Part 15 (1/2)
The next shot, which quickly followed, pa.s.sed almost as close to leeward; and the third came straight enough, but fell just short of us.
After this he fired no more.
”Very cleverly managed, I call that, Harry,” said Bob, as soon as we found ourselves once more out of range. ”We can now take things quietly; and as it's your watch below, I'd recommend you to turn in and get a bit of a snooze. It's your eight hours out to-night, my lad, and if the breeze should happen to freshen about sundown, and that chap comes after us--and, by the piper, he means that same, for I'm blest if he isn't in stays--you'll need to keep both eyes open all your watch.”
This was good advice, and I at once proceeded to adopt it, cautioning Bob to be sure to call me without delay in the event of any further complication arising.
I had not been below above two minutes when I heard his voice shouting to me to come on deck again. Wondering what was now in the wind, I sprang up the short companion-ladder, and my eye at once falling upon the brig (which was now dead astern of us, heading in the same direction as ourselves, though not lying so close to the wind), I saw in a moment that our troubles were not yet by any means over.
The wind had by this time fallen so light that we were not making above three knots' way through the water, whilst the pirate appeared barely to have steerage-way--in fact, his canvas was flapping to the mast with every sluggish roll which the vessel took over the long, scarcely perceptible swell.
Friend Johnson was evidently greatly nettled at our having slipped so handsomely through his fingers as we had, and seemed determined to have a word or two with us yet, whether we would or no; for he had lowered one of his boats, and she was just leaving the vessel in chase.
I took the gla.s.s, and counted six men at the oars, besides one or two (I could not be sure which) in the stern-sheets.
This was serious indeed; for a light boat, propelled by six good oarsmen, would go about two feet to our one at our then rate of sailing, and must necessarily soon overhaul us.
Our case appeared pretty nearly desperate; but a seaman never gives up ”whilst there is a shot in the locker,” or a fresh expedient to be tried. So I directed Bob to keep the cutter away about three points, and then lash the tiller, and lend me a hand to get our balloon canvas set.
The topsail was s.h.i.+fted in next to no time, and then we got the spinnaker to the bowsprit-end, leading the sheet aft to the main-boom; after which we took in our jib and stopped it along the bowsprit, ready for setting again at a moment's notice, and hauled down our staysail.
This additional spread of canvas, coupled with the fact that we were running far enough off the wind to permit of its drawing well, made a perceptible difference in our speed--quite a knot, I considered, and Bob agreed with me.
”Now, what's the next thing to be done, Harry?” inquired he, as _soon_ as we had completed our task of s.h.i.+fting the sails. ”This is all very well as far as it goes, but yon boat is overhauling us at every stroke of the oars, and we've only _postponed_ the pleasure of an introduction to the chaps, unless the breeze happens to freshen up a trifle, of which I sees no signs just at present.”
”I've made up my mind,” I replied. ”We _must not_ be taken, Bob. I feel convinced that our lives would not be worth an hour's purchase if we fell into the hands of that villain; but, even supposing he _were_ to stop short of murder, his malignity would doubtless prompt him to destroy the little _Lily_; and by such an act all our past efforts would be nullified, and our future success rendered extremely doubtful. We must _fight_, Robert, my man, now that we can no longer run; so let's get our gun up and rigged without further delay. By the time that we have it ready, they will be within range; and I think we may persuade them to turn back yet.”
”So be it,” replied Bob gleefully. ”I'd always rather fight than run away, Harry, lad--at least, when it's anything like a fair match; so let's rouse up the pop-gun and have a shy at 'em.”
This gun was, as I think I have mentioned before, a four-pound rifled piece, which was specially made to my order by an eminent firm. It was a most beautiful little weapon, exquisitely finished; was a breech- loader, and threw a solid shot about a mile, and a sh.e.l.l nearly half as far again. It was mounted on a swivel or pivot, which we had the means of firmly fixing to the deck.
We got it out and upon deck, and soon had it mounted and ready for service. Bob took the tiller, desiring me to work the gun, as I was not only a more practised artillerist than he, but knew also how to handle a breech-loader, and I had the knack somehow of shooting straight.
I had it loaded, and was in the act of levelling it, when Bob said, ”Suppose we was to let them chaps get a bit nearer, Hal, afore we opens fire. I've a notion that if we gets 'em well away from the brig, and well within range of our little barker there, we might give 'em such a peppering afore they could get clear of us ag'in as would sicken 'em of having any more to do with us. Perhaps it mightn't be quite onpossible to destr'y the boat altogether, and then there's seven or eight good hands wiped off the chap's books. This here ain't like a ordinary enemy, you see, lad--he's a sort of general enemy to all mankind; and the more harm we can do to _him_, the more good we'll be doing the rest of the world.”
It sounded rather like cold-blooded barbarity, this proposal of Bob's to attempt the _destruction_ instead of the _repulse of_ the boat in pursuit of us, but every word he said in support of his proposition was strictly true; and indeed some such idea had been present in my own mind, so I withheld my fire for a time.
At length, however, they were within half a mile of us, and I thought we might now fairly commence operations. I carefully levelled the piece accordingly, and desiring Bob to sit well out of the line of fire and steer as steadily as possible, I watched the heave of the cutter, and pulled the trigger-line.
The shot sped straight for the boat, but, striking the water just before it reached her, bounded clear over her and into the sea beyond. There was a shout from the people in the boat, and we could see that they stretched to their oars with doubled exertion.
”Straight as it could go, Harry, lad, but _rather_ too much elevation; try 'em again, boy, and look smart about it too, for they're giving way as if the devil was behind 'em.”
”Which he probably _is_, if they did but know it, Bob,” returned I.
”Keep cool, old man; there's no hurry; you attend to the steering of the craft, I'll undertake to cool their courage for them before they're very much older.”
”Ay, ay,” retorted Bob, ”keep cool it is; but it's getting to be rather ticklish work, lad, ain't it?”
I was too busy with the gun to reply just then, and in another moment I fired once more. This time we saw the splinters fly from the bows of the boat, and one of the oarsmen sprang from his seat and fell back into the arms of the man behind him.
There was a moment of confusion with them, and then we saw one of the men in the stern-sheets (there _were_ two of them) step along the thwarts and take the injured man's place. This looked like a fixed determination to come alongside at any price, so I this time inserted a sh.e.l.l instead of a solid shot, which I had before been firing.