Part 3 (2/2)
He is dead; therefore let his errors rest in oblivion, and his virtues be remembered with hope
ESCAPE FROM A SHARK
While she was lying in the harbor at Havana, it was very hot on board the Royal Consort, about four o'clock in the afternoon of the 14th of July There was not the slightest movement in the air; the rays of the sun seemed to burn down into the water Silence took hold of the ani; to bark, to crow, or to bray Every thing crept under cover, but Sa theht ”hilistened like a new Bristol bottle
Sa on the quay, enjoying the pleasant sunshi+ne, andrepast of banana, when they heard the plunge into the water by the side of the Royal Consort, and presently saw Brook Watson e from the deep, his hands to his eyes to free the the water fro hith he really felt himself in his element
”Oh, Massa Bacra!” roared out Sah to speak, ”Oh, Senor! he white o to swim! Oh, de tiburon! he berry bad bite, co mouth; he eatee a Senor all up down!”
Such was the exclalish he had been able to pick up, in a few years' service, in unlading the American vessels, that came to the Havana It was intended to apprise the bold but inexperienced stranger, that the waters were filled with sharks, and that it was dangerous to swim in them The words were scarcely uttered, and, even if they were heard, had not time to produce their effect, when Cuffee responded to the exclaue, with--
”Oh, Madre de Dios! see, see, de tiburon! de shark!--ah, San Salvador!
ah, pobre joven! matar, todo comer, he eat him all down, berry soon!”
This second cry had been drawn fro, at a distance in the water a s streak, which an inexperienced eye would not have noticed, but which Sambo and Cuffee knew full well It was the wake of a shark At a distance of a mile or two, the shark had perceived his prey; and, with the rapidity of sound, he had shot across the intervening space, scarcely disturbing the surface with a ripple Cuffee's practiced eye alone had seen a flash of his tail, at the distance of ahis voice to the utth, he had endeavored to apprise the incautious swier Brook heard the shout, and turned his eye in the direction in which the negro pointed; and, well skilled in all the appearances of the water, under which he could see almost as well as in the open air, he perceived the sharp forehead of the fearful ani toward hiht
[Illustration: ESCAPE FROM A SHARK]
In a moment, the dreadful monster had shot across the entire space that separated him from Brook; and had stopped, as if its vitality had been, instantly arrested, at the distance of about twelve feet fronacious attitude possible, and, was treading water with great activity The shark, probably unused to any signs ofbattle, rehtning, shot sidelong off, and came round in the rear Brook, however, was as wide awake as his ene of the oars of Sa foes Whirling hi, white belly, and opening his terrific jaws, set round with a double row of broad, serrated teeth, the whole roof of hiserect, sharp, and rigid, just perht red to be seen between their roots, he darted toward Brook Brook's self-possession stood by hi moment He knew very well if the animal reached him in a vital part, that instant death was his fate; and, with a rapid movement, either of instinct or calculation, he threw hi, at the same moment, at the shark In consequence of thispassed into the horrid maw of the dreadful monster, and were severed in a moment,--muscles, sinews, and bone In the next moment, Sambo and Cuffee were at his side; and lifted hi with loss of blood Brook was taken on board, bandages and styptics were applied, and in due season the youth recovered
The place of his lost limb was supplied by a wooden one; and industry, teis, when employed to prop up a lazy and dissipated frame
ADVENTURE WITH PIRATES
FROM ”FORTUNE'S ADVENTURES IN CHINA”
Early in the ether, for the sake of mutual protection The wind and tide were both fair, and we proceeded along the coast with great rapidity, and were soon out of sight of the Min and its beautiful and romantic scenery The plan of mutual protection soon seemed to be abandoned, and the vessels soon separated into threes and fours, each getting on as well and as fast as it could About four o'clock in the afternoon, and ere some fifty or sixty miles from the Min, the captain and the pilot came hurriedly down to my cabin, and infor in wait for us I ridiculed the idea, and told theined every junk they saw to be a pirate; but they still maintained that they were so, and I therefore considered it prudent to be prepared for the worst I got out of bed, ill and feverish as I was, and carefully exaun and pistols, and putting on fresh caps I also raun, put a pistol in each side-pocket, and patiently awaited for the result By the aid of a small pocket-telescope, I could see, as the nearest junk approached, that her deck was croithher intentions The pilot, an intelligent old ht resistance would be of no use; I e to beat off one junk, or even two, but I had no chance with five of the at that time in no mood to take advice, or be dictated by any one, I ordered him off to look after his own duty I knew perfectly well, that if ere taken by the pirates, I had not the slightest chance of escape; for the first thing they would do, would be to knock me on the head and throw erous to theet away At the sa able to beat off such a number, and devoutly wished myself anywhere rather than where I was The scene around e one The captain, pilot, and one or two native passengers were taking up the boards of the cabin floor, and putting theirthe ballast The common sailors, too, had their copper cash, or ”tsien,” to hide; and the whole place was in a state of bustle and confusion When all their an to make some preparations for defense
Baskets of sht up from the hold, and emptied out on the most convenient parts of the deck, and were intended to be used instead of fire-arms, when the pirates came to close quarters This is a common mode of defense in various parts of China, and is effectual enough when the eneainst them; but on the coast of Fokien, where ere now, all the pirate junks carried guns; and, consequently, a whole deck-load of stones could be of little use against theht well be called ”Job's co and so the junk round and run back to the Min
The nearest pirate was noithin two or three hundred yards of us, and, putting her heluns All was now dismay and consternation on board our junk, and every man ran below, except tere at the helm I expected every moment that these also would leave their post; and then we should have been an easy prey to the pirates ”My gun is nearer you than those of the Jan-dous,” said I to the two men, ”and if you move from the helm, depend upon it, I will shoot you” The poor fellows looked very uncoht they had better stand the fire of the pirates than e boards, heaps of old clothes, s of that sort, which were at hand, were thrown up to protect us from the shot; and, as we had every stitch of sail set, and a fair wind, ere going through the water at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour
The shot from the pirate fell considerably short of us, I was therefore enabled to foruns, which was of some use to me assistance from our cowardly creas quite out of the question, for there was not a h to use the stones which he had brought on deck; and which, perhaps, ht have been of some little use when the pirates came nearer The fair wind and all the press of sail which we had crowded on the junk proved of no use to us Again the nearest pirate fired on us The shot this time fell just under our stern I still rele shot until I was quite certain un would take effect
The third broadside, which followed this, cah the sails, without, however, wounding either the men at the helm or myself
The pirates now see and yelling like deuns, and evidently determined not to spare their shot This was a moment of intense interest The plan which I had formed from the first, was now about to be put to proof; and, if the pirates were not the cowards which I believed the into their hands Their fearful yells see in my ears even now, after this lapse of tilobe
The nearest junk was noithin thirty yards of ours; their guns were loaded, and I knew that the next discharge would completely rake our decks ”Now,” said I to our helmsman, ”keep your eyes fixed on me, and the moment you see me fall flat on the deck, you must do the same, or you will be shot” I knew that the pirate, as now on our stern, could not bring his guns to bear upon us, without putting his helles with our stern, as his guns were fired froway I therefore kept a sharp eye upon the hel the helm down, I ordered our steersman to fall flat on their faces behind some wood, and, at the sa! bang! went their guns, and the shot ca the wood about us in all directions Fortunately none of us were struck
”Now, h,” cried out my companions, who did not wish to have another broadside like the last I, being of the sah stern of our junk; and while the pirates were not , I raked their decks, fore and aft, with shot and ball fro them, they could not have been more surprised Doubtless, many ounded, and probably some killed At all events, the whole of the crew, not fewer than forty or fifty men, who, a moment before, crowded the deck, disappeared in athe flat on their faces They were so completely taken by surprise, that their junk was left without a helmsman; her sails flapped in the wind; and, as ere still carrying all sail, and keeping on her right course, they were soon left a considerable way astern