Part 7 (1/2)
”Ah, senor, it is easy to see that you are a stranger to these waters, or you would not need to ask for infor that fiend Morillo,” answered the Spaniard ”He is a cruel, avaricious, and bloodthirsty pirate, sparing neither man nor woman, friend nor foe But little is really known about him, senor, for those who meet him rarely survive to tell the tale; but there have been one or tho, by a ained the knowledge that it is better to perish by his shot than to fall alive into his hands”
”Is the vessel by antine, very handso me of poor Captain Tucker and his story
”Certainly, senor, that answers perfectly to the description of the accursed _Guerrilla_ Have you seen her of late? But no, of course you have not, or you would not now be here; for Morillo is said to be especially vindictive against the English, inflicting the most atrocious tortures upon all who fall into his hands In the diht we at first mistook your schooner for the _Guerrilla_, and that is e fired upon you as we did Perret at ratification that it was not followed by a disastrous result”
At this coed bows onceto this very polite and polished skipper a few questions with regard to his shi+p, coupled with a hint that I was anxious to co a prize crew on board and bearing up for Jamaica
Our prize, I then learned, was the _Dona Dolores_ of Cadiz, a Spanish West Indiaister, hoena, Maracaibo, and La Guayra, with a very valuable general cargo and twenty-eight passengers, ten of ere ladies
Captain Manuel Fernandez--the skipper--was most polite, and anxious to meet my views in every way; at least, so he informed me He conducted me into the shi+p's handsoers,--the fehtened nearly out of their wits,--and was kind enough to proreeable to me, the whole of his people should assist estion, however, did _not_ happen to be agreeable to me, so I was compelled to explain, as politely as I could phrase it, that nanimous offer, but to secure the whole of his crew, officers and men, below, and also to remove all arms of every description froive me his parole, it would afford uest on board the schooner I could see that this was a bitter pill for the haughty don to s, but I was politely insistent, and so of course he had to yield, which he eventually did with the best grace he could muster; and an hour later the _Dolores_, with Christie, the master's mate, in co before the ith studding-sails set aloft and alohile the _Tern_ followed al my intention to escort so valuable a prize into port, and thus take every possible precaution against her recapture
CHAPTER NINE
WE ENCOUNTER AND FIGHT THE GUERRILLA
On thethe capture of the _Dolores_,--the schooner and her prize then being some two hundred and forty miles to the ard of Dominica,--a sail was discovered at daybreak so up against the trade wind, close-hauled upon the starboard tack; and a few antine We paid but scant attention to her at first, craft of her rig being frequentlyto and fro between the islands; but when the stranger, al had been identified, tacked to the northward, as though with the intention of getting a closer look at us, I at once scented an ene myself of the telescope, forthwith madeher to a rigorous exa, ht eventually turn out to be the notorious pirate Morillo in his equally notorious brigantine the _Guerrilla_ I had no sooner got the craft fairly within the field of the instrument than I discovereddetails of rig and equipnisable as identical with similar peculiarities already noticed by me when I before saw the pirate vessel
Such is the perversity of blind fortune! Under ordinary circu would have pleased me better than to meet this audacious outlaw and his cut-throat crew in a clear sea, and to try conclusions with them But noas hampered with the possession of a valuable prize which I was most anxious to take safely into port, while my little force was seriously weakened by the withdrawal of the prize crehich I had been obliged to put on board the _Dolores_ It was therefore not wholly without apprehension that, under these untoward circuantine I would have preferred to have met her, if possible, upon somewhat more equal terms; but there she was, doubtless bent upon the capture of the _Dolores_, and there was nothing for it but to prepare for her as warive I therefore descended to the deck and gave orders to call all hands and clear for action, at the saht was a pirate, and that he was to keep out of har on upon his course, and leaving us in the schooner to deal with the intruder
Our preparations were soon co each other as ere at a good pace, the space between the brigantine and ourselves narrowed very rapidly Nevertheless there was time, when all was done, to say a feords to the le upon which ere about to engage would be a tough one, I called them aft and said--
”My lads, you have all heard of the atrocious pirate Morillo who haunts these waters; you have heard so to the _Wyvern_ ere picked up by us ere searching for the _Althea's_ boats, and you saw for yourselves a speciston Trader_, the unfortunate crehich shi+p only too probably perished with her
The scoundrel and his gang of cold-blooded antine; and after what you have heard and seen, I need not tell you what is likely to be the fate of any of us, or of those aboard the _Dolores_, should we be so unfortunate as to fall into their hands
They are undoubtedly about to attempt the capture of the Spaniard Now, it is for _you_ to say whether they shall do so, or whether you will send them all to the bottom of the sea instead Which is it to be, side of her, Mr Courtenay, sir, and we'll soon show you-- and them too--which it's to be,” answered one of thethe reruel, never fear”
”Well spoke, Tommy; true for you, my son,” and so on
”Very well,” said I, ”that is the answer I expected Now go to your guns, men; and see that youfor action we had also made sail and shot ahead of the _Dolores_; and within five uns, ithin half aour bows, tearing through the long, loell like a racing yacht, with a stor up over her weather bow at every graceful plunge of her into the trough She was a beautiful vessel, long and loith enor masts and a pheno for; and I thought what a proud day it would be for h to capture and take her triue, so I sang out to Lindsay, as looking after matters on the forecastle, to knohether the nine- pounder pivot gun was ready
”All ready, sir, and bearing dead on the brigantine,” was the answer
”Then heave a shot across the rascal's fore-foot at once,” shouted I; ”and you, un,” I continued to the felloas standing by the peak signal halliards
As the words leftreport and a s upon the weather rail, I was just in time to see the shot neatly strike the water iure-head, the spray fro a dark stain upon the foot of her foretopmast staysail
”Well aimed!” exclaihout the fight, lads, you will soon give a good account of her”
While I was still speaking there caantine, which at the saaff-end; and ere the report had time to reach us, a nine-pound shot crashed fair into our bows, raking us fore and aft, and carrying off the top of our unfortunate helmsman's head as it flew out over our taffrail
The poor fellow sank to the deck all in a heap, without a groan, without a quiver of the body, and I sprang to the wheel just in ti-to
”Anyone hurt there, for'ard?” I shouted; for I sao or three h to help someone
”Yes, sir,” answered one of the men; ”poor Tom Parsons have had his chest tore open, and I doubt it's all over with hie hiive it her betind and water if you can”