"Now, lads, you have them all in a cluster, let them have it. Fire!"
The sharp, ringing report of the brigantine's nine-pounders immediately
pealed out, and even through the shock and concussion of the discharge I
thought that, as I stood with my ear at the open port, I caught the
sound of a crash. Whether this was so or not, there could be no mistake
about the screams and groans of agony that came floating over the water
in response to our broadside, mingled with cries of command, the roll
and dash of oars in the water, a rattling volley of musketry, and the
deeper notes of two boat-guns fired almost together, the shot of one at
least of which I heard and felt strike the hull of the brigantine.
All was now in an instant noise and confusion on deck; the silence that
had held the tongues of the crew was now no longer necessary, and the
jabber, the oaths, the shouting, the loud, defiant laughs, the rumbling
of the gun-carriages, the creaking of tackle-blocks, the thud of rammers
and sponges, the calls for cartridges, all combined to create a hubbub
that would not have shamed the builders of Babel; and through all and
above all rose Mendouca's voice in short, sharp sentences of appeal,
encouragement, and direction to his men. I could hear, by the furious
grinding of handspikes, the breathless ejaculations of the men, and the
crash of the gun-carriages as the guns were run out, that the
_Francesca's_ crew were working like demons; and almost before I could
have believed it possible, they had again loaded their guns and a second
broadside rang out over the still water, to be again followed by a still
more gruesome chorus of cries and groans, and the sudden cessation of
the sound of the oars, loud above which rose the exultant cheers of the
ruffians on deck.
"Hurrah, lads!" I heard Mendouca exclaim joyously; "load again smartly,
but with grape and canister only this time. We have checked them for a
moment, but they have not yet had enough, I fear; they will come at us
again as soon as they have picked up their shipmates, so now is your
time; load and let them have it while they are stationary!"
And while he was speaking I could also hear a voice--that, unless I was
greatly mistaken, belonged to Young, the first luff of the
_Barracouta_--exclaiming at no great distance--
"Pull starboard, back port; now back, hard, all, and let us pick up
those poor fellows before the sharks get the scent of them! Easy all;
steady, lads, steady; hold water! Now then, my hearties, lay hold of
the oars and let us get you inboard sharp; we can't afford to lie here
to be peppered. Help the wounded, those of you who are unhurt. That's
your sort, Styles, bring him along here; is he still alive, do you
think? All right, I have him! Now then, coxswain, heave with a will,
but don't hurt the poor fellow more than you can help. Gently, man,
gently; now lift handsomely, so--"
_Crash_! the relentless broadside of the _Francesca_ again pealed forth,
and again uprose that dismal wail of shrieks in testimony of its too
terribly truthful aim. Frantic cheers and shouts of exultation burst
from the lips of the slaver's crew, in the midst of which Mendouca's
voice rang out--
"Now, stand by, men! here they come; but there is only one boat-load of
them, and half their number must be killed or wounded. Stand by with
your pikes, pistols, and cutlasses, and let not one of them show his
head above the rail. Give them a volley from your pistols as they range
alongside, and then trust to cold steel for the rest. _Now_ is your
time! Fire!"
And at the word there followed a tremendous popping of pistols, mingled
with the yells of the men on deck, a British cheer that sent the blood
tingling through my veins and made me anathematise my helpless
condition, the sharp, ringing clash of steel upon steel, and a furious
trampling of bare feet upon the planks overhead.
The scuffle continued for fully three minutes, and must have been very
hot while it lasted, for all through the hubbub the cries and groans of
the freshly-wounded were continuous. I could hear the dull crunching
sound of the sharp cutlasses shearing through bone and muscle, the
shrill scream of agony, the heavy thud of bodies falling to the deck,
oaths and execrations both in Spanish and in English, shouts of mutual
encouragement, yells of deadly hatred, the ceaseless trampling of feet,
and all the indescribable medley of sounds that accompany a sharp and
stubbornly-contested hand-to-hand conflict; and in my feverish anxiety
to share in the struggle I forgot all about Mendouca's warning, and
dashed myself frantically against the stout cabin-door in an effort to
burst my way out. Before, however, I could succeed the hurly-burly
suddenly ceased, to be almost instantly followed by a yell of exultation
from the crowd overhead as the hasty rattle and splash of oars
proclaimed that the attacking party had been driven off.
"Now, men, to your guns again, quick! Load smartly and give them
another broadside before they get out of range!" shouted Mendouca.
"Sweep them off the face of the water, if you can; let not one of them
escape to tell the tale!"
A loud shout of exulting assent to this brutal exhortation pealed forth;
and I heard the rumbling of the wheels on the deck as the guns were run
in. This was more than I could endure; and again hurling myself
furiously against the cabin-door, I at length succeeded in bursting it
off its hinges. To emerge from the cabin and rush on deck was the work
of a moment, and I reached the scene of action just as the loaded guns
were being run out.
"Stop!" I shouted. "What are you about to do, men? You have utterly
mistaken your captain's orders if you suppose he meant you to fire upon
that boat! Order them to secure the guns," I continued, turning to
Mendouca; "it surely _cannot_ be that you are going to allow the
excitement of battle to betray you into the committal of a cold-blooded
murder? You have beaten off your enemies, and they are in full retreat;
let that satisfy you. Hitherto you have been _fighting_, and, as you
are aware, the present state of the law is such that you are held
justifiable in your act of self-defence; but should you fire upon that
boat now it will be _murder_, and I swear to you that if you do I will
testify against you for the deed, if I live so long. Man, have you no
regard for _yourself_? Do you suppose that the captain of yonder brig
will be content to take the beating off of his boats as a final
settlement of this night's doings? I tell you he will follow you and
hunt you to the world's end, ay, and _take_ you, sooner or later! And
what do you suppose will be your fate if you murder that retreating
boat's crew? Why, you will swing for the deed, as certainly as that you
now stand there glaring at me!"
"Have you finished?" he demanded, in a voice almost inarticulate with
fury, his hand resting meanwhile upon the butt of a pistol that was
stuck in his sash.
"Yes," said I, "I have. That is to say, I have finished if I have
succeeded in preventing the perpetration of an act of miserable
cowardice that in your cooler moments would cause you to hate and
despise yourself for the remainder of your life; not otherwise."
Slowly he removed his hand from the butt of his pistol and, with a
bitter laugh, drew a cigar from his pocket and lighted it.
"Secure the guns!" he shouted to his men. Then walking up to me and
clutching me by the shoulder, he said--
"You have triumphed again. But I warn you that some day you will go too
far, and pay for your temerity with your life. Do you know that while
you were speaking you were actually tottering upon the very brink of the
grave? Why I did not blow your brains out, I do not know. Boy, if you
have any wish to live out your days, never taunt me with cowardice
again! There, go below, and do not let me see you again until I have
recovered my self-command, or even yet I shall do you a mischief."
"No," I said, "I will _not_ go below; it is my watch on deck, and I mean
to keep it. I have no fear of your temper getting the better of you
now, so I shall remain where I am--that is, if you will trust me with
the charge of the deck. I am fresh, while you are fagged with exertion
and excitement, so it is for _you_ to go below and get some rest, not
I."