The Three Lieutenants Part 44

Desmond remained by him and prepared to get whatever might be required.

He and s.n.a.t.c.hblock kept a lookout, one on either side, to watch for the boats. The sound of the oars was now distinctly heard, and in a short time they clearly made out six large boats, evidently pulling towards the brigantine. As they approached they closed with each other, and came up on the port side; they were still at a short distance from the vessel, when Adair hailed, in the best Portuguese he could command, and told them to keep off.

"We allow no boats from the sh.o.r.e to visit the vessel at night, and if you come nearer we shall fire into you," he shouted.

Some loud chattering ensued, and in spite of the warning they had received, the Brazilians dashed up alongside. There must have been five and twenty men in each boat; a considerable force to be opposed by Adair's small crew.

The Brazilians came on with threatening shouts and cries, evidently intended to intimidate the British seamen.

"Keep off," again cried Adair, but his warning was unheeded. He sent Desmond to call all the men over the port side.

"Take the consequences, then," he answered; "fire, lads."

The bullets which came flying into their midst for a moment seemed to damp the courage of the Brazilians, but recovering themselves they let fly a volley in return. Adair wisely bobbed, and several bullets flew over his head. All attempt of concealment was now useless. The Brazilians dashed up alongside and attempted to get on board, but were met by the boarding pikes of the English crew; some using those weapons, others spare muskets, with which they blazed away, though there was no time to reload them. It was sharp work to attempt driving back one hundred and fifty men, at least, who were endeavouring to climb up the side, armed with cutla.s.ses and pistols. The strongest party of the pirates were making a vigorous attempt to get on board on the quarter.

Adair calling to s.n.a.t.c.hblock, ran out one of the guns, and Desmond being ready with a match, fired right into their midst. The piercing groans and cries which followed showed the terrible effect produced. The boat drifted away, not having been hooked on, and the crew having deserted their oars. Another boat immediately took her place, and a big fellow, with cutla.s.s in hand, springing to the side, and shouting to his companions to follow, attempted to climb on deck. Before Adair could defend himself, he had received an ugly cut on the head from the fellow, who was about to follow up the blow, when Desmond, seizing a pike, rushed at him with such good will, that the point entering the Brazilian's breast, he fell backwards into the boat.

Adair, though hurt, was able to make good play with his cutla.s.s.

s.n.a.t.c.hblock was keeping a dozen fellows at bay, while the rest of the crew were employed in a similar manner; bullets were flying and blows were rapidly given and taken. Though several of the Englishmen were wounded, and some very severely, not a man had been killed.

They could see that the Brazilians had suffered much more severely.

Some had been knocked overboard into the water; others lay dead or dying at the bottom of the boats. Again, and again, however, the pirates came on, as if determined, at all costs, to take the prize with her five hundred blacks on board. Again Terence was wounded, and another big Brazilian, apparently the leader of the pirates, was levelling a pistol scarcely two feet from his breast, when s.n.a.t.c.hblock, seeing the danger of his young commander, brought his cutla.s.s with such force down on the fellow's head, that he clove it in two, and sent him tumbling back into the boat out of which he had sprung.

The pirates, though they had met with a much warmer reception than they expected, were unwilling to abandon their object, and encouraged by their leaders, some twenty or more made a dash together at the fore-rigging. Several gained a footing on the chains, others caught hold of the shrouds and back-stays. Adair saw that a desperate effort must be made, or the enemy would after all gain the deck.

"Keep them off the after-part of the vessel, s.n.a.t.c.hblock, whatever you do," he shouted, and calling Desmond they together dragged over the other still loaded gun and ran it through the foremost port, with its muzzle pointed towards the ma.s.s of their a.s.sailants, who were prepared to follow those already climbing up the side. Desmond fired, springing out of the way of the gun as it ran back. The deadly missiles with which it was loaded, scattering among their a.s.sailants, knocked over several howling with pain, two at least dropping dead, when the British seamen with their cutla.s.ses quickly cleared the rigging and sides of the remainder.

The tones in which the shouts and loud jabbering of the pirates were uttered showed that they were beginning to think that they had had enough of it. Adair and s.n.a.t.c.hblock, with several of the men, set to work and reloaded the muskets, and just as the most daring of their a.s.sailants were about to make a fresh attack they let fly a volley. The pirates did not stop to receive another, but getting out their oars began to pull off, each boat seeming to be the most eager to get away from the daring little band who had so obstinately refused to have their throats cut, and the blacks in their charge taken from them.

The seamen, though bleeding and sore from many a cut and thrust, gave vent to their satisfaction in a triumphant cheer.

"I think we are clear of them for the present, sir," said s.n.a.t.c.hblock, "and I doubt whether they will be in a hurry to come back again."

"We will be prepared at all events," said Adair. "Get the guns and small arms reloaded and placed ready for action, and then see who is most hurt. It won't do to let our blood flow till we grow weak."

"Ay! ay! sir," answered Ben. "I believe most of us have got a scratch or two, but I hope you are not hurt, sir."

"As to that, I believe that I have not escaped scot free," said Adair; "but I want to overhaul those who have suffered most, and bind up their wounds. You may release Pedro, and get his a.s.sistance, though it won't do to cast the others loose just yet."

Adair as he spoke felt very faint, and had not s.n.a.t.c.hblock caught him he would have fallen on the deck. Desmond ran to his a.s.sistance, and while he sat on the stool outside the cabin brought a gla.s.s of strong grog, which quickly revived him; the men were in the meantime binding up each other's hurts as well as they could, with their handkerchiefs, after having reloaded their arms.

s.n.a.t.c.hblock released Pedro, who seemed pleased at the successful termination of the contest. His s.h.i.+pmates, he said, suspected him--the pirates would have undoubtedly cut his throat had they got on board. He helped Desmond very scientifically in dressing Adair's wounds.

"Beg pardon, sir," said s.n.a.t.c.hblock, "if you will just lie down and get some rest, Mr Desmond and I will keep a look out, and call you if we get sight of our friends coming back to us. I am not much the worse for my scratches, and so five or six of those most hurt among us can turn in and try and get back their strength, in case we have more work to do to-night."

Adair agreed to Ben's proposal, and having ordered grog to be served out to the men, he himself lay down to obtain the rest he so greatly needed.

Except here and there where white marks in the bulwarks showed the spots the bullets had struck, and the cutla.s.ses had hewn out notches, scarcely a sign of the late desperate struggle was visible. All was silent on deck. Desmond alone paced up and down turning his watchful eye on either side, while s.n.a.t.c.hblock took a seat on the booms.

Notwithstanding his a.s.sertion, that he had only received a few scratches, he felt, however, considerably the worse for them. For the rest of the watch he lay down, trying, however, to keep awake, and be ready to start up at a moment's notice.

Pedro suspecting that food would benefit all hands, lighted the galley-fire, and began to prepare some broth. He had before this gone below, and quieted the blacks, who had naturally been alarmed at the noise of the firing, not knowing what was happening. He now sat down in a corner of the caboose with his arms folded, and fell asleep while watching the soup boiling.

The night grew on, and morning was approaching. A breeze had sprung up from the eastward with sufficient strength to disperse the mist, and to keep back the usual land wind, which blows from the opposite direction, while it ruffled the surface of the harbour into waves.

Just after the first streaks of dawn had appeared above the horizon, Desmond caught sight of a number of boats collected up the harbour.

They appeared to be pulling towards the brigantine, but as the wind was against them, and the current was setting in, they made but slow progress. Desmond awoke s.n.a.t.c.hblock, who had fallen asleep, and told him what he had seen.

"Maybe the same fellows as before are coming to pay us a visit," he answered. "If they are we will treat them the same as the last time."

"Don't call Mr Adair, he wants rest, and there will be time enough when the boats get nearer." Ben, however, got up to have a lookout, and then called the rest of the crew. He found Pedro still asleep in the caboose with the soup boiling over; he asked him what he would wish to do.

"Get the soup ready first," said Pedro. "Then you lash me up as before, I no wish fight."

The soup being ready, Desmond called Adair, who, as well as his crew, found it very welcome.

"I doubt much whether those fellows will venture to attack us, though it's as well to be prepared," he observed. "If they do, though there may be twice as many as at first, we must beat them off."

Adair and the rest had been so engaged in watching the approaching boats, that no one thought of looking eastward with the exception of Desmond.

"There is a sail in the offing, and she is standing in for the harbour, as far as I can make out," he exclaimed, as he held the gla.s.s still raised through which he had been looking. Adair took it from him, and eagerly watched the approaching vessel.

"You are right, my boy," he answered. "She seems to me a brig about the size of the _Supplejack_, but we shall make her out more clearly in a short time; if she is a friend those slaving rascals will not dare to attack us."

"But she may be a slaver herself, and then she will a.s.sist them,"

whispered Desmond.

"And then we shall have to fight her as well, that is all I can say about it," answered Adair.

"What do you make her out to be?" he asked of Ben, who just then came aft.

"She is scarcely large enough for the corvette, or I should have expected her to come in and look for us. That craft is a brig, and as like to be the _Supplejack_ as any other," said Ben. "I don't think the people in the boats have made her out yet, or they would save themselves the trouble of a long pull against wind and tide."

Some time elapsed before the matter could be decided. The boats made but slow progress, but the stranger standing on under all sail rapidly approached the mouth of the harbour. Still the former would be alongside, and if the Brazilians had sufficient determination, they might cut the cable and tow the brigantine up the harbour, before the brig could come to her a.s.sistance.

The Brazilians must have seen the stranger by this time, but probably they did not believe that she was a man-of-war. They had now come within musket-shot. Terence, on looking through the gla.s.s, saw that there were several officers in uniform in the boats, and began to suspect that they were really official characters, sent by the government to inquire into the cause of the firing in the early part of the night; he did not, therefore, wish to commence hostilities till he had ascertained, if possible, their real character.

The stranger had now slightly to alter her course, when the English flag blew out, and Adair had no longer any doubt that she was the _Supplejack_.

The flag at the same time had been seen by the people in the boats.

Whatever were their intentions, they ceased pulling, apparently holding a consultation; then putting about they made the best of their way up the harbour. Terence felt very much inclined to let fly a volley at them, but mercy, or prudence, prevailed, though if they were the pirates they deserved any punishment he might inflict on them.

As the _Supplejack_ rounded to under the stern of the brigantine, Adair hailed and said what had happened, when Rogers, accompanied by Tom and McTavish, instantly came on board.

"You always come in the nick of time, Jack," exclaimed Adair, as they shook hands; "we had a hard tussle last night, and we might have had a harder this morning if you had not made your appearance, but how is it that you have come in here?"

Jack replied that after the gale he had chased a slaver, which had led him a long way out of his course, and having fallen in with the _Tudor_, Murray directed him to look for the prize, and then to escort her to Rio, whence she was to be sent to Sierra Leone.

McTavish doctored the wounded men, and Adair declared that he felt well enough to go on sh.o.r.e with Rogers to lay his complaint before the Government regarding the outrage which had been attempted in a friendly port.

The Governor, Senhor Jose da Silva Souza, declared that he knew nothing whatever about it; he had been astonished at hearing firing, and had sent the captain of the port, with his attendant officials, to ascertain the cause.