at the _Ypsilante_, as she passed her The Greek behaved gallantly, and instantly put up her helm, and bore away in chase
Fleetwood, his heart alony at his disappointment, saw that it would be in vain for him to pursue, and he also remembered that the _Ypsilante_, with her reduced crew, and severely handled as she had been by the fort, was in no way a ht injure her, as, he feared, on board
There was, however, a doubt, on board which of the vessels Ada had been carried, if she really had again been torn, almost as it were, from his arms, and he dared not entertain a hope to the contrary
Quick in action as in thought, these ideas passed through his mind as he returned to the shore, with the purpose of hastening back to the shi+ps, and getting theht, the _Ypsilante_ will knohat direction the _Sea Hawk_ has taken, and be able to direct us in the pursuit Before, however, he could return to his shi+p, he had numerous important duties to perfor which still continued on the heights, he saw that even the fort was not yet entirely their own
For hireat object of the enterprise had failed, totally, ain lost, but she would certainly be placed in a position infinitely worse than that in which she had hitherto been He scarcely dared to think what act the pirate ht coer her attendant with her, and the Signora Nina ht have lost the little influence over him she had before possessed He bitterly cursed theone at least of the British shi+ps round to assist the _Ypsilante_ in blockading the entrance; but he checked hiht have been placed in still greater peril, as Zappahiht have blown up the _Sea Haith all on board her, and he reh adversity and sorrow, though he could not accuse hiht on the rief, that Heaven ordains everything for the best, and that it is i did he climb up the path than that hich he had rushed down it, and though his spirits, disappointed and agitated as he was, did not fail hith almost did, and, had it not been for Sainst the fierce gale which was blowing down the ravine
As they cliuns, and the rattle of ht rieved hi been built to contain the pirates'
provisions and other stores, had caught fire, and lighted up the whole scene Hedged up on the outer promontory were the band of islanders, under old Vlacco, ithout the remotest prospect of victory or escape, yet refused to yield or ask for quarter The old pirate had saved his chief; he had enabled hiallant way he had held the post He was now fighting on his own account for revenge, and to sell his life as dearly as he could He was deterht cheaply; he and his e; while one party were engaged in loading them, the others would rush forward and defend them, and then retire at the ain before the British could reach theradually thinned; but, in the round in front of their entrench allantry and true courage, ventured to attack them
The numbers of the British seemed, to Fleetwood, to be awfully decreased; theto keep the pirates in check, when a loud shout proclaimed the cause of it; and he saw Colonel Gauntlett at the head of a large party, dragging forward one of the guns fro on either side, the gun was fired directly at the centre of the gang of pirates
”Now, on, my friends!” shouted the colonel
”On, on!” cried the lieutenant; and, at the same moment, Fleetwood led on his party towards the devoted desperadoes Not one cried for quarter; but they could not, for an instant, withstand such an attack; every one was cut down or driven towards the edge of the cliff, where, still inspired by their desire of revenge, they seized their opponents, and endeavoured to drag them over with the all the ree had left hirasp on the arm of one of the foremost of his assailants; slowly he stepped back, as he was forced to retreat, enticing his antagonist on, till, feeling his left foot over the edge, he sprang forward to grasp him
”In Heaven's name, hold ht he recognised as Bowse's The old pirate threw hi thehim with him For himself he had no hope, no expectation but instant death, and the gratification of his revenge against one of those who had caused the destruction of himself and many of his comrades Boas a powerfulconfinee and heavy Once he drew hiain Vlacco forced him forward, pressed as he was by others behind, who did not see their nearness to the dreadful precipice, and he felt that the despairing pirate was dragging him, with himself, to instant destruction; his feet lost their hold of the ground, and he was falling forward, when he, at length, sung out for help--though scarcely expecting it; but at that instant he felt hi, severed, with a blow, the are, disappeared into the dark obscurity of the abyss below; and Bowse, turning round to thank his preserver, found that he was his old shi+pmate, Tommy Small
This was the last resistance the British had to encounter; and, unfortunately, it had cost them very dear The second lieutenant of the _Vesta_, a mate of the _Venus_, and six seamen and marines, had been killed, and ten men wounded, as well as four officers About fifteen pirates only were found dead, but a larger number had been seen to throw themselves over the cliffs; and the wounded had probably destroyed themselves in the same manner, for five only, ere unable to move, were discovered alive About twenty, who had either wanted resolution to destroy theuilty, and, therefore, likely to escape punish the ruins, where they had concealed themselves--these were the only remnant of the force who had made so stout a resistance; the rest had either escaped in the vessels, or their led corpses were to be found at the bottoh Captain Fleetas most anxious to be off, he considered that it would not do to evacuate the place till it had undergone a strict examination, he determined, therefore, to leave the _Vesta's_ lieutenant of e, while he led the rest back to eale increase, their services would be required
A that his niece had been carried off by the pirate was very great
”It is a sad thing for that poor child; and though I have hadpained me more,” he said, as the captain told him what had occurred ”And for you, Fleetwood, I feel irl, and you deserve her for the exertions you have et back to your shi+p and pursue the scoundrel round the world, if he goes so far For myself, I will remain here, and have my old carcass doctored; and if, as you think there is a possibility of her being concealed somewhere in the island, I will discover her, and shall be here to take charge of her, while you, at all events, will have the satisfaction of punishi+ng the pirate”
Thus it was arranged; indeed, the colonel was unfit to be moved, and was likely to fare much better in the tower, under the care of Mitchell, and a surgeon, as left to look after the wounded, than on board the brig in a gale of wind
Marianna, however, entreated that she ed that her mistress must have been carried away in the _Sea Hawk_, and that as the _Ione_ was going in search of that vessel, her services would certainly be required when she was recovered, which she felt positive she would be, as she would serve as a chaperone to Ada, should he be blessed by finding her Fleetas glad to take her with him The first person he inquired for, after the pirates had been overcome, was his friend Captain Vassilato
Bowse said that he had been released with hieon under the tower, by Colonel Gauntlett's party, and that he had seen hi the last band of pirates who had resisted It was for soone over the cliffs, either dragged over by the pirates, or in the eagerness of pursuit; but at length he was discovered under a wall, where he had ed to crawl to be out of the way of the scuffle, after receiving a severe wound on the leg fro Fleetwood, whoht had been killed, he declared, restored hi carried on board the _Ione_, to get sooner on board his own vessel, that he ed to be allowed to acco made, Fleetwood set off at the head of his men to return to the little bay, where the boats were left The march back was less difficult and ht their lanterns, which had been brought, and to use some torches which had been discovered in the fort They reached the boats in safety; but although the bay was to leeward, as the gale was blowing strong, there was a good deal of swell setting into the little cove, and they experienced considerable difficulty in e out to sea The shi+ps, however, showed plenty of lights to guide thehts moved showed that there was a heavy swell, and the loud roar of the surf warned theh before they could get on board
”It etting the cutter afloat ”We have gone through e in so dark a night”