My duty called me on deck, and I heard no more. The night was very
dark, and I could see nothing of the stranger, but I steered as near
as I could in the direction I believed him to have taken, hoping to
catch a glimpse of him at daybreak. After a little while Bangs came on
deck.
"Well, captain, now that the little reefer is asleep, what do you
think of this business? A pretty large vessel, eh? We nearly had a
brush with her. I'm not particularly sorry, though, she has taken
herself off, especially as the wind has gone down."
"Ah, but my dear sir," replied I, "I don't think that we have done
with her yet. I hope to have a brush with her at daybreak."
"Now, captain, you're jesting; you don't wish that really and truly,
do you?"
"Really and truly, my dear fellow, and the only thing which troubles
me, is that you and your friends will thereby be exposed to danger."
"Bah! don't bother yourself about that, but reflect before you engage
with this slaver, how is it possible to gain any advantage over him?
Remember that he has twice as many men as we have, and eighteen guns
to our three."
"Time will show," replied I, smiling; "but I must and will fight, if I
can only get alongside of him. And now, my dear friend, as the surgeon
has left the cabin, I advise you to go down to your hammock--good
night. I fear that I must remain on deck."
"Good night, captain. Heaven guard you. I will go down and comfort my
friends."
He went below, and I continued my walk on deck, stopping every moment
to look through the nightglass, until my eyes ached. The long night
was at last over, and the light of day found me leaning against the
mast, sleeping soundly. The noise made by the sailors, in holy-stoning
the deck, woke me, and I discovered our friend of the previous night,
under full sail, about four miles to leeward of us, and evidently
striving to reach the coast of Cuba. During the night, however, we had
sailed faster than he had expected, and as we were now between him and
the island, his purpose was frustrated. When he saw that he was thus
cut off from the land, he hoisted his lower sails, fired a gun, and
run up the Spanish flag, as if he had been a vessel of war. It was now
bright day, and Wagtail, Bangs, and Gelid, were all three on deck,
washing themselves. I, myself, was standing forward by the long gun,
when Pegtop, Bangs' black servant, came to me, and said:
"Scuse me, massa captin; could ye gibe me some guns?"
"Some guns," replied I; "certainly, a half dozen of them, if you wish
it."
"Jist de number massa told me to fotch him; tank'e, massa captin."
Pegtop was very fond of this word, "massa," and could never get
accustomed to any other title used by the whites.
"Listen, friend," said I to Pegtop, "now that you have got the guns;
is your master really going to fight?"
The negro stood still, rolling his eyes, and expressing in his
countenance the greatest astonishment.
"Massa Bangs fight! Golly, massa, you jestin? Massa Bangs fight? Why
yer doesn't know him. Ye ought to see de way he fotches down de ducks
and snipe, and a man isn't so hard to hit as dem."
"Granted," said I; "but a snipe has not a loaded gun in his claws,
like a Spaniard, friend Pegtop."
"Makes no difference, massa," replied Pegtop, decidedly. "Saw massa
Aaron, myself, fight robbers, and helped him to kill de debbils, too.
Massa Aaron fight? Don't say nothin' more about dat."
"Very well," said I; "and is Master Gelid going to fight."
"B'lieve he will; fust rate friend of massa Bangs--good at shootin'
ducks, too--guess he'll fight."
"Ah," said I, "your friends are all heroes, Pegtop. Will Master
Wagtail also fight?"
Pegtop came closer to me, and said in a low, mysterious voice:
"Aint so sartin about him, massa; nice little fat man, but tinks too
much of his belly. Not 'zactly sartin if he'll fight or not."
With these words, Pegtop and the two other blacks, Chin-Chin and
Zampa, Wagtail's and Gelid's servants, took a couple of guns apiece,
and providing themselves with the necessary ammunition, went aft, and
began carefully cleaning and oiling the weapons. I had expected that
the wind would blow fresher at daybreak, but I was mistaken. Well,
thought I, we might as well sit down to breakfast, which we
accordingly did.
The wind soon died away entirely, and I ordered out the sweeps, but I
soon found that we had no chance of overtaking the slaver in that way,
and it was just as much out of the question to attack him with our
boats. Besides, as we did not know at what moment we might ourselves
be attacked, I was unwilling to fatigue my men by compelling them to
row under a burning sun, whilst the enemy could man his oars with
lusty slaves, and not use a single man of his crew. Accordingly, I
ordered the men to desist, and remained all day on deck, watching the
brig, which was gradually leaving us. At noon I ordered the boatswain
to pipe to dinner. When the men had finished their meal, they came on
deck again, and as the calm still continued, and there was no prospect
of a wind springing up, we sat down to dinner in the cabin. Very
little was spoken by any of us. My friends were brave men, but still
they could not help feeling glad that they had escaped an engagement,
which would bring them danger without profit. As for myself, my
feelings were of a mixed nature, for though I was determined to use
every endeavor to bring the enemy to an engagement, yet I confess that
my heart would not have been broken had he escaped us. But this was
not to be, for we had hardly ordered our meal, when the rush of the
water past the vessel caught my ear, and I knew in a moment that we
were once more in motion. At this moment Tailtackle appeared at the
cabin door, and announced that the wind had sprung up again, and that
the strange vessel was bearing down upon us. I immediately rushed on
deck, and sure enough, there was the slaver, some two miles from us,
his deck crowded with men, and evidently prepared for action. As soon
as I saw the state of affairs, I busied myself in putting every thing
in order, on board our vessel, for a fight. Wagtail and Gelid had
followed me on deck, and were now assisting their servants in putting
the muskets in order. Bangs alone remained in the cabin, and when I
went down, I found him swallowing the last morsel of his meal. He had
on his fork some very respectable pieces of cheese. Before I left the
deck, I saw clearly enough that a combat was inevitable, and as the
disparity between the two vessels was very great, I confess that I
had serious misgivings as to its probable result. That I felt excited
and uneasy at the prospect before me, I cannot deny; it was the first
time I had commanded a vessel, and on the result of this action rested
all my hopes of promotion. God bless me! I was but a boy, not more
than one-and-twenty years of age. A strange and indescribable feeling
came over me at this moment--an irresistible desire to open my heart
to the excellent man I saw before me. I sat down.
"Halloa, captain," cried Bangs, putting down his coffee cup, "what's
the matter with you? You look infernally pale, my dear fellow."
"I was up all night," replied I, somewhat embarrassed, "and have been
running about all day. I am very tired."
As I pronounced these words, a shudder ran through my frame, and a
strong emotion, which I could not account for, kept my tongue tied.
"Master Bangs," said I, at length, "you are the only friend in whom at
this moment I can confide. You know my circumstances in life, and I
feel that I can with confidence ask you to do the son of my father a
favor."
"What is it you wish, my dear fellow--speak out."
"I will speak. In the first place, I am very much worried that I have
exposed you and your friends to so much danger, but I could not
foresee it; on that score my conscience is easy; the only thing I ask
of you all is to remain below and not expose yourselves unnecessarily.
If I should fall,"--here I involuntarily grasped Bang's hand--"and I
doubt if I shall see another sunset, for we are going to fight against
fearful odds."
"Well," interrupted Bangs, "if the enemy is too strong for you, why
didn't you leave him to himself, my dear fellow, and take to flight?"
"A thousand things, my worthy friend, prevented me from taking such a
step. I am a young man and a young officer, and must win my character
in the service; no, it is impossible to fly; an older and more tried
seaman than myself might have done so, but I must fight; if a shot
finishes me, will you, my dear friend, deliver this portfolio to my
poor mother, whose only support I am?"
As I uttered these words, the scalding tears rolled in torrents down
my cheeks. I trembled like a leaf, and firmly pressing my friend's
hand in mine, I fell on my knees and fervently and silently prayed to
that God in whose all-mighty hand my destiny lay, that he would give
me strength on this day, to do my duty as became an English sailor.
Bangs knelt by my side. Suddenly my tears ceased to flow and I arose.
"I am not ashamed to have shown so much feeling before you, my
friend."
"Don't mention it, my dear boy, neither of us will fight any the worse
for it."