The two occupants of the main-top maintained their position therein,
keeping a watchful eye upon the movements of the schooner, until that
craft had approached to within about three miles of the _Aurora_, when
they descended to the deck; Captain Leicester remarking to the mate, as
the latter swung himself down off the rail--
"I think, Mr Bowen, we may as well run up our ensign; perhaps the
schooner will return the compliment and oblige us with a sight of the
colour of her bunting."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate; and he walked aft, got out the ensign,
bent it on to the halliards, and ran it up to the mizzen peak, where it
hung in drooping folds, swaying listlessly with the sleepy roll of the
ship.
For some time there was no response on the part of the schooner, which
held steadily on her way straight for the barque, her six long sweeps
plying as vigorously as ever, and churning up the glassy water into a
long line of miniature whirlpools, which gradually diminished until they
finally subsided on each side of her gleaming wake.
"The breeze, the breeze; here it comes at last, thank God!" ejaculated
Bowen, who had been for some time anxiously regarding the rising bank of
greyish cloud to the eastward. As he spoke, a faint, barely perceptible
breath of cool air fanned the faces of the anxious watchers on the deck
of the _Aurora_, and was gone again; a "cat's-paw" or two momentarily
ruffled the surface of the water here and there, only to leave it as
glassy as before; then came another puff, which lasted just long enough
to trail out the ensign for an instant and to rustle the royals; and
then away on the extreme verge of the eastern horizon, the gleaming
water assumed a light blue tint, which gradually spread, creeping slowly
down towards the two vessels, the blue on the horizon insensibly
darkening all the while, and conveying the thrice welcome intelligence
that the breeze was slowly but steadily freshening.
"Yes," said George, "here it comes, sure enough; and in a few hours we
shall have plenty of it, by the look of the sky. Stand by the braces,
lads; let go, and haul the yards round, and be lively about it; we
cannot spare the time to be taken aback just now; that's right, men;
well there with the fore-braces; well with the main; brail in the mizzen
and stow it; haul down the mizzen-topmast staysail. Now she feels the
breeze. Hard up with your helm, my man, and let her wear short round.
Let go your lee main-braces and round in to windward--gently now; not
too quick; that's well; catch a turn with your after-braces and then
square the fore-yard; well with the fore-braces; belay all and coil up.
Ah! I expected that."
The latter exclamation was evoked by the boom of a gun from the
schooner; and, turning his eyes in her direction, George saw the white
smoke floating lazily away from her to leeward, and then a white jet of
water started up as the shot came flying towards the barque, then
another--another--and another, and finally a scurrying splash as the
iron messenger swept along the surface of the water and sank, falling
short by about a hundred yards. At the same moment the heavy sweeps
were laid in; the schooner's sails were trimmed as if by magic to the
coy breeze; her head paid off; and as she swept gracefully round upon a
course which would enable her to intercept the _Aurora_, a tiny ball
went soaring aloft to her main-topmast-head and, breaking abroad as it
reached the truck, a square _black_ flag fluttered threateningly out, a
fit emblem of the character of those who sailed beneath it.
"Not quite close enough, Mr Rover," remarked Bowen, cheerfully, as the
shot sank into the placid depths of the ocean, now gently ruffled by the
increasing breeze. "Shall we return the compliment, sir?"
"Not just yet," answered George; "she is still a long way off; and we
cannot afford to waste a single ounce of powder or shot. But it is time
that we should have everything ready to carry on the fight in earnest,
so I must ask _you_, Mr Bowen--as the most reliable man I have on
board--to go below and see to the passing up of the powder; it will
never do to run the risk of having an explosion in the powder-magazine."
"Very well, sir; I'd have greatly preferred to have been on deck, to
take my fair share in the fighting; but I'm ready to do my duty wherever
you may choose to order me," said the chief mate, as he walked away aft
with a rather rueful face, on his way below to the magazine.
The schooner, finding that she was not yet within range, remained silent
for the next five minutes; and then George, who was keenly watching her,
saw another flash, another puff of white fleecy smoke, and once more the
ball came bounding over the water, straight for the barque.
"It will reach us this time," thought the skipper; and he was right, the
shot striking the water about forty feet from the side of the _Aurora_
and then bounding harmlessly over her, except for a hole which it
punched in the main try-sail in its passage.
"Now, lads," said George, "it's our turn. Mr Ritson, run out the gun,
if you please, and show us what you can do in the way of shooting."
"Ay, ay, sir," answered Ritson gleefully, "the water's smooth, the
ship's steady, and altogether it's a capital day for this kind of work.
Man the tackles, there; run out; muzzle to the right, a trifle; not too
much; so, well there; elevate the muzzle a _leetle_ more; there, that'll
do; I'll try that. Now then, Snowball, let's have that `loggerhead.'
Ned, just freshen that priming a bit. Now stand clear, lads, and you,
Tom, touch her off when I give the word."
Then, stooping down, he glanced along the sights for an instant or two,
and finally gave the word "Fire!"
At the word Tom promptly applied the loggerhead; there was a ringing
report; and as the smoke cleared off the shot was seen to strike the
water close alongside the schooner, and the next instant a white scar in
her bulwarks attested Ritson's skill as a marksman and showed that the
shot had taken effect. A hearty cheer from the _Aurora's_ crew
manifested their elation at this lucky hit; and George, who was watching
the schooner through his telescope, quietly remarked--
"Thank you, Ritson; that was capitally aimed; you must have done some
execution among the crew of that craft, too, for there is a great deal
of confusion among them on deck, I see. Ah! there they fire again."
Once more the shot came flying straight for the barque; and once more it
whistled harmlessly over her, just touching the main-mast as it passed,
but inflicting no injury on the spar.
"Capital practice on both sides," remarked the skipper coolly; "six
inches further to the right, gentlemen, and you would have plumped that
shot right into our main-mast. Now try again, Ritson, and aim for his
spars; the sooner we can cripple him the better will be out chances of
getting clear of him without loss to ourselves."
Again the _Aurora's_ long nine rang out its sharp report; but for some
reason, probably from over-eagerness on the part of the second mate, the
shot flew wide, passing some twenty yards astern of the schooner.
"Bad luck to it!" exclaimed the discomfited Ritson impatiently. "Run in
the gun, lads; and be smart with it; that's your sort; sponge it well
out; that'll do; now in with the cartridge; three strokes with the
rammer; now home with the shot; run out the gun again; bear a hand with
the priming-iron, you Ned; muzzle to the left--a little more yet; well
with that. Now Tom, stand by--Fire!"
Both vessels fired at precisely the same moment; the schooner's shot
passing in through the _Aurora's_ bulwarks close to the gun, and making
the splinters fly in all directions, one of the latter grazing Captain
Leicester's cheek, and drawing blood; but, very fortunately, beyond this
no further damage was done.
On the other hand, the _Aurora's_ shot, much better aimed this time, cut
the weather whisker-stay on board the schooner, and compelled her to at
once keep dead away before the wind in order to prevent the loss of her
jib-boom.
"Well shot!" exclaimed George enthusiastically. "Fore and main-braces,
lads; port your helm, my man,"--to the helmsman--"and let her come up
`full and by;' round in upon the port-braces, fore and aft; board the
fore and main-tacks; aft with the sheets, cheerily, my lads; if we are
smart we may get out of gun-shot before they can repair that damage.
Well there of all. Now to your gun again, lads, and let's treat them to
another dose of the same sort."
The men sprang about the decks like wild-cats, and, in their elation and
excitement, did the work of at least three men each; the yards were
braced up almost as soon as the ship could luff to the wind; the tacks
were seized and boarded with irresistible strength and energy, the
sheets flattened in; and in considerably less than five minutes the
_Aurora_ was rushing along on a bowline with her lee covering-board
nearly awash, and a clear, glassy surge spouting up on each side of her
cutwater, and foaming away from her sharp bows with a hissing roar which
was sweetest music just then to the ears of her delighted crew.
"_Now_ the old barkie travels," exclaimed the exultant Ritson. "Unhook
the gun-tackles, you sea-dogs, and rush the gun aft; we'll try a shot
out through the stern-ports this time."
At this moment the boom of another gun from the schooner was heard; and
next moment the shot came flying through the _Aurora's_ rigging, cutting
the main-brace pennant, and passing through the head of the foresail.
The lee main-yard-arm at once flew forward, throwing the main-sail
aback, and of course seriously interfering with the barque's flight.
"Up with your helm and keep her away until the main-sail fills again,"
commanded George; "haul inboard the brace, and one hand get a
marlinespike and jump aloft to make the splice. Be smart, lads; there's
no great harm done."
Ritson was, in the meantime, busy aft with the gun; and presently he
fired again, pitching the shot fairly on the schooner's forecastle,
where some of her crew were busy with the cut stay.
On board the _Aurora_ the main-brace was very soon spliced; after which
Captain Leicester had the mizzen, gaff-topsail, and, in short, every
stitch of canvas that would draw, set to the freshening breeze; then,
inquiry having elicited the fact that tea--or supper, as the men termed
it--was ready, he ordered the crew to knock off and take the meal whilst
they had the opportunity.
George and the two mates had their meal served on deck, the top of the
skylight doing duty for a table; and they were about half-way through
with it when the pirate schooner was seen to once more haul her wind in
pursuit. This, however, gave them no immediate apprehension, as she was
far out of gun-shot; the breeze was still steadily freshening, and the
_Aurora_ was plunging along at a racing pace over the short sea which
had already been raised, with the wind humming merrily through her
rigging, and a great foaming surge hissing and buzzing under her lee bow
and streaming out in a long trail of bubbling froth behind her.
"We're going to have a fresh breeze to-night, I think, sir," remarked
the chief mate, as he helped himself to another slab of salt junk, "and,
if it'll only come fresh enough to oblige us to stow our royals, I think
that, on an easy bowline--our best point of sailing--we shall be able to
fairly run away from that chap."
"Yes," said George, "I believe we shall. And if we can only get weather
which will give us the advantage over her in the matter of speed, I
shall feel very much inclined to turn the tables on her, and give her a
good wholesome lesson. It struck me that our gun threw its shot
considerably further than hers did."
"I'm _sure_ it did," emphatically corroborated Ritson; "and it'd be
doin' a real service to give the piccarooning rascals a thorough good
drubbing."
It appeared, however, as though the fortuitous combination of
circumstances hinted at by Captain Leicester was not to be; for before
long it became evident that the schooner, notwithstanding the freshening
breeze and the increasing sea, was slowly but steadily gaining on the
barque. But "a stern chase is a long chase," and the schooner, while
repairing damages, had not only been left astern, but had also been
compelled to run a considerable distance to leeward. So that, when the
sun set, and the short brilliant tropical twilight faded out of the sky,
she was still some six miles distant, broad on the _Aurora's_ lee
quarter.
With the setting of the sun there came a still further freshening of the
breeze, laying the barque down upon her side until her lee
covering-board was buried, and the water, spouting up through the
scuppers, was washing the deck on the lee-side almost up to the coamings
of the main-hatchway. The wind was making weird, wild music as it swept
through the tautly-strained rigging; and the topgallant and royal-masts
were whipping and bending like fishing-rods with every pitch and 'scend
of the ship, while the straining canvas, towering away aloft toward the
dusky heavens, stood as firm and steady as though moulded in iron. The
watch below were in their hammocks, enjoying the repose which they had
earned by a day of unusual exertion; and the watch on deck were also, by
George's express command, snatching such a weazel-like sleep as could be
obtained consistently with the holding of themselves ready for a prompt
call in case of emergency.
The night wore slowly on; the young moon, which had been hanging like a
silver crescent low in the western sky, sank beneath the horizon; and
the spangled heavens became almost wholly obscured by the broadening
masses of dusky vapour which swept rapidly athwart them. There was
light enough, however, to render the schooner easily distinguishable
with the aid of the night-glass; and George, after attentively watching
her for more than half an hour, came to the conclusion that the _Aurora_
was at length holding her own.
"We will clew up and furl the royals, if you please Mr Ritson," said he
to the officer of the watch; "I am getting uneasy about those sticks;
and it would be most unfortunate to lose them just now. I believe we
shall do just as well without the royals as with them in this fresh
breeze. How is she steering? Pretty easily?" to the man at the wheel.
"No, sir," was the reply; "she's `gripin'' awful; it takes a half-turn
of the wheel to keep her out of the wind."
"Then we'll take in the gaff-topsail and mizzen-topmast staysail as
well," said George. "All that weather-helm must make at least half a
knot difference in her sailing."
Sail was accordingly shortened, the result proving the justice of
Captain Leicester's surmise, for there was no perceptible diminution in
the speed of the barque; on the contrary, in another half-hour both the
skipper and his second mate were convinced that the _Aurora_ was
gradually creeping away from her pursuer.
The spread of canvas was then further reduced by the hauling down of the
main-topgallant-staysail, and the furling of the fore-topgallant-sail;
and finally the flying-jib and main-topgallant-sail were stowed, after
which the two craft appeared to maintain, as nearly as possible, an
equal speed all through the remainder of the night.
The next morning dawned with a coppery-red tint in the eastern sky, and
a streaky look in the clouds, which was a presage of a windy day. The
schooner was about six miles distant, bearing three points on the
barque's lee quarter. Her royal, topgallant-sail, and flying-jib were
stowed; but by the way in which she was lying over to the breeze, and
the dense showers of spray which were incessantly flying in over her
weather bow, it was evident that she was still carrying all the canvas
she could stagger under.
"Now," said George to the first mate, when the latter came on deck to
take charge at eight bells, "I think we have that fellow in our power,
and can do pretty nearly what we like with him. In this breeze and with
this sea we can outsail him; and with all that water pouring in upon his
forecastle it will be difficult for him to work his long-gun to
advantage, which I believe, unlike ourselves, he has fixed there on a
pivot; so I propose to let him creep up within gun-shot astern of us,
and fight him there, where all the advantage will be on our side."
Accordingly, as soon as the crew had taken their breakfast, Captain
Leicester ordered the jib and fore-topmast staysail-sheets to be hauled
over to windward in order that the barque's speed might be reduced
without shortening sail and so exciting any suspicion in the minds of
the pirates of a desire on the part of the _Aurora_ to renew the action.
This manoeuvre had the desired effect; and shortly before noon the
schooner once more opened fire, the shot flying past the _Aurora_, and
at some distance to leeward of her. This was doubtless in consequence
of the violent motion of the schooner, which, being a much smaller
vessel than the barque, was much more lively in the sea-way. This gave
the _Aurora_ another advantage over the schooner, as was at once
apparent when Ritson recommenced his gun-practice; his first shot
passing through the schooner's topsail in close proximity to the mast.
The firing soon became pretty animated on both sides, the _Aurora_
having, however, a decided advantage over her antagonist both in
rapidity and precision of fire. Thus, while at the end of half an hour
only one of the schooner's shot had touched the barque, and that without
doing any material damage, her own sails and rigging were pretty well
cut up, several shot-holes being visible in her canvas, whilst a number
of ends and bights of ropes were seen streaming to leeward in the wind.
At length a lucky shot from the _Aurora_ struck the schooner's fore-mast
just below the eyes of the rigging, wounding the spar so badly that it
almost immediately afterwards went, carrying away the main-topmast with
it, and in an instant the whole of the pirate's top-hamper was towing to
leeward, causing tremendous confusion on board, and placing the craft
almost completely at the mercy of her antagonist.
A hearty cheer burst from the lips of the _Aurora's_ crew at the sight
of this disaster on board their adversary, a disaster of which George
was determined to take the fullest advantage.
"Now, lads," he exclaimed, "she is at our mercy, and we will inflict on
her a lesson she is not likely to speedily forget. Clew up the courses,
then let go the topsail-halliards, and double-reef the fore and
main-topsails, and, as you come down, stow the courses."
The men sprang aloft with alacrity to execute these duties; and, on
their return to the deck, sail was further shortened, until the barque
was under double-reefed topsails and fore-topmast staysail only; when
she wore round and stood directly for the disabled pirate schooner, the
long-gun being run forward and pointed out of the foremost port on the
lee-side, and the firing resumed.
In a very short time she was close to the schooner, round and round
which George proceeded deliberately to sail, maintaining a steady fire
upon her meanwhile.
The pirate schooner, however, though disabled, was by no means rendered
harmless, as Captain Leicester soon discovered to his cost; for, as he
was sailing past her to windward, at a distance of about fifty yards, to
his very great surprise, her crew suddenly threw open three ports in her
weather bulwarks, and the next moment three six-pounder shots came
whistling through the _Aurora's_ rigging, cutting a rope or two, but
happily missing the spars and all gear connected with the canvas which
was set. At the same moment Ritson fired his nine-pounder, and struck
the schooner (which was listing over to leeward with the weight of her
wreckage) exactly between wind and water.
Now that the two vessels were so close together, it became apparent that
Captain Leicester had been perfectly correct in his estimate as to the
strength of the schooner's crew; for whilst a strong gang could be seen
hard at work clearing away the wreckage of the spars, a sufficient
number of men were still available to work the broadside guns to
windward, which they did with great animation as long as it was possible
for one of them to be pointed at the _Aurora_.
This was not for long, however, for the barque, holding on her way, wore
round as soon as she was out of musket-shot, and, passing across the
schooner's stern, swept up again to leeward, Ritson all the while
keeping up an animated fire from the long-nine, and evidently doing
tremendous execution among the thickly-clustering men on the schooner's
deck, who, whilst the barque was to leeward, were unable, in consequence
of the wreckage, to return more than a very ineffectual fire.
At length, after an hour of this work, the black flag, which had fallen
with the main-topmast, was exhibited above the bulwarks of the schooner
for a moment, lashed to a boat's oar, and was then dropped again, in
token of surrender.
"That means that they've struck, sir, you may depend on't," exclaimed
Ritson, walking aft as if for further instructions.
"Yes, I have no doubt it does," replied Captain Leicester; "but if they
expect that the fact of their striking will be of any benefit to them,
they are woefully mistaken. We are altogether too short-handed to
attempt to take possession of her as a prize; and as to leaving her
alone, in order that she may repair damages and have the opportunity of
renewing her depredations, it is not to be thought of. She is not
entitled to any of the privileges of an ordinary enemy, nor shall I
extend any such to her. She is simply _a pirate_, one of those pests of
the high seas which it is the duty of any honest man to destroy, if he
have the opportunity. And that," he concluded grimly, "is what I intend
to do. Keep up your fire, sir, and aim so as to strike her between wind
and water if possible. I'll sink her before I've done with her."
Ritson accordingly returned forward, and, communicating the captain's
determination to the crew, they resumed work at the gun, with the stern
set faces of men who recognised that they had a very terrible and
disagreeable duty to perform, from the responsibility of which they
dared not shrink.
As soon as the schooner's crew discovered that their surrender had not
been accepted, they reopened fire as well as they could from their own
guns, and a man was seen to jump into the main-rigging and run aloft
with something rolled up under his arm, which proved in another minute
to be the black flag. Ascending as high as the lower masthead, he
coolly climbed up on the cross-trees, and, standing there, deftly and
rapidly lashed it to the masthead, after which he deliberately descended
the rigging again, defiantly shaking his fist at the _Aurora_ as he did
so.
About ten minutes after the occurrence of this incident there followed
another of an infinitely more thrilling and startling character. The
_Aurora_ had worn round, and was once more passing the schooner; and
Ritson was in the act of glancing along the sights of the gun,
preparatory to giving the order to fire, when, without the slightest
warning or premonition of the dreadful tragedy about to take place, a
dazzling flash of light was seen on board the schooner, her spars, her
deck, and all that was upon it went soaring in fragments high into the
air, her sides were rent open, and in a tremendous cloud of smoke, and
with a deafening report, the devoted craft disappeared.
The barque's whole frame jarred, her canvas flapped violently, and she
careened perceptibly under the terrific concussion; a dead silence
seemed suddenly to have fallen upon the scene of strife, and then came
the _splash, splash_ of the falling fragments into the water around,
accompanied by the heavy thud of others descending upon the barque's
deck; the water seethed and leaped madly for a few seconds on the spot
where the schooner had a minute before been floating, then subsided once
more into the long, steady, regular run and heave of the sea, and all
was over.
Whether the explosion was the result of accident, or the deliberate act
of her desperate and reckless commander, it was of course impossible to
ascertain; very probably it was the latter; but, whatever the cause of
it, the pirate schooner was no more; a few rent and blackened timbers,
with here and there the mangled remains of what had a few minutes before
been a human being, floating on the surface of the heaving waters, was
all that remained of her and her crew. George Leicester's grim deed of
retribution was complete.