"I take it, you see, that the brig out there is the very same which
attacked this vessel, and her crew, of course, know that there was not a
living soul left on board, but that there were six heads in the cabin,"
he answered, speaking very slow. "Now, in my wild young days, I was
once for some time behind the scenes of a theatre, and if I had been a
scholar I might have become a play-actor. When there, I saw what
wonders a little paint, and canvas, and pasteboard could work. As there
are six of us, I propose to put a false neck over each of our heads, and
I'll manage to paint in a quarter less than no time, six as ugly faces
as you ever saw, on as many balls of canvas, which I'll stuff with
oakum. So each of us will have a head to hold in his hand. Unless some
accident happens, we certainly can manage to keep ahead of the rover
till nightfall. Then we'll just mix up a number of lumps of gunpowder
and sulphur, and place them about the deck before each of us. As soon
as the rover ranges up alongside, we'll fire them all at the same
moment, and I shall be very much mistaken if the cut-throats don't think
that there's a company on board they would rather not have anything to
do with."
I could not help laughing at Peter's quaint notion--still, however
little effect it might have on civilised people, I thought it was very
likely to scare away the sort of men who composed the Moorish crew, and
I advised him instantly to propose it to the captain. Peter,
accordingly, bolting his dinner with a haste which showed that he was
thinking more about his idea than it, went aft, and opened up the case.
Captain Gale listened more attentively than I expected, and, after a
little consideration, said that he thought it was very likely to
succeed. The plan once adopted, all hands set energetically to work to
make the required preparations.
There was, fortunately, an abundance of materials. I got out the
paint-pots, and mixed the colours according to Peter's directions. He
himself, with canvas and palm needles, fitted the necks, cutting holes
for us to see through them; the other men were employed in making six
prodigious round balls for heads, and covering one part with shakings,
to serve as hair. He undertook to stand at the helm, and to have his
head at the end of the boat-hook by his side, that he might lift it up
at the proper moment. All the frying-pans and shallow pots which could
be found were collected, and the captain made with damp gunpowder a
number of what schoolboys call "Vesuviuses." These, however, were very
much larger than the contents of a schoolboy's purse would allow him to
make. He tried one of them, and found it sent forth a lurid glare,
which even in the day-time showed what effect it would produce at night.
Before sunset all our preparations were completed; and when dressed up,
a very curious and horrid crew we most certainly did look. Had there
been more of us, the effect might perhaps have been increased. We now
waited almost with boyish impatience for the coming up of the rover to
put our trick into execution. Captain Gale was, however, too wise to
trust to it till all other means of escape had failed. The wind had
rather fallen than increased, and this was an advantage to us in two
ways: it enabled us to shorten sail with less difficulty than we should
otherwise have done; and we found that, with less wind, we went faster
in proportion through the water than did our pursuer.
It was with feelings such as I had very seldom before experienced, that
I saw the sun sinking towards the ocean, surrounded with a blaze of
glory; its bright rays falling on the loftier sails of the rover, while
they still reached our courses. Down it went beneath its watery home,
and I questioned very much with myself whether I should ever again see
it rise. I had no great confidence in Peter's trick, nor do I suppose
that he had much himself, when he came seriously to think about the
matter; but still, if overtaken, we had no other means of escaping--we
could not fight, and still less could we have any hope from the mercy of
our foes. I did not, however, mention my doubts to Peter, and far less
would I have done so to any of the other men. Young as I was, I had
seen enough of the world to have learned the value of discretion.
As the daylight disappeared, a grey canopy of clouds was spread over the
sky, sufficiently thick to obscure the stars. Thus the night was more
than usually dark. Still, as the atmosphere was free from mist,
seamen's eyes could distinguish objects at a considerable distance off.
With much anxiety we watched the rover, in the hope that the growing
darkness would hide her from our view; but still we could see her
following closely in our wake, and thus, of course, there was every
probability that she could see us. We could not expect that the
darkness would increase; consequently there would have been no use in
altering our course, as it would have been perceived on board; so all we
could do was to stand boldly on as before. At the rate she was
overhauling us, as the captain calculated, she would be up with us by
midnight. I should have liked to have shortened sail, and brought the
matter to an issue, but Captain Gale was not a man to act thus unwisely.
He knew that we might fall in with some friendly vessel, or that the
pirate might give up the chase, or that some sudden change in the
weather might enable us to escape at the last moment. Everything,
however, was prepared; and thus standing at our posts, we waited the
result.
Nearer and nearer drew the pirate. We were within range of her guns,
still she did not fire. On she came. She was close upon our quarter.
"Wait till I give the word," said the captain, in a low voice. She was
ranging up on our beam.
"Ready!" exclaimed the captain. "Now!"
In a moment a terrifically lurid glare was cast over our decks. Up went
the helmsman's gory head at the end of a boarding-pike, though he
steered as steadily as before, while we all shook ours in our hands, and
at the same moment gave vent to the most unearthly shrieks, and groans,
and cries, our headless helmsman shrieking and shouting louder than any
of us. At this we all again shook our ghastly heads. Peter had given
the necks the appearance of dropping blood, and again we shrieked and
groaned louder than ever.
The effect on board the rover was instantaneous. The crew must have
fully thought that they had got hold of some demon-craft as a punishment
for their crimes. Down went their helm; the tacks and sheets seemed all
to be flying away together; and the topsails came down on their caps.
Ropes were let go, but no one thought of hauling on others, or belaying
them; no one seemed to know what they were about; and many even shrieked
and cried out with terror and dismay. Nothing could have been more
complete than the success of our trick.
We were all eagerly watching its effect, when, just as the vessels were
parting, a figure was seen to spring into the main-rigging of the rover.
We all saw him, and all recognised the person as no other than Walter
Stenning, the late master of the _Dolphin_. On we sailed. The dark
outline of the rover grew less and less distinct, till it was totally
lost in the gloom of night.