The _Royal James_ hurried down the Chesapeake for a day and a night
before Captain Bonnet gave orders to free the young prisoners below in
the bilboes. Jeremy and Bob came on deck stiff and weary from their
cramped quarters and very far from happy in their minds. Rescue seemed
farther away than ever, and though they had laid many plans for an
escape by swimming, the sight of the great stretch of water off either
beam--the shore was frequently a dozen miles away--quenched their hopes
in this direction.
The crew seemed quite elated over something, and talked and joked
incessantly about the prospect of action in the near future. Bonnet was
merrier than Jeremy had ever seen him, came often on deck and even mixed
a little in the conversation of the foremast hands. On the night that
they cleared the Capes he served out double noggins of rum to all the
men aboard. There was a good deal of prodigality in the way it was
poured out and a fine scene of carousal ensued, lasting until after the
watch changed at midnight. It was the first time either of the boys had
heard the smashing chorus of "Fifteen Men" sung by the whole fo'c's'le.
Of course, the words had often been hummed by one or two of the pirates,
but it took the hot cheer of the grog to open most of their throats. At
the final "Yo, ho, ho!" every cannikin crashed on the deal table and the
lantern heaved to and fro overhead as if a gale were blowing outside.
There followed the howling refrain that Jeremy had heard on the beach of
the island a month before--"An' we'll walk the bloody beggars all below,
all below--an' we'll walk the bloody beggars all below!"
The sentiment seemed too true to be picturesque after what had happened
aboard the brig. The fierce-faced buccaneers, with their red, drunken
eyes, strained forward, every man, and yelled like demons under the
swaying lantern. Close behind and above were the smoky beams and
planking, black with dancing shadows. Yet wild and exciting as it all
was, Jeremy felt sickened. There was no illusion, no play-acting about
it for him. He had seen the awful reality--the murder and the
madness--and he had no admiration left for the jolly buccaneer of story.
On the following morning, and for two days thereafter, the schooner
cruised slowly along a level sea under shortened sail. A double lookout
was kept constantly on duty and as they bore up to the northward, Jeremy
saw that they must be watching for south-bound shipping out of the
Delaware. Bonnet was evidently gambling on the chance that Bob's friends
had given up the idea of pursuit.
Then one hot mid-afternoon the two boys were startled from their places
in the shade of the after-companion by a quick shout from the man at the
masthead. They followed the direction of his pointing arm with their
eyes and as the schooner heaved slowly on a gentle swell, they caught a
glimpse of a low, broad sail on the port bow. The men were all on deck
ready to trim the sails for greater speed, but Herriot, after consulting
with the Captain, ordered the gunners and gun-servers below to prepare
ordnance. Bob and Jeremy were under a tremendous strain of excitement.
The stranger ship might be one of the New Castle fleet which Bob firmly
believed to be searching the seas to recapture him from Bonnet. Should
it prove to be so, their lives were in worse danger than ever, for
neither of the boys doubted that the erratic Captain would kill them at
once if the fight went against him.
However, their minds were soon set at rest on this score. As the pirate
drew up closer and closer, the details of the other ship became visible
to those on deck. She also was schooner-rigged, a trifle larger than the
_Royal James_, but without the latter's height of mast. Her low
free-board indicated that she was heavily cargoed. No gunports could be
seen along her sides.
Bonnet now ordered an extra jib to be broken out, and had the sloop
brought around on the port tack so that her course, instead of running
opposite to the stranger's, would obliquely cross it. The wind, what
little there was, came from the West.
As soon as the other ship perceived this change in direction, she veered
off her course closer to the wind, and almost immediately the boys could
see the white flutter of some extra canvas being spread at her bows. As
this new piece filled out, it proved to be a great balloon jib, which
increased her sail area by nearly half. Her head came off the wind again
and she went bowing along over the swells to the southward faster than
one would have imagined possible. Bonnet had figured on crossing her at
close range, but as she swept onward he realized that he would go by too
far astern to hail her if he kept his present direction. Herriot himself
took the tiller. As quickly as he could, without loss of headway, he
eased the _Royal James_ over till she was running nearly parallel with
the fleeing ship. His orders came quick and fast, while the men trimmed
the main and fore sheets to the last hair's breadth of perfection. It
was to be a race, and a hard one.
For nearly half an hour the sloops ran along almost neck and neck and
perhaps half a mile apart. The pirates dared not risk pointing closer to
the wind in order to get into cannon range. They would have lost so much
speed that it would have developed into a stern chase--useless since
they possessed only broadside batteries. The best they could do was to
hold their position, hoping for luck in the wind.
Bonnet scowled awhile at the British Jack that still flew from the
_James's_ top, then went below and brought up the black pirate flag. The
buccaneers, now all assembled on deck, gave it a cheerful howl of
greeting as it fluttered up to the main truck. "Now we'll catch 'em,
lads!" roared Herriot, and they answered him with a second cheer.
For once, however, the Jolly Roger seemed to bring bad fortune instead
of good. The wind had hardly swept it easily to leeward once when it
fell back against the shrouds, hardly stirring. The pirate sloop's deck
righted slowly and her limp sails drooped from the gaffs. A sudden flaw
in the breeze had settled about her, without interrupting her rival's
progress in the least. A glum despair came over the crew. They lolled,
for the most part silent or grumbling curses, against the rails, with
here and there one trying to whistle up a wind. The other sloop rapidly
drew away to the south.
Bonnet had been talking to Herriot with quick gestures and pointings.
Now he walked forward swiftly and the men got to their feet with a jump.
"We'll board the prize yet," said the Captain short and sharp. "Now look
alive--every one of you!" He ordered one squad of men to the hold for
spars, another for rope, a third for a spare mainjib. Meanwhile he set
two men to making a sort of stirrup out of blocks of wood. This was
fastened to the deck far up in the bows. When the spars came up he had
one of them rigged with a tackle running to the foremast, and set its
foot in the wooden contrivance just finished. It swung out forward like
a great jibboom. The crew saw what was in the Captain's mind and gave a
ringing yell of joy. A score of willing hands made fast the stays to
windward and others spread the spare sail from the upper end of the
spar. As the last rope was bent, a strong draught of air came over the
water. The canvas shook, then filled, and as the fresh breeze steadied
in her sails the sloop heeled far to port. She moved faster and faster,
while the white water surged away under her lee. This was sailing worth
while! The returning wind had come in much stronger than before the
flaw, and was now almost worthy of at least one reef under ordinary
conditions. With her extra canvas, the _James_ was canted over
perilously. Her lee scuppers were often awash and a good deal of water
was coming into the port gundeck.
But to the delight of all on board, including the boys, who could hardly
be blamed for relishing the excitement, Bonnet refused to take in an
inch of sail. Instead, he ordered every available man to the weather
rail. The dead weight of thirty seamen all leaning half-way over the
side served to keep the light craft ballasted for the time being. Bob
and Jeremy clung to the rail amidships and vied with each other in
stretching out over the boiling seas that raced below.
The fleeing ship, which had gained four or five miles during the lull,
was now in plain view again, nearly straight ahead. Her deep lading was
telling against her now. The handicap of sail area being overcome, the
black pirate's shallow draft and long lines gave her the advantage.
Every buccaneer in the crew was howling with excitement as the race went
on. The long main boom of the _Royal James_ skipped through the spray
and her mainsail was wet to the second line of reef points, but Herriot
held her square on the course and Bonnet smiled grimly ahead, with a
look that meant he would run her under before he would shorten sail.
Hand over hand they overhauled their rival, until once more the tiny
figures of men were visible over her rail. A little knot of them were
gathered aft, busy at something. Bonnet seized his glass and scrutinized
them intently. Then he yelled to Herriot to ease the sloop off to port.
"They've got a gun astern there!" he shouted. "They'll try our range in
a minute." Hardly had he spoken when a spout of foam went up from the
sea far to starboard, followed almost instantly by the dull sound of an
explosion. By the time the gunners on the ship had loaded their piece
again the _James_ had come over to their port quarter and they had to
shift the cannon's position. The shot went close overhead, cutting a
corner from the black flag of the pirate. Bonnet swore beneath his
breath, then ordered the cannoneers below to their batteries. They went
on the run. Jeremy and Bob stayed above watching the operations on the
enemy's deck. The two sloops were less than three hundred yards apart
and the _James_ had drawn nearly abeam when a third shot came from her
rival's deck gun. This time it crashed into the pirate's hull far up by
the bits. Bonnet was by the fore hatch, sword in hand, as was his custom
during an action. Looking coolly at the splintered bulwark forward, then
back at the enemy, he gave the sharp "Ready a starboard broadside!" to
the waiting gunners. He allowed them time to have their matches alight,
then "Fire!" rang his clear voice. The deck leaped under the boys' feet.
The long, thunderous bellow of the battery jarred out over the sea. Even
as they looked the enemy's maingaff, shot away at the jaws, dangled
loose from the peak halyards, and her broad sail crumpled, puffing out
awkwardly in the breeze.
At the same time a wide rent in her side above the waterline gaped black
as she topped a wave. The gunners' cheer as they saw their handiwork
rose to a deafening yell, taken up by all hands, when, a moment later,
the British colors came fluttering down aboard the other ship.
Herriot ordered the improvised spinnaker and the flying-jib taken in,
then brought the buccaneer sloop around and came up beside the newly
captured prize. All the pirates were behind the bulwarks with muskets
loaded, prepared for any treachery that might be intended. However, as
they ranged alongside, the hostile crew lined up on their deck, sullen
but unarmed, and the Captain, a big, gray-bearded man, held up a piece
of white cloth in token of surrender. Bonnet hailed him, asking his
name.
"Captain Peter Manewaring of the sloop _Francis,_ Philadelphia for
Charles Town," answered the coasting skipper.
"And I am Captain Thomas, in command of the sloop _Royal James,_" Bonnet
gave him in return. "You will set your men to carrying over into my ship
all the powder you have aboard. As soon as we are fast alongside I shall
be pleased to entertain you in the cabin."
The sails were run down on both sloops and their hulls were quickly
lashed together with ropes. Herriot superintended the operation of
transferring a half-dozen kegs of powder, some casks of wine and the
best food in the coaster's larder to the hold of the black schooner. The
cargo of the _Francis_ was a varied one, but not by any means a poor
prize. She carried some grain in bags forward, a great number of bolts
of cloth, chiefly woollens, and other things of divers sorts, including
some fine mahogany chairs and tables newly brought from England. The
wine was merely incidental, but proved very acceptable to the
ever-thirsty buccaneers.
That night, with the nine men of the _Francis's_ crew lying in irons on
the ballast, they drank deep to their victory, and once more Jeremy and
Bob fell asleep to the rough half-harmony of their bellowings.