The master of the _Zodiac_, as he laboured without ceasing at the
important work of getting his ship once more in sailing trim, every now
and then glanced at the pretended Austrian with feelings in which the
undaunted courage of the British seaman were fearfully mingled in his
bosom with dark forebodings as to the result of an engagement with an
enemy in every respect so much his superior. His eye would also, ever
and anon, range round the horizon in anticipation of those rising signs
of the coming breeze, which he prayed Heaven might yet be long delayed
till the work was completed, and then that it might come from the
eastward, as it would thus give him the weather gage, and enable him to
manoeuvre to better advantage in the coming fight; for he had already
seen most convincing proof of the superior sailing qualities of the _Sea
Hawk_; that he had no expectations of being able to avoid it, even
should he be able to make sail before the arrival of the breeze. With
voice and example, he cheered on his crew to the work; the topmast had
been got up, and the rigging fitted over its head; but the topsail-yard
was not yet across, and much remained to be done to make their previous
labours of any avail. Bowse himself had taken his meals on deck, as had
his mates; and the men had snatched but a minute to satisfy their
hunger. He had just before sent them below to their dinners, when, as
he was taking a look at the enemy, to see what she was about, he
observed beyond her a dark blue line on the horizon.
"Ah," he muttered; "there's no doubt what is coming now, and long before
the canvas is spread, we shall have the breeze blowing strong, and the
brig coming down on us. Well, we've done our best, and men can do no
more. I'll let the poor fellows have this meal in quiet; it will be the
last many of them will eat, I fear. Ah! Heaven only knows if any on
board here will ever taste another, if those cursed villains get hold of
us--and nothing but a miracle can save us, that I see--yet, we'll make
them pay dear for victory, at all events."
He took two or three turns on the deck, watching his antagonist, and the
coming wind; and from his cool and calm exterior, no one would have
supposed how fully he felt the dangerous position in which his ship was
placed. Broader and broader grew the line, till, at last, the wind
filled the loftier canvas of the corsair, which was spread to catch it.
The time, he saw, was, come to prepare for the final struggle. He
summoned the mate from below.
"Turn the hands up," he cried out, in a firm, sharp tone, to be heard
throughout the ship. "We shall have work before long to warm them up a
bit."
The men sprang on deck with alacrity, casting an eye at the stranger as
they went to the work in hand.
The topsail-yard was ready fitted, and all hands now joined in swaying
away on it. Meantime, the wind, though still light, had filled the
pirate's sails, and she was stealing through the water towards them,
before they even felt the wind. At last a few catspaws, the
_avant-couriers_ of the stronger breeze, began to play round them. The
foresail and the fore-staysail were the only sails they could yet get to
pay the brig's head off before the wind. These were now set; but the so
doing delayed the work of bending the topsail, and the _Sea Hawk_ was
now coming fast up with them. As soon as the _Zodiac_ was got dead
before the wind, the main-topsail and topgallant-sails were hoisted; the
studdensail-booms were run out, and studdensails set, which much made
amends for the loss of the headsails, as long as they desired only to
keep before the wind. Notwithstanding, however, all the canvas the
_Zodiac_ could set, the corsair still came up with her hand over hand.
Bowse watched till he thought she had come within range of his guns, and
he then ordered one to be brought up, and pointed at her over the
taffrail.
As soon as Colonel Gauntlett, who was on deck, heard the order given, he
exclaimed that he and Mitchell would assist in working the guns, while
the crew continued bending the sails.
The gun was accordingly trained aft, but part of the taffrail had to be
cut away to work it.
"Try to knock away some of his spars, sir," cried Bowse, as the colonel
prepared to fire. "Everything depends on that."
The colonel fired, but the shot fell short. The gun was instantly again
loaded, but before they had time to fire, the pirate yawed and let fly a
bow chaser, the shot from which flew through the main-topsail, though
without doing further damage. The colonel again fired, but again the
shot fell short, to his no slight rage.
"I see how it is, sir," observed Bowse, "that fellow has a long nine in
his bows, while our gun is only a carronade. He will be doing us
mischief, I am afraid."
"Let him get a little nearer though, and we will give him two to one,"
returned the colonel.
Scarcely had he spoken, when another shot came, which cut away the
topmast starboard shrouds. Hands were immediately sent aloft to secure
the rigging, but this again delayed the progress of the work on the
foremast. Notwithstanding the occasional yaw the pirate was obliged to
make in order to fire, he still gained on the _Zodiac_. At last he got
within range of her carronades, to the great satisfaction of Colonel
Gauntlett, who forthwith commenced firing his gun as fast as Mitchell
could sponge and load it. The shot, however, told with little or no
effect; a few holes were made through his head-sails, but no ropes of
importance were cut away on board the _Sea Hawk_. The countenances of
the pirates could now clearly be seen. They had exchanged the Austrian
uniforms for their proper Greek dresses, which added considerably to the
ferocity of their appearance.
Finding that the carronade frequently sent its shot on board, they
hauled up a point, so as to bring their vessel on the starboard quarter
of the _Zodiac_, and at the same time to keep beyond the range of her
guns, while they could still send the shot from their long bow chaser on
board her.
The brave master groaned when he saw the manoeuvre, for he felt how
completely he was at the mercy of the enemy. The colonel,
notwithstanding, still continued working his gun, till with rage he saw
that his shot again fell short of the enemy. The _Zodiac_, it must be
understood, bearing chiefly after sail, could not venture to haul up so
much as to bring the enemy again astern, or he would have tried to do
so. His gun was worked quickly, and with great precision; shot after
shot told with fearful effect on the spars and rigging. The men had
perseveringly laboured the whole time in spite of the shot flying about
them, but just as they had bent the fore-topsail, and were swaying away
on the yard, a shot struck the fore-yard, and cut it completely in two.
The men saw that their efforts were all in vain, and letting go the
halyards, rushed of their own accord to the guns.
"It's no use running, sir," they exclaimed, with one voice. "Let's
fight it out while we can."
The pirate's shot continued their work of destruction. The main topmast
next received a wound, and in a minute afterwards, the breeze
freshening, down it came on board, hampering up the deck.
"Clear away the wreck of the topmast, my lads," exclaimed the master.
"And then I hope those scoundrels will give us a a chance of punishing
them."
The order was obeyed, and the gun, which had been trained aft, was
replaced, and the other two guns were got over to the starboard side.
The brave crew then gave forth a cheer of defiance at the enemy,
expecting that they were about to run them on board; the pirates were
waiting, though, till their guns had produced more effect; a shot at
last came, and carried away the peak halyards, and deprived her of all
power of manoeuvring. The _Zodiac_ was now at their mercy; and they
bore down upon her; but instead of running her aboard on the starboard
side, they luffed up when just under her stern, and poured in the whole
of their starboard guns; then, keeping away again, they hauled up on the
other tack joining their larboard battery, and then once more, as if
content with their work, they kept away, and ran her on board on the
starboard side.
Three of the _Zodiac's_ crew had been disabled, and Bowse himself was
badly wounded; but the remainder fought their guns to the last. The
pirates, as the sides of the two vessels ground together, threw their
grapnels on board, and crowded the rigging to leap on the deck of the
_Zodiac_.
The master, and Colonel Gauntlett, led on the English crew to oppose the
enemy--never did men fight better, but numbers bore them down--the
struggle was in vain, the colonel was first struck down, and the master
directly after, and though the two mates continued fighting some time
afterwards, one being killed and the other wounded, the survivors gave
way, and were either driven down below or overboard.
The tall figure of the pirate leader was the most conspicuous in the
fight.
"The brig is ours!" he exclaimed, as he took up his post at the top of
the companion steps. "But she is too slow a sailer to be of any use to
us; we will therefore take the most valuable part of her cargo on board,
and desert her. We have no time to lose; for all this firing may have
been heard by some British cruiser, who will be down upon us before
long--Now, Paolo, follow me."
The pirate crew instantly got the hatches off, and set to work to select
what they considered most valuable, and to transfer it to their own
vessel.
Ada Garden had often read of tempests at sea, of shipwrecks, and
battles; but it had never occurred to her that she might some day
witness their horrors, or suffer from their dreadful effects. Now the
reality of the scenes she had before pictured to herself, as events
passed by, and unlikely again to happen, was palpably displayed before
her. She had scarcely recovered from the terrors of the the storm when
her uncle came below, and, with unusual tenderness in his manner urged
her not to be alarmed at the noise of the guns which were about to be
fired; at the same time speaking with confidence of their ultimate
success. Though she trembled with anxiety at what she heard, she
promised not to give way to fear, and entreated to be allowed to come on
deck. To this he of course would on no consideration consent, and after
much argument, and by showing her the useless danger she would run, he
made her promise that nothing should induce her to leave the cabin till
he himself came down to summon her. She again had recourse to her
Bible, and, with Marianna sitting at her feet, she endeavoured to calm
her mind, and to banish her terror as she had done during the gale.
Except from the occasional discharge of the guns there was now, perhaps,
much less to cause her alarm, if she could have helped thinking of the
possible result; but this, notwithstanding her uncle's assurances, she
could not do; for she understood too well the great superiority of the
pirate vessel; and though she knew that her countrymen would struggle to
the last, yet she felt that they might be overcome; and she scarcely
dared to contemplate what her fate might be. The alarm of her young
attendant was almost beyond control.
"Oh, Holy Mary!" she shrieked out, as the first shot was fired; "the
dreadful battle has begun, and we shall be killed. Oh, why did we leave
our dear Valetta, to come on the stormy sea, when one moment we are
about to be drowned and the next murdered--ah me, ah me!" and the poor
girl burst into tears. Another shot was heard, and she started and
trembled afresh.
Ada tried to console her. "Listen now, Marianna," she said, "those
shots are fired from this vessel, and, therefore, they cannot hurt us,
though they may our enemies. It is only those which are sent from the
other ship can injure us; as yet, none seem to have been discharged."
"May the saints prevent the wretches from sending any!" exclaimed
Marianna through her tears. "Perhaps they will not fire on a British
ship."
"Heaven grant it may be so," said Ada, "but I fear not. That sounds as
if our ship had been struck."
It was the sharp sound of a spar being wounded, which, like an electric
shock, reverberated through the vessel. Another and another followed.
"Oh, the enemy must be close to us! My dear, dear mistress, what is
going to happen?" shrieked the poor Maltese girl.
"Put your trust in Heaven, Marianna; and, though we are unable to
discern it, the means may at the last moment be found for our
preservation," said Ada solemnly. "I would that I were allowed to
venture on deck, to learn that my uncle has not suffered in this
dreadful fire."
"Oh, do not leave me, my mistress," exclaimed Marianna, clinging to her
dress. "You will be killed, to a certainty, if you go up among all the
fighting. No, you shall not go!"
Ada did not attempt to disengage herself, for she remembered her promise
to Colonel Gauntlett, and she felt how worse than useless she would
there be. Still louder and more frequent became the roar of the enemy's
guns, and the crashes, as the spars and rigging came falling down on
deck. Then came other frightful noises in quick succession, as the
pirate poured in her two broadsides, and lastly the loud, grating sound,
as she finally ran alongside, and the two vessels ground together as
they lay locked in their deadly embrace. At the same instant arose the
shouts of defiance raised by the British seamen, mingled with the
shrieks of their wounded, and answered by the fierce cries of the
pirates, as they threw themselves on the _Zodiac's_ deck--next was heard
above their heads the loud trampling of the feet of those engaged in
mortal struggle. Sometimes Ada fancied that her friends were
victorious, and that the pirates were driven back; then again, by the
more frequent sound of the stamping of feet, and the cries and
exclamations in a strange language, she felt too sure that the enemy had
poured still greater numbers on board. For a few moments the noise of
feet increased; there were next some heavy, dull sounds, as of persons
falling, and then arose the loud triumphant shout of victory; but the
sounds were strange--it was that of the enemy; all, then, for a time was
silent--what had become of her uncle and the brave crew? With her heart
palpitating, and her mind in a chaos of confusion, she could not resolve
what to do. She could just discern the footsteps of persons descending
the companion-ladder--they entered the main cabin. The door of the one
in which she with Marianna sat was violently opened, and she beheld the
countenance of the pirate Zappa. Too truly all then was lost. The
excess of her horror and alarm overcame her and she fainted.