"Thank Heaven, you are so far safe, dearest," said Fleetwood, as he
placed Ada in the stern sheets of the boat, by the side of Jack Raby,
who, it was arranged, should steer, while he took the stroke oar, his
companions pulling the others.
With heartfelt gratitude did Ada thank Heaven, for having thus far
conducted them in safety through the perils which surrounded them, and
implored protection for herself, and for the gallant men, her
deliverers, through those they had still to encounter.
They had well employed the time spent in waiting, by carefully muffling
the oars, so that they should make no noise as they worked in the
rullocks, and it was now only necessary to take care to let the blades
fall into the water, and to draw them out again with as little splash as
possible.
Marianna sat opposite to her mistress; and if not the most delighted of
the party at the success which had hitherto attended them, she, at all
events, gave more vehement expression to her feelings; and Raby had to
apply his former remedy to keep her quiet.
At a sign from Fleetwood, the boat was sent gliding off from the rock;
but instead of at once steering out into the bay, she was kept close in
shore, under the shadow of the cliffs: the blades of the oars just
clearing the sand as they went along.
The boat was a very rough specimen of naval architecture, and wore they
to have depended on her speed, the chance of escape would have been
small indeed. She was built to pull six oars, with a high bow and
stern, and though well suited to serve as a fishing-boat, or to live in
the short seas of the Archipelago, was not intended to be used when
rapid progress was important. The adventurers had, indeed, selected
her, not on account of the qualities she possessed adapted for their
purpose, but because she happened to be moored close into the shore,
near the east side of the bay, and, what was very important, had her
oars left on board her. Pietro, who was a good swimmer, had, it
appeared, gone off with his knife in his mouth, and cutting her cable,
towed her close enough in for the other two to step into her. They had
then brought her round, with the same cautious silence, to where
Fleetwood had found her.
The hearts of all beat quick with hope, not unmixed, however, with
apprehension, as the boat glided along the shore close to the cliffs.
Fleetwood's glance was roving watchfully round, to notice the first sign
of their being discovered, and of any preparations made for their
pursuit. The figure of the unhappy Paolo Montifalcone was the only one
discernible, as he stood at the end of the rock, to catch a last glimpse
of the faint outline of her on whom he had so devotedly set the
affection of his ardent nature, without a prospect of return, and his
figure soon faded away in the obscurity.
From the shore, the adventurers had now, they thought, less cause to
fear; but they looked with suspicious eyes towards the brig, and the two
misticos, on the decks of which, at least, one person ought to have been
on the watch; but neither of them gave any signs of having life on
board.
"If we had suspected the sort of watch there rascals keep, we should
have had little difficulty in taking them by surprise," thought
Fleetwood. "We may profit by our knowledge on another occasion, but I
am afraid they will not _forget_ the lesson I hope we shall give them,
to be more vigilant in future."
Of course, it is difficult to describe the sensations which alternately
filled Ada's bosom, as the boat progressed round the harbour; hope, joy,
gratitude, love, and fear, all were there; and those who would
understand what they were, must either have been placed in a similar
position, or must endeavour to fancy themselves so placed. At length
the eastern point of the harbour was passed, and with the towering
cliffs of the entrance rising above them on either side, the clear
boundless sea appeared ahead. Jack Raby, with the natural impulse of
his age, forgetting his own lessons to Marianna, was very nearly giving
way to a shout of joy as he found the boat floating freely on the ocean
he had learned to love and to confide in; but he recollected himself in
time, and merely uttered a whispered "hurra," which could not have been
heard above the splash of the water on the rocks close above them.
"Port your helm, Raby, and let us shut out the bay as fast as we can,"
whispered his captain. "We shall still keep under the shadow of the
cliffs for a short distance, to avoid the risk of being seen from the
eastern towers. That will do, steady.
"Keep up your courage, my sweet Ada, for a few minutes more," he said,
turning his eyes to her countenance, from which, indeed, his glance had
never been absent longer than was necessary to watch for their safety.
"We may now congratulate ourselves on having every chance of escape. In
less than half an hour we shall fall in with the _Ione's_ boats, and
then we may defy the whole nest of pirates to stop us."
"I shall have no further fear when we have lost sight of that dreadful
vessel, which looks even now like some slumbering monster about to awake
and rush after us," she answered, pointing to the _Sea Hawk_, which lay
still open inside the harbour's mouth.
She had scarcely uttered these words when a loud shout was heard, which
seemed to proceed from some one on board her, and a musket was
discharged at them. The shouting was repeated, and words were clearly
distinguished.
"We are discovered," exclaimed the Greek captain. "Pull, pull, as hard
as we can, the watch on deck is calling on us to come into the harbour.
He has evidently just woke up, and is yet uncertain what we are, though
he suspects us. He threatens to fire the guns at us if we do not obey
him, and that will have the effect, though we escape the shot, of waking
up the rascals in all quarters, and we shall have a whole fleet of boats
after us: stay, I will hail in return, and pretend we are fishermen."
On this he stood boldly up in the boat, and cried out in Romaic, at the
top of his voice--
"What fool is that on board the _Sea Hawk_, who has been sleeping on his
watch these four hours past, and now makes so much noise, because others
more industrious get up early in the morning to follow their avocations?
We should have little fish to eat if we were to trust to you for the
supply."
"Who is it?" exclaimed the same voice. "Is it you, Balbo?"
"Yes, yes," answered Captain Vassilato; "I should have thought you would
have known my voice."
"Who is it?" hailed another person, apparently on shore.
"Gerasimo Listi," answered the watch on the _Sea Hawk's_ deck.
"No, no, the old fellow lies drunk at home!" exclaimed the second
speaker. "Treachery, treachery. They are the spies endeavouring to
escape."
"It is hopeless to deceive them," said Captain Vassilato, when he heard
these words, which he translated to his companions as he resumed his
seat and oar. "We must pull for our lives; we have a good start, and it
may be some time before any boats' crews can be collected to pursue us."
It is needless to say with what energy all hands bent to their oars--
concealment was of no further use, and they were able to put their whole
strength into their strokes. There was no time to be lost. The brig
was swinging with her broadside across the mouth of the harbour, and as
soon as those on her deck could procure matches, they rushed to the
guns, and discharged them in quick succession; and Ada could scarcely
restrain a shriek of terror as she saw their bright flashes lighting up
the mouth of the harbour--the sides and rigging of the vessel now
crowded with people--and heard their loud report echoing among the
cliffs, as also the rushing noise of the shot as they came flying by--
some over their heads, some close astern, and others ahead of them; for
though the pirates' aim was very uncertain, yet, as from the narrow
entrance of the bay, the only shot which could reach them must come
between the cliffs, they could not go far distant from them. One or
two, apparently, from the peculiar noise they made, hit the cliffs, and
rebounded back into the bay. Marianna, whose fears had completely
overcome her, crouched down at the bottom of the boat, where she thought
she should be more secure; and Fleetwood entreated Ada in that respect
to follow her example, desiring Jack Raby to place her as low down as
possible, where a shot was less likely to strike the boat. Though she
was unwilling to be more sheltered from danger than he was, yet she saw
that her so doing would relieve him from some of his fear for her
safety, and she complied with his wishes; reclining on some jackets and
cloaks which Jack Raby spread out for her, she saw no more of what took
place, though the noise of the firing soon ceasing told her that they
had shut in the brig by the western cliffs.
"Remain where you are, dearest," said Fleetwood, as she was about to
rise. "We may still have some shot sent after us, when the boats, which
will probably pursue us, get outside; and though, with the start we
have, they are not likely to take good aim, a fatal one may come on
board; and think, Ada, of how little use would be the risk we have run,
if you were to be the victim. But do not be alarmed; no enemy has yet
approached."
I do not know if I have explained clearly the position of the boat: she
was at this time about an eighth of a mile from the lofty cliffs which
formed the western side of the bay, with her head to the west, going at
the rate of between four and five knots an hour, which was the utmost
speed with which, with all their exertions, they could urge her through
the water. The cleft in the rock, as now the entrance of the harbour
appeared to be, was seen over their starboard quarter, and in that
direction their eyes were anxiously turned for the appearance of the
boats they fully expected would follow them. A new danger also appeared
from a quarter they had not expected, for along the summit of the
cliffs, as seen against the bright blue sky, they could discern some
figures running at full speed, and they were not left long in doubt as
to their intentions. The persons halted, and the bright barrels of
their guns gleamed in the moonlight, as they brought them to their
shoulders and fired. Several balls flew by them, and one struck the
gunnel of the boat, though, fortunately, no other damage was done. The
pirates kept shouting out their threats of vengeance, and firing away,
apparently to intimidate the fugitives, little understanding the
character of the people with whom they had to deal.
Here, of course, Ada was exposed to as much danger as the rest; and
though Fleetwood would have joyfully interposed his own person to
preserve her, it was impossible for him to do so, and all he could do
was to entreat her to remain down as much as possible under the seat,
and to redouble his efforts at the oar.
"We shall soon be beyond the range of those fellows' guns!" he
exclaimed. "But ah, there's a boat's bow creeping out from between the
rocks. We've a good start of her, however. Give way, gentlemen. We'll
lead her a long chase, and find her a warm reception at the end of it, I
hope."
"She's not alone, though!" exclaimed Bowse, whose eyesight was
remarkably keen. "There's another close astern of her, and, by heaven,
there's another just rounding the point. We shall have enough of them
to look after us, at all events."
"It matters little how many, provided we keep ahead of the leading one,"
said Captain Fleetwood, in a cheerful tone, not as much for the object
of encouraging his rude companions, as for the sake of keeping up Ada's
spirits. "I don't think any of them are likely to pull much faster than
we do."
These remarks were made slowly and at intervals, and perhaps even fewer
words were really used, as any one who has pulled a heavy oar, for life
and death, will know the utter impossibility of carrying on an unbroken
conversation, as I have written it down.
They had by this time nearly doubled the distance they were from the
shore when the first boat was seen, and had thus gained the best part of
half a mile from the harbour's mouth. The nearest of the pirate's boats
was rather more than a quarter of a mile off, which in a stern chase,
with slow-pulling boats, was a considerable distance.
The other boats they would not have seen at that distance, had not, as
they pulled out, a gleam of moonshine fallen on their bows, and tinged
their foaming wake with a line of gold, as they rounded the point before
they could stand to the westward in pursuit. The night remained as calm
and beautiful as at first, and the moon, though still young, afforded
sufficient light to enable the pursuers and pursued to distinguish each
other, as they urged their boats through the water.
Fleetwood's arrangements had been as follows: Provided the weather was
sufficiently moderate, in Mr Saltwell's opinion, with whom all
authority rested, to permit him to venture to sea, with safety, in an
open boat, he was to get under-weigh, in the _Ione_ every evening; to
stand in till within sight of the island, and to send the boats on with
all hands, well armed, to within about two miles of the island, due west
of the harbour, or much nearer if the night should prove dark; but they
were especially to avoid any risk of being seen from the island. As
morning dawned they were to retire gradually, keeping a bright look-out
for him, and they were then to return on board, and the _Ione_ was to
stand back to her anchorage.
As the night was decidedly bright, Fleetwood did not expect to find the
boats nearer than within the distance he had fixed on, and they had then
a mile and a half at least to sail before they could come up with them;
but he hoped that the firing would have attracted their attention, and
that, suspecting its true cause, they would have pulled closer in. Raby
stood up as he steered, to peer into the darkness, but no sign could be
seen of the wished-for boats.
"May I hail, sir?" he asked. "The pirates will only think that we are
laughing at them, and perhaps some of those with Mr Linton may know my
voice."
"Yes, hail if you like; but we are still too far off for them to hear
you," said Fleetwood.
On this, Jack Raby, putting his hand to his mouth, gave a long shrill
cry, which might have been heard a mile off; and it must have made the
pirates think that one of them was wounded; but no answering hail was
given.
The pirates' boats, though so suddenly manned, were pulled well, and
were decidedly overhauling the fugitives. Fleetwood remarked it, but he
said nothing. He still hoped that as the distance was short between
them, and when they might not only obtain assistance, but retaliate on
the enemy, they might gain it before they were overtaken.
"It's surprising that the pirates in the boats don't fire on us,"
observed Bowse. "They must see us clearly enough to take good aim at
this distance. I suspect they have no fire-arms with them."
"Depend on it, they are not without them," replied Captain Vassilato.
"His rifle was the first thing every man snatched up, as he left his hut
and sprang on deck to jump into his boat. No, no, they make sure of
coming up to us, and anticipate too much satisfaction in cutting our
throats, to throw away a shot on us."
"They would be less chary of their powder if they knew how short a
distance our friends are from us," said Fleetwood.
It occurred to him, also, that probably Zappa himself was on board one
of the boats, and that he would not fire for fear of injuring Ada; for,
judging from his own feelings, he had from the first, thought, and
justly too, that the pirate was influenced to carry her off, more by his
admiration of her than for the sake of her ransom, and this caused him
still more anguish, when he saw the probability of her again falling
into his power.
"I think there is a slight air springing up from the eastward, sir,"
said Jack Raby, as he sat down again to steer. "I wish we had a sail to
drive her on faster."
"I fear, indeed, that there is a breeze getting up," said Fleetwood, in
a tone which ill concealed the apprehensions he felt. "The other boats,
however, may not have sails. They must all have come off in a great
hurry."
"I see something which has a sail, though," exclaimed Bowse. "The
rascals have towed out one of their cursed misticos, and we shall have
her after us presently. I see her white canvas, even now, gleaming in
the moon-light. She does not feel the breeze yet, for there is a little
northerly in it, and the cliffs becalm her."
"I fear you are right, Bowse," said Fleetwood. "I have just now, also,
caught a glimpse of her; but the breeze is still very light, and will
not send her faster through the water than the boats can pull, so we
need not fear her, I hope. It convinces me, also, that the boats have
no sails; but that they believe we have, and might, if the wind
increases, get away from them. Courage, my friends, we must not
despair."
"We may give them a tough job to take us, sir, even if they come up with
us," exclaimed the young midshipman, glancing over the boats, which were
clearly overhauling them. "There are five of us,"--he reckoned himself
a man in strength, as he was in courage--"and, with arms in our hands,
we may thrash a few dozen rascally pirates, any day. But it may be as
well to sing out again, and let our friends know our whereabouts."
He jumped up as he said this, and shouted at the top of his voice; but
no hail was heard in return; and it now became too probable that, owing
to the calm which had prevailed all day, the _Ione_ had been delayed,
and that her boats had not reached their station; for, otherwise, as
Fleetwood suggested, they would most certainly have pulled towards them
directly they heard the guns of the _Sea Hawk_. Again and again Jack
Raby hailed, with the same result; and it now became very certain that
they must not depend on the speedy assistance of their friends. To say
that Fleetwood's heart sank within him, as this circumstance became
evident, would be wrong; at the same time that he saw clearly the very
great danger to which he and those with him were exposed.
"That they have refrained from firing shows that they will not injure
Ada; and when she tells the pirate that a large ransom is ready to be
paid for her, he will send her, unharmed, on board the _Ione_; and, for
ourselves, we must sell our lives dearly, as brave men should do."
He thought this, as he saw the leading Greek boat rapidly gaining on
them, and now little more than two-thirds the distance she had been
before; while they had pulled rather more than a mile from the shore,
which now rose dim and frowning astern of them. At the same rate they
might thus pull two additional miles before they were overtaken; but
then it was utterly impossible that their strength would enable them to
continue urging the boat through the water at the same speed they had
hitherto been doing. Could they indeed do so, it would be, they soon
saw, to little purpose, for every instant the breeze increased, and the
mistico was already up to the sternmost boats. They now saw that she
had her sweeps out, as well as her canvas set--which, of course, still
further lessened their chances of escape.
"I fear the knaves will have the best of it, sir," exclaimed Bowse,
incautiously, forgetting the effect his observation might have upon Ada.
"But, never fear, sir, we'll fight it out as long as we've hands to
move. I'm sure Captain Vassilato and Mr Raby will, and I'll answer for
Pietro and myself."
"Thanks--thanks--my friends; I fear it must come to that," said
Fleetwood. "Raby, have you got the muskets ready? We will give them a
few shot, to show that we do not intend to yield, and at the same time
the report may be heard by our friends."
"Yes, sir; there are three muskets here," replied the midshipman. "I
suppose they are loaded."
"Oh, never fear; Captain Vassilato and I examined them after we got down
to the boat, and we loaded them on board the mistico," said Bowse.
"Take a steady aim when you fire, sir. If you can but hit one or two of
the men at the oars, it will throw them into great confusion."
"Shall I fire, sir?" asked Jack of his captain.
"No, wait till they get nearer; we must not throw a shot away," was the
answer.
Ada had heard, with the most intense anxiety, all the observations which
had been made, and she could resist speaking no longer, which she did,
in a voice weak and trembling with agitation and alarm.
"Oh, Fleetwood, I implore you, do not, for my sake, resist," she said.
"The pirates must inevitably overpower us, from what I hear; and you can
do no good by fighting, but will certainly sacrifice your own life and
that of your friends. Yield, without striking a blow, and they will not
injure you; and you will surely find another opportunity to escape,
while I must bear my lot as I best can. For myself I have no fears."
"Ada, it is not death I fear; but the thought of losing you almost
unmans me," exclaimed Fleetwood. "And even if I felt, which I do not,
that my life would be safe, were I again in the pirate's power, I could
not yield without fighting, nor would those with me, I am sure. I know
all you feel, my beloved Ada; but were we this moment to cease pulling,
and to allow the pirates to come alongside, it would but hasten our
fate."
Ada saw that further remonstrance would be useless, and relying, as she
justly did, on Captain Fleetwood's discretion and judgment, and feeling
he was acting for the best, she said nothing, but waited in silence and
dread the coming contest. Poor little Marianna, though her fate was
less cruel than that of her mistress, as a short captivity was all she
had to fear, was not the less alarmed, and lay at the bottom of the
boat, giving way to her fears in floods of tears without attempting to
rise.
The first boat approached within three cables' length of that of the
fugitives.
"Now, Raby, fire, and aim steadily," exclaimed Fleetwood.
The midshipman, leaving the helm for an instant, took one of the
muskets: and resting it on the stern of the boat, fired. A loud cry
succeeded the report, and the boat's progress was evidently stopped.
"You have hit one of them," said Fleetwood. "Now, load your piece and
fire again. If you can hit another, it will throw them into further
confusion."
Jack Raby eagerly did as he was desired, and taking his aim in the most
deliberate manner, another pirate was either killed or wounded. The
effect was to make her drop so much astern that the second boat took the
lead of her.
Jack again loaded his piece. He looked up at the star of which he had
been steering, just touching the tiller with his arm, to bring the boat,
which had gone off half a point, back to her proper course; and then
turning round, and half kneeling on the seat, he fired with the same
deliberate coolness as before. The bullet struck the boat, but no one
appeared to be wounded, for on she came faster than ever. He loaded and
fired again, with the same want of effect; a third shot, however, told
on the body of one of the pirates, in the after part of the boat, but
his place was instantly taken by another; though the delay allowed the
boat which had so long led to come almost abreast of her; and they now,
to Fleetwood's grief, came up together, one pulling for each quarter.
"Load once more, Raby, and pass two of the muskets forward," he
exclaimed. "As they hook on, we will all fire together, two on each
side; then, with our pistols, shoot those who are attempting to grapple
the boat, and trust to our cutlasses for the rest. The moment we can
free ourselves we will again take to our oars; and I hope we may give
them such a taste of our quality, that the rest may not wish to molest
us."
"We'll do our best," was the unanimous cry, for all saw that Fleetwood's
proposal, however desperate, was the only one to afford them the chance
of escape. It would have been as great folly to have trusted to the
mercy of pirates, such as they were, as it is to confide in the honour
or fair dealing of grasping, money-loving rogues on shore, more
especially of those who fancy that they have the protection of the laws
to shelter them, while they carry out their nefarious projects. The two
leading boats were close to them, while the others were some way astern,
with the mistico, which was bringing up the breeze, nearly abreast of
the latter.
"Now," exclaimed Fleetwood, throwing in his oar, and seizing a musket,
as the bows of the two boats came up with their counter, "fire."
The order was obeyed, and a man in each boat was seen to fall, but it
did not check them, and they dashed alongside. The gallant adventurers
drew their pistols, and fired them with equally good aim, for two more
of their opponents fell wounded; and then grasping their cutlasses used
them with such effect, that for some minutes their assailants were kept
at bay, without either of themselves receiving a wound. Suddenly, in
the midst of the clashing of swords and the cries of the combatants,
Jack Raby jumped up on the seat at the risk of being cut down by the
enemy; and, while he was still using his sword with one liana, he put
the other to his mouth, and shouted out at the top of His voice--
"_Ione_--ahoy--ahoy! I thought so, I thought so," he exclaimed, as a
faint hail came across the waters. "I thought I heard their hail before
we fired."
On hearing this, Fleetwood and the rest simultaneously joined in the cry
of--
"_Ione_--ahoy--ahoy!"
If, however, it had the effect of letting their friends know where they
were, it also made the pirates see the necessity of finishing the affair
without delay, if they would secure their prize. A tall figure had been
seen standing in the after part of one of the boats. He now sprang
forward, and crossed his blade with Fleetwood, who at once recognised
him as Zappa. Both were good swordsmen, but the pirate had greater size
and strength, and his arm was, besides, untired, while Fleetwood could
scarcely wield his weapon. Zappa shouted to his men.
"Beware!" cried the Greek captain, who knew what was said.
The pirates from both boats made a simultaneous rush; a third came up at
the same time. A blow, he could not parry, struck Fleetwood down,
senseless, into the bottom of the boat; and at the same moment his
companions fell desperately wounded, except Jack Raby, who found his
sword whirled into the sea, and himself lifted, by main force, into one
of the boats, with Pietro in his company. As Fleetwood tottered on
receiving his wound, Ada Garden uttered a shriek of terror, but before
her fears overpowered her she mustered her energies for the occasion,
and endeavoured, as she knelt at the bottom of the boat, to prevent him
from receiving any further injury as he fell. Regardless of the noise
and confusion around, she raised his head on the cloaks, on which she
had been reclining; she endeavoured to stanch the blood flowing from a
deep wound in his head; she called on his name, in accents of anguish,
to revive and speak to her, but in vain--no answer could he give. She
observed not what was taking place, scarcely that his companions were
taken away; that other men filled their places, and that the boat was
being urged rapidly back towards the shore, by six fresh and powerful
oarsmen. Meantime the mistico had come up, and now hauled her wind with
her head to the northward, so that her guns might cover the retreat of
the pirate boats; but as soon as they got in order, and began to move
towards the harbour, she let draw her head sails, went about, and stood
in the same direction, none of the pirates having the slightest
intention of coming in contact with the British, if they could avoid it;
for they also, it afterwards appeared, had heard the hail of the
_Tone's_ boats, and rightly guessed from whence it came. The crews of
the British boats gave way with a will; for, finding that all the firing
had ceased, and that their hail was no longer answered, they began to
suspect the truth, and that their friends had been overtaken and
captured. Linton, it must be remembered, could not tell to a certainty
what had taken place, and he therefore acted to the best of his
judgment. He ordered the boats to accompany him, pulling as fast as
they could, in the direction in which they had seen the firing; but they
had come clearly in sight of the lofty cliffs of the island before they
perceived the mistico standing in for the land, and a fleet of boats
near her, just distinguishable through the gloom. The tables were now
reversed, and it was this time the smaller force chasing the larger one;
but even had there been twice the number of boats, Linton would not have
hesitated to chase them. The British crews, as they found that they
were in sight of the enemy, gave forth three of those hearty cheers
which they can seldom resist uttering in moments of excitement, and,
with redoubled energy, dashed after the retreating boats.
That cheer was heard by those of the captives who still retained their
consciousness, and though it showed them that they were not deserted by
their friends, it made the pirates still more eager to return to their
strong-hold, to avoid encountering an enemy so evidently in good spirits
and courage.
The mistico sailed well; but, as the wind stood, it was evident that she
would be obliged to make one tack, if not more, before she could fetch
the harbour, and this gave the British a hope that they should at all
events be able to cut her off; and Linton doubted whether it would not
be better first to get hold of as many of the boats as they could, and
then to wait for her off the mouth of the harbour.
"I think the boats have got the captain, and the rest of them, on board,
by the way they pull," shouted Linton, to Tompion, who commanded the
cutter. "Tackle them first, and we may pay the other rascals off
afterwards. Huzza, my men--give way, or they will be into their den
before we can get alongside them."
"The mistico has tacked," shouted Tompion, in return. "Shall I fire
into her?"
"No--no; no firing--we may be hitting our friends," cried Linton. "Let
her go--we can get her afterwards."
As the boats drew near her, the mistico opened a fire of small arms and
swivels on them over the larboard side; for she was now standing
directly across their course, bringing them, as she got more to the
northward, under her stern; so that when she again tacked, she would be
able to bring her starboard broadside to bear on them. The pirate boats
also commenced a slight and uncertain fire, showing that very few of
them had arms; but, as they drew near the shore, the cliffs appeared
fringed with a blaze of fire, which opened down upon them.
Still undaunted, Linton pushed on: the boats were occasionally hit, but
no one was wounded. The mistico again tacked; but she found the wind
more scant than she had probably expected, and she consequently fell
off, and instead of having the English boats on her starboard side, she
passed astern of them, unable to fire, so close were both parties
together, without an equal chance of injuring her own friends. The same
cause also prevented the people on the cliffs from keeping up the hot
fire they might otherwise have done; for in the darkness of night it was
difficult to distinguish the position of the English boats, in
consequence of their carefully abstaining from firing. Linton and his
followers were almost up with the sternmost of the pirate boats when the
lofty cliffs opened, as it seemed, by magic--the enemy disappeared in
the narrow opening, and, as they were boldly pushing after them, they
found a thick chain drawn across the passage, and at the same time a
blaze of fire opened from the broadside of the brig, moored across it.
"Back your larboard oars, pull up your starboard oars, my men," shouted
Linton. "We are in a trap--must give it up, or be knocked to pieces,
I'm afraid. Let all the boats pull to the south-west as fast as they
can till we are out of the range of their guns."
It was, indeed, time for the British to retire; for besides the big guns
and swivels of the brig, every accessible point of the cliffs above
their head appeared covered with musketry, and several heavy pieces sent
forth their messengers of destruction from beneath the walls of the
castle. Never were boats perhaps exposed to a hotter fire--to penetrate
into the harbour was utterly impossible, and the probability of their
escaping was small indeed.
"Pull on--pull for your lives, my men," shouted the young lieutenant, as
the boats' heads came round, and their crews endeavoured to escape from
the showers of round shot and bullets, which dashed the water up on
every side of them, wounding several, and sending more than one brave
heart to its last account.
"We shall do yet, my men. We'll pay the villains off for this!" he
shouted. "Oh, Heaven! They've done for me. Take the helm, Duff, and
tell Mr Tompion--"
He spoke in a low tone, and before he finished the sentence he sunk down
at the bottom of the boat.