Part 39 (1/2)
”She is not unlike your little brig, certainly, but at this distance it is impossible to say,” remarked Murray. ”But even a brig-of-war in a calm, surrounded by this host of junks, will have great odds against her; still, our fellows will do their best--of that I am very certain.”
”That they will, there's no doubt about it,” observed Captain Willock.
”You Britishers fight well, I guess, and no wonder, when you've had us to practise with.”
”I wonder, captain, that you do not declare that the Yankees taught us to fight,” said Jack, laughing.
”And so we did, I guess,” quickly answered the skipper. ”We taught you a trick or two, at all events.”
”What was that?” asked Jack.
”To keep awake,” answered Captain Willock. ”It is the first thing for a soldier or a sailor to do, you'll allow, and before that time you were apt to go to sleep now and then I calculate.”
”Perhaps you are right, captain,” said Murray; ”but what was the other trick you taught us?”
”Not to despise your enemies, I guess,” answered the skipper. ”You despised us, and we beat you; you did not despise the French, who were ten times better soldiers than the Americans were, and had fifty times better generals than we had, and you beat them. There was the difference. Never think meanly of the people with whom you are fighting. Believe that you will drub them in the end--that's all right; but only fancy you can do so with a great deal of trouble and hard fighting, and always believe that they are about to play you some trick or other. That's my philosophy about fighting. I'd advise you to take up the same and stick to it. And this brings me to that brig of yours out there. You make sure that she'll drub the junks. Just take care that the junks don't drub her; not but that I know what your people are made of, and next to our people there ain't any people who fight better in the world when they're put to it, that I'll allow, but--”
”All right,” exclaimed Jack, who did not wish to discuss the subject.
”But see what these cunning rogues are about.”
While the above discussion was going on, the fleet of junks had separated into four divisions. One led, keeping away so as to give a respectful berth to the brig, two others branched off on either side, and one, which was the junk which bore the mids.h.i.+pmen and their fortunes, gave up sculling and remained stationary. It was very evident that the intention of the pirates was completely to surround the brig.
After a time, the last-named division began once more to creep slowly on, and, the circle being formed, the whole advanced, decreasing it by degrees, till they got within range of the brig's guns. So eager were the pirates that they paid little attention to their prisoners, who all, therefore, a.s.sembled on the deck to watch proceedings.
”She is the _Blenny_, there is no doubt about it,” cried Jack. ”Our fellows will not knock under as long as a man remains alive on the deck to fight her guns.”
The Chinese knew that their shot would not fly across the brig so as to hit their friends on the other side of her, so as they closed in their circle became complete, with short distances only between each junk.
The prisoners also watched proceedings with such intense interest, that they totally forgot the danger to which they themselves were exposed.
”I wish that the brig would open her fire, and give it these scoundrels well,” cried Jack; ”I wonder that they don't begin.” He had scarcely spoken when there was a flash and a report from one of the brig's guns, and a shot struck the junk just astern of them. Several of the Chinese fired in return, but their shot scarcely reached the brig. The pirate admiral or commodore, on seeing this, threw out signals to close in still more, and as the junks began to move the _Blenny_ let fly both her broadsides at the same moment, several of the shot striking the junks, and ripping open their sides.
This in no way daunted them. They seemed resolved on the destruction of the brig. The sculls were still more vigorously plied, and they advanced rapidly, till they had got her well within range of their guns.
And now from every side they opened on her, while, she replied in the most spirited way, firing her guns as rapidly as they could be hauled in, loaded, and run out again. The shot from the pirate's junks told, however, with very considerable effect on her, and the mids.h.i.+pmen had too much reason to fear that many of their friends must have lost the number of their mess. The pirates all seemed to aim at the hull of the brig. They expected, apparently, that the calm would continue, and all they wanted was to kill as many of the Englishmen as they could before they attempted to board her.
”I say, I guess your friends aboard there will be getting the worst of it if this sort of fun lasts much longer,” observed the Yankee captain to Murray.
”I am afraid so, indeed,” answered Alick, with a deep sigh and a sinking of the heart; ”I wish we were aboard to help them.”
”I guess, now, we should have a better chance of helping them by being aboard here,” answered the captain. Alick thought so likewise. He and Jack were glad that they were not compelled to fight against their countrymen.
The larger number of the junks had placed themselves ahead and astern of the brig, and kept pouring in a raking fire on her. To avoid this as much as she could, she got out her sweeps; but they continued to change their positions as often as she got her head round, so that the English had not a moment's respite. The pirates shouted with delight as they saw the success of their plan. They, of course, thought it would be a great thing to cut off an outer Barbarian man-of-war, and antic.i.p.ated no small amount of valuable plunder as their reward. They, however, were all this time not escaping scot-free, for the brig's shot went through and through the hulls of their junks, and several of them were reduced to a sinking condition; while the musketry of the marines told with no little effect on their decks. Still they had the advantage of an immense superiority in numbers, and although they might lose twice as many men as the crew of the brig numbered, they might still come off victorious. Nearer and nearer crept the junks. For some time no people were killed on board the one which had captured the mids.h.i.+pmen. This made her captain and crew grow bold, and approach still nearer to the _Blenny_.
”They would be wiser if they kept at a distance,” observed Rogers; ”they'll catch it to a certainty.”
”Perhaps they hope to bring the combat to a conclusion,” remarked Murray.
”They'll not do that, let me tell them, in a hurry,” exclaimed Jack; ”they little think what sort of a fellow they have to deal with in Hemming. He'll give them more than they expect.”
While Jack was speaking, several shots came cras.h.i.+ng on board the junk, killing five men, wounding others, and knocking away part of the bulwarks. The wounded men set up the most terrific cries, and their s.h.i.+pmates, anxious to avoid a second edition of the same dose, put about, and sculled off to a more respectful distance. Another junk, the next in the line, was not so fortunate. The greater part of a broadside struck her. The mids.h.i.+pmen saw her reel with the shock, and immediately she began to sink lower and lower, till down she went, and the water washed over the spot where she had just before floated. Numbers of her crew went down with her or followed her to the bottom. Very few of the neighbouring junks took the trouble of lowering their boats to pick up the remainder, and numbers were drowned in sight of their countrymen, by whom, with a little exertion, they might have been saved.