whole host of his imps onboard, she must be an Englishman," said the old Pilot, coming up to thecaptain's side; "for no other mortals would have dreamed of engaging ina night like this, and she must fancy that she has got alongside aFrenchman: there's no doubt of it."
"I know not of what nation he is, though I am pretty certain of hismortal qualities," answered the Captain. "But if he is an Englishman, Iwish we could find some way of letting him know we are friends, for hewill not leave us till he has either sunk us or blown us out of thewater, if we cannot manage to treat him in the same way."
"Where is the enemy? Where is the skulking foe?" was echoed along thedecks by some of the crew; for since the last discharge of her gunstheir opponent had disappeared in the impenetrable darkness whichsurrounded them, increased by a thick mist, which came driving past;while others exclaimed, "Holy Virgin, that was no mortal bark! Ah, shehas vanished as suddenly as she appeared! May the saints protect us,and gain us forgiveness for our sins; for we have been fighting with thepowers of darkness?"
"That fellow is no Englishman, or he would not for a moment have lostsight of us, if he thought us an enemy," cried the Captain. "No, no, Iknow those haughty islanders too well. He is some Frenchman, perhaps,who, from the few guns we used, mistakes us for a smaller vessel of thefoe, and will be down again upon us directly. We must fight our wholebroadside, Senhor Alvez, at every risk, to undeceive him as to our size;and we will take care that he does not run away from us, whoever he maybe."
"If we were to sail on till doomsday we should never come up with him,were he to seek to avoid us," muttered the old Pilot, as he gazedearnestly towards the spot where the ship was last seen.
The first lieutenant descended to the main-deck, to see the ordersexecuted: the guns were then loaded and run out, a most perilousundertaking; for the sea rushed through the open ports each roll theship made, flooding the decks, almost filling the guns, wetting theammunition, and extinguishing the matches. The seamen, frequently up totheir knees in water, were exposed to the danger of the guns breakingloose, an accident which did indeed occur more than once; but,encouraged by their officers, they perseveringly retained theirstations. Once, indeed, the dangers and horrors of the terrific sceneovercame the courage of some, and they showed symptoms of abandoningthemselves to despair, calling on the Virgin and all the saints to aidthem; but the gallant Captain Pinto, followed by Don Luis and some ofthe other officers, rushed among them, so earnestly encouraging them todo their duty, both by words and gestures, that they promised to fightto the last gasp, and sink with their colours flying.
Don Luis returned with the captain to the poop, offering to take chargeof some of the small brass guns and swivels, should they come to closerquarters.
During this state of doubt and uncertainty, every instant seemed anhour; for no one could tell when they might again be engaged, or whatmight be the issue of the combat with an adversary which was equal to,if not larger than their own vessel. As the thick mist we have spokenof flew past them, the dim outline of the foe was again distinguished bysome of the keenest eyes on board, still in the same relative positionin which they had last seen her, and by her movements she evidently hadthem in sight, but seemed disinclined to renew the engagement.
"Give him a shot for the honour of Portugal," shouted the Captain. "Wewill convince him that we, at all events, are perfectly ready to fight."
The order was immediately obeyed; but the stranger took not theslightest notice of the challenge.
"We will near him, to discover, if possible, who he is. Port your helma little. That will do, we shall soon edge down to him."
A few minutes, however, convinced him that the enemy had no intention ofmeeting at nearer quarters; for, no sooner did she perceive the aim ofthe Portuguese, than she altered her course in the same degree that theyhad done; and it may easily be understood that, in so high a sea andstrong a wind, it was very difficult, except by the consent of bothparties, to approach each other without imminent danger to her whoshould most deviate from her course.
Hours passed on, the mysterious and phantom-looking bark still hoveringin the same direction; and thus, like two wild horses scouring along theplains of Tartary, did the two ships continue, now dashing with fierceimpetuosity into the boiling cauldron, then rising again, and springingforward, in their mad career, over the very summits of the froth-crestedbillows. Had not the crew of the corvette had clear proofs that thestranger was, like their own craft, composed of substantial timber, andher guns served by mortal hands, they would have been more convincedthan ever that she was one of those phantom barks which were believed toscour the ocean in heavy gales, as a warning to the mariner ofapproaching destruction; and even the less superstitious might havefancied her, by some optical delusion, the reflection of their own shipupon the dark mist which surrounded them, so regularly did she imitateall their movements. Thus the night wore on, the men almost sinkingwith fatigue at their guns; for they were obliged to be every moment onthe watch to prevent their being overturned; nor could they venture tosecure them, lest the enemy should bear down upon them, and find themunprepared to meet her.
"I see the aim of him who commands yonder ship," exclaimed CaptainPinto, after examining the stranger attentively through his glass. "Hehopes to weary us out, and then to run us on board; but we will be evenwith him: or perhaps he is wisely waiting to discover whether we arefriends or foes before he expends any more powder and shot. Secure theguns and close the ports, Senhor Alvez, and let the men take some rest.He is not likely to wish to attack us again before daylight, and we musttake care to be up before him; or, if he tries to near us before then,we must pay him the same compliment that he just now did us, and get outof his way."
The men were glad enough to secure the guns; but it was a time of toomuch anxiety and excitement for any to quit the deck, where theyremained, filling each other's ears with marvellous legends ofmysterious barks which their friends, in like situations, had beheld,and which had melted away like thin mist when the first grey tints ofmorn appeared. At length the wished-for dawn began gradually todissipate the terrific obscurity of the night, and all doubts as to thereality of the stranger bark were removed by perceiving her still broadon their beam under her two closely-reefed topsails. The wild confusionwhich reigned supreme on the waste of waters was rather magnified by thedim uncertain light of morning: the waves, with foaming crests, leapingmadly around, the thick misty clouds flying rapidly along, one lawyer,as it were, above the other, through which not a ray of the sun's beamscould escape to cheer the voyagers--all was cold, dreary, andthreatening. The gale, too, which had given promise of falling duringthe latter hours of the night, now again, as if recovering strength withthe returning day, increased with such sudden fury, that, before anywarning was given, the main-topsail was blown clear off the bolt-ropes,rent into a thousand shreds, with a loud report like a near clap ofthunder, and, flying over the fore-topsail-yard, was carried far out ofsight ahead.
"Get a new main-topsail on deck," shouted the Commander, in momentaryexpectation of seeing the fore-topsail share the same fate; "we must notbe without our wings with yonder stranger in our neighbourhood," headded, turning to Don Luis. "These are the variations of a sea-life, myyoung friend,--a day of sunshine and calm, and two of clouds andtempest."
"Away aloft, and bend the new sail," cried the Captain, after a minute'ssilence. "The enemy keeps steadily on her course, as if there were nosuch beings as ourselves in existence."
By the time that the fresh topsail was got aloft, and bent to the yardby the willing seamen, broad daylight was on the world of waters.
"Hoist our colours, and let him know who we are," exclaimed the Captain;but when the flag of Portugal blew wildly from the peak, no answeringsignal was made by the stranger, though, being not a mile distant, hemust clearly have perceived it.
"He suspects those are not our true colours," observed the firstLieutenant.
"Whether he does or does not, see he is edging down towards us
again, tomake us out more clearly," said Captain Pinto. "Beat to quarters;should he prove no friend, which I much doubt, we will be prepared forhim." As he spoke, a small ball was seen to ascend to the peak of thestranger, and the blue banner of Morocco, with its crescent emblem, flewout in a broad sheet to the blast. "Ah, I know the rascal now,"continued the Captain, "he is a Salee rover, the greatest miscreant thatever sailed the ocean--with a crew that will not fight except they fancythemselves secure of conquering, and then show very little of a victor'smercy. Slavery or death is the only fate those they capture must expectat their hands."
While Captain Pinto was speaking, the two ships were drawing near eachother. The Salee rovers of those days were strongly armed ships, fittedout by the piratical states of
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