Part 6 (1/2)
”If I can, I intend to avoid fighting,” he said; ”but if we are attacked, I know I can rely on you two, as I have seen what stuff you are uns; and should anything happen toas there is a shot in the locker or a charge of powder remains I wish I had more confidence in my mates; but I ah they are good sea to ht than to yield, for if we give in, one and all of us will be knocked on the head or carried into slavery, so that it will be far better to let the shi+p sink under us than to strike our colours”
Stephen and Roger fully agreed with the Captain, and proth the sun went down, his last rays shi+ning on the lofty canvas of the stranger, now about two ht keep ahead Darkness ca increased At length the diainst the sky Those on board the _Dolphin_ well knew that while she was visible to them, they must also be seen by her, and that it would be useless to atte their course They therefore kept on as before The Captain kept his eye upon her, hoping that soht, but that dark phantorew more and more distinct
”My lads,” cried the Captain, ”before another half-hour has passed she will be up with us Have your ive the word; do not wait for further orders, but load as fast as you can, and blaze away at her hull The Moors, if I h of it; they are not fond of attacking vessels when they er felt his heart beat quick when shortly after this he saw the shi+p's white-spread sails, towering towards the sky, co up on their quarter
”Doith the helm,” cried the Captain ”Now, lads, fire!” The _Dolphin_ sent a raking broadside aboard the Algerine, and the helain, she stood on her forroans came from the deck of the enemy, followed imh several shot came on board, no one was hurt Captain Roberts kneever, that he could not expect to execute the saerine was close abreast of her
All the _Dolphin's_ guns had been run over to the same side, and were now fired as rapidly as the crew could load and run them out The ene aboard; first one man was shot down, then another, still the British crew cheered, and kept blazing away This sort of work had been going on for some time, when the Captain shouted, ”Look out, lads! Boarders; repel boarders!” And the Algerine was seen ranging up so as to fall alongside, her rigging croith figures, arht In another minute there came a loud crash, and a number of her crew, led by their captain Most of them were cut down, others driven overboard, or back into their shi+p, the grappling-irons were cast loose, while the _Dolphin_ rushed forward on her forh the ene up abreast, fired her broadsides in return As far as Roger could perceive, the uns The Captain continued to cheer the not far off, blazing aith his er, hurried to his assistance barely in time to save him before he fell on the deck
”Are you hurt, sir?” he asked
”I am afraid somewhat badly Do not let the men know it Help me to the bulwarks, where I can hold on”
He called Stephen, as also loading and firing as fast as he could, to come and help him The Captain continued, wounded as he was, to cheer on the ed, the bullets all the ti about like hail, when the pirate's boere seen to be turning from them Presently she hauled her wind, and stood away to the southward The British crew on this raised a hearty cheer as they sent a few last shot flying after her Scarcely had the shout died away than the brave Captain sank down on the deck
”We must carry hier called Sam Stokes and another man to their assistance
”Tell the ht of the pirate, and then haul to the northward,” whispered the Captain in a faint voice He could say no er did their best to doctor hiical operations
”Let me see what I can do,” said Sa ht to have a little notion” So he set to work in a methodical way to discover what had become of the bullet which had entered the Captain's side He reat consequence, the cloth which had been carried in at the saot them out, then stopped the blood and bound up the wound
”Cannot say hoill do, but I have done my best, and can do no more,” observed old Sam as he left the cabin to look after some of his wounded messmates
Three reatly reduced their strength The first mate, who now took command, hauled up to the northward, as the Captain had directed hi for so many hours out of her course, she was considerably to the southward of the Straits, though the mate asserted that they would be able to fetch the entrance of the Straits if the wind held the following day Nothing ht, and hopes were entertained that she would not again atte that the bullet had been extracted, continued in a very weak state, and al to the ot out the chart, marked down the course they had run to the best of their knowledge, and the nexttook an observation, which placed the _Dolphin_ considerably to the southward Whereon the mate asserted that she wasalmost parallel with it for a considerable distance, and soon after noon he put the shi+p about and steered due east
”I think, sir, that to sight the rock of Gibraltar we should be steering north-east,” observed Stephen, pointing to the chart
”Ho, ho, young ation better than I do,” said the mate ”Just keep your remarks to yourself till I request you to er agreed, when the first et the second to alter the shi+p's course
The first mate seemed to suspect their intentions, for he remained on deck, and when the wind drew more from the east which it did shortly after noon, kept the shi+p away to the south-east
”The felloill be running us on shore, or we shall be falling in with some Sallee rovers, for we cannot be far off their coast by this time,”
said Stephen ”I think we had better have a talk with Saator, was perfectly inclined to agree with theet orders to put you under arrest, for it ht be a serious affair if we did so and fell in with ato turn pirates,” observed Saht to ain spoke to hi He laughed scornfully, and again told the that they had nothing whatever to do with the navigation of the shi+p On this they applied to the second mate and boatswain, and did their best to alar on the subject, and had some hope of success, when the firstabout
”This is ht mutiny!” he exclaimed, and without more ado he ordered the second mate and boatswain to lash their arms behind them and carry them into the cabin
”I do not wish to be hard with you, but I will not have sters will reht and you are wrong”
Though they protested loudly at this treatment, the mate would not listen to theht supper to them, but he said that he was ordered not to hold any conversation, but to coain as soon as he had placed the supper before the; what course is she steering?” asked Stephen
”Bery well as far as me make out,” answered Jumbo ”Sometimes steer east-south-east, sometimes south-east”