Part 10 (2/2)
They had also fire-ar-pikes; indeed were in every ell prepared for fighting A strong westerly gale kept the _Tiger_ in the roads for so to the eastward, the anchor was hove up, and she stood out into the Atlantic Haet to the northward, so that he ht attack vessels in latitudes where Sallee rovers were seldom to be found, and thus take them by surprise, and so be more likely to effect their capture without resistance They were by this time able to understand much that he said He told the, so that he ood care that they agreed
”That would be a puzzler for ator, you would probably be correct, whereas I am very likely to make mistakes I think that I had better tell hiator, and that he would be wise to rely on you”
”That h I will try to passhier
The very next day, when they were out of sight of land, Stephen, as ordered to stand at the forepart of the shi+p to take an observation, ree or more out Of course, her Captain, who understood the use of the charts perfectly, afterwards told Roger to put it dohich he, having carefully taken his observation, did properly
”How is this?” exclaimed the Captain ”Which of the two aer, firh older, has less experience; but if you will allow me, I will teach him, and he in a short time will be as useful to you as I aot over, for happily the Captain did not suspect that any trick was being played him Fortunately at first the weather was fine, and as the Moors were sober er_ glided over the cal went ss, I should not have supposed that ere aboard a piratical craft,” observed Stephen, ”for truly they are a very gentlemanly set of cut-throats, and I doubt if Prince Rupert's men behaved half as well”
”It may be not, but they did not knock all their prisoners on the head, or make them walk the plank, as these fellows are said to do; we as yet have only seen theer
Haer_ northward till they were about in the latitude of the rock of Lisbon Not a shi+p had been sighted which they could venture to attack They had passed in the distance squadrons of three or e shi+ps, but Hah he discussed the possibility of cutting off the sternht-ti the attempt The sun had just risen on the top- down before a fresh breeze from the northward, the wind about north-east Haer out to Roger, bade hio aloft with the telescope, and on his return report to hi the telescope over his shoulders, clier She appeared to hi probably forty guns or er_ would be utterly unable to cope On co down he told Haer her size the better prize she will prove,” he observed
”But should she be aher you are taken yourself,” said Roger
The Captain, who seldo his officers, had a talk with theside the stranger and try to capture her, but others thought such a proceeding would be dangerous The two vessels approached nearer and nearer
”These are bold fellows to think of attacking a shi+p of that size,”
observed Roger ”I alish er_ will be taken, and if we are not killed, weis, we need not fight,” said Stephen ”Thewe can do is to stow ourselves away as soon as we are within gunshot”
”The agreeht reer
”Oh no; but I propose that we get into the lowest depths of the shi+p, where there is less chance of a shot co,” said Stephen
”Suppose she is sent to the bottoer, ”we shall be droith the rest We shall see the water rising, and if so, we er and Stephen were holding this conversation, they observed a good deal of excite the officers Presently two or three caestures, it was very evident that they were insisting that the shi+p should be put about, and that they should try and make their escape The Captain yielded; the heler_ ran before the wind, every additional stitch of canvas which she could carry being set The stranger was not near enough to fire, or it ht have fared ill with the pirate
”Our chance of liberty is dier_ before the wind has a reer, however, seeing what the pirate was about, alsoprobably her character
”She will not catch us, gentlemen,” said Sam, who came up to the away I put the officers up to insisting on it, by telling the up to the yard-arm, and they fortunately believedthe fastest; and Roger thought, in spite of what Sa up with theetting ahead The Captain told Roger to be careful toaway fro the chase continued; there was still soe shi+p, and if so, they ht after all
It was some hours past noon; they had already sunk the courses of the stranger below the horizon, but there she was, in her forh a dark bank of clouds was now seen rising to the ard, indicating a change of wind, and probably a heavy gale The clouds rose fast, and ca across the blue sky, while the hitherto calher and higher Hamet ordered sail at once to be taken in--not a ale, and the stout shi+p heeled over to it The _Tiger_, however, still kept to the southward At last the gale increased to such an extent that the Captain ordered her to be hove-to Roger looked out for the stranger, but she was nowhere to be seen That danger was escaped, but the question was how the slightly-built rover would endure the teht have run for a port on the Barbary coast, but that was a long way off, and no other would afford theainst every nation, so every nation was a foe Night ca on deck, Roger and Stephen went to their cabin
Poor Jumbo soon made his way there