The recklessness of this consisted in the fact that his vessel was not a "ram," but built of comparatively thin plates. The necessity for it lay in the certainty that a few minutes more would enable the prows to gain shallow water and escape.
"Besides," thought the captain to himself, as he walked up and down the bridge with his hands in his pockets, while bullets whistled round his head, "even a _thin_ plate can stand a good strain when struck end-on.
Never venture, never win!"
Giving the order "full-speed" to the engineer, and "port your helm a little--steady" to the man at the wheel, the captain quietly awaited the result.
The result was most effective. The gun-boat went at the prow like a war-horse; her sharp bow struck one of the pirate vessels fair amidships and cut her in two pieces, launching her crew and captives into the sea!
She then backed astern, and made for the other prow, but she, laying to heart the fate of her companion, made for the sh.o.r.e as fast as possible.
It was in vain. The gun-boat ran into her and sank her immediately, but so nearly had they succeeded in their intention, that there were only six inches of water under the steamer"s keel when she backed out.
"Lower the boats," shouted the captain, the instant his object had been accomplished; and it was not a moment too soon, for the sea all round was alive with human beings, some of whom evidently waited to be picked up, while others swam vigorously for the sh.o.r.e. In a short time, about a hundred men were rescued, most of whom were slaves--only ten being pirates. There was no difficulty in distinguishing between pirates and slaves, because the latter wore the "rattan" round their necks, in addition to which their spitting on the pirates, and furiously abusing them for past cruelty, and their falling down and kissing the feet of their deliverers, made the distinction abundantly clear.
Most of the other pirates gained the sh.o.r.e, but we may here finally dismiss them, and relieve the reader"s mind by stating that they were afterwards hunted down and slain to a man by the natives of that district, who entertained a deadly, and very natural hatred of them, having suffered much at their hands in time past.
While the rescued captives were going about excitedly telling of the shocking barbarities that had been practised on them, the captain discovered among them a Singapore native who could speak a little English. Taking this man aft, he questioned him closely.
"Are there any more pirate-junks hereabouts?" he said.
"Yis; tree more."
"Whereaway?"
"Hout seaward. Not know how far. Longish way off, me tink. We was sent off from dem last night, after all de goods an" money was tooked out of us. What for, no kin tell. Where tothers go, no kin tell."
"They"ve got lots of captives aboard, I suppose?" said the captain.
"Ho! Great lots," replied the Singapore man.
"And lots of treasure too, no doubt."
"Ho! Very greater lots of dat."
After obtaining all the information he could from this man and from the other pa.s.sengers, the captain steamed out to sea in a westerly direction, keeping a man at the mast-head to look out. The captives were in the meanwhile made as comfortable as circ.u.mstances would admit of, and the ten pirates were put in irons in the hold.
As the morning advanced, the sun increased in power and splendour. Not a breath of wind ruffled the sea, which shone like a mirror, reflecting perfectly the sea-birds that accompanied them. Everything was so calm and peaceful that the captain sent a message to Mr Hazlit and his daughter to request them to come up and enjoy the fresh air.
During the brief action described, they had been sent below to be out of danger. They obeyed the summons, and even Miss Pritty was induced by Aileen to come on deck.
Poor Miss Pritty! Her hysterical fit was now quite over, but pale cheeks and a trembling exhausted frame told eloquently of her recent sufferings. Mr Hazlit"s limbs were also shaky, and his face cadaverous, showing that his temporary aberration of reason had told upon him.
"Oh _how_ delicious!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, referring to the atmosphere, as she sank into an easy-chair which the captain placed for her. "Are these the pirates?" she added, shuddering, as her eyes fell on some of the rescued people.
"No, Miss Pritty," answered the captain, "these are the freed captives.
The pirates are in irons in the hold."
"You had to fight, I suppose?" continued Miss Pritty, shutting her eyes and pursing her mouth with the air of one who braces herself to face the inevitable.
"Well, we could hardly call it fighting," answered the captain, with a smile, as he cleaned the gla.s.ses of his telescope and swept the horizon carefully; "we had a round or two of the guns, and a few bullets whistled about our ears for a little--that was all."
"Was any one wounded--k-killed?" asked Miss Pritty, opening her eyes with an anxious look; "and oh!" she added, with a sudden expression of horror, as she drew up her feet and glanced downwards, "perhaps the decks are--no," she continued sinking back again with a sigh, "they are _not_ b.l.o.o.d.y!"
At that moment the man at the mast-head reported three prows, just visible on the horizon ahead.
"I suppose we must go below again," said Aileen, sadly, after the captain returned from the bridge, to which he had gone to examine the prows in question.
"Not yet, Miss Hazlit. It will probably be an hour ere we come up with them. You"d better enjoy the morning air while you may. I"ll warn you in good time."
Aileen therefore remained on deck for some time with her father, but poor Miss Pritty, on the first intimation that more pirates were in sight, got up hastily, staggered with a face expressive of the utmost horror into the cabin, flung herself into the captain"s berth, thrust her head under the pillow, piled the clothes over that, and lay there-- quaking!
She quaked for full half an hour before anything happened. Then she felt a hand trying to remove her superinc.u.mbent head-gear. This induced her to hold on tight and shriek, but, recognising Aileen"s voice, she presently put her face out.
"Don"t be so terrified, dear," said Aileen, scarce able to repress a smile.
"I _can"t_ help it," answered her friend, whimpering; "are the--the pirates--"
"They are not far off now. But don"t give way to needless alarm, dear.
Our captain sent me below because he is going to fight them, and you know he is sure to win, for he is a brave man. He says he"ll run them all down in a few minutes."
"Oh!" groaned Miss Pritty, and with that, pulling her head in like a snail, she resumed quaking.
Poor Aileen, although talking thus bravely to her friend, was by no means easy in her own mind, for apart from the fact that they were about to engage three pirate-junks, manned by hundreds of desperate men, she could not repress her shrinking horror at the bare idea of men talking coolly about shedding human blood. To one of her imaginative nature, too, it was no small trial to have to sit alone and inactive in the cabin, while the bustle of preparation for war went on overhead; we say alone, because her father, although there, was too much exhausted to act the part of companion or comforter in any degree.
Meanwhile the gun-boat approached close to the enemy, and it soon became apparent that they meant to fight--trusting, no doubt, to their very decided superiority in numbers.
"They mean mischief," said the captain, as he shut up his telescope.
"Faix, an" they"ll git it too," replied Rooney Machowl, who chanced to be near at the time, though the remark was not addressed to him.
To this the captain made no reply, save by a grim curl of his black moustache, as he once more ascended to his exposed position on the bridge. From this outlook he could see plainly that the pirates were lashing their three prows together, and training all their guns on one side, where the attack was expected. As each prow mounted twelve guns, they could thus fire a broadside of thirty-six heavy pieces, besides small arms.
The men of the gun-boat were now all at their quarters, eagerly awaiting the order to begin. The captain descended and went round among them, so as to inspect everything with his own eye.
"Now, lads," he said, in pa.s.sing, "remember, not a single shot till I give you positive orders."
He returned to the bridge. Although naturally disinclined to parley with scoundrels, he felt that he had a duty to perform, and resolved to go close up, and, if possible, induce them to surrender. But he was saved the trouble of attempting a parley, for while yet six hundred yards off, a regular volley burst from the sides of the pirate vessels.
Again the black moustache curled, but this time with a touch of ferocity, for the shot partly took effect, cutting the rigging to some extent, killing one man of the crew, and wounding several. A musket-ball also struck his own cap and knocked it off his head.
"Just hand that up," he said, pointing to the cap.
One of the men obeyed, and the captain, taking a look at the hole, replaced it. Still he gave no order to fire, although the pirates were seen to be busily re-loading.
Hanging up to within a hundred yards, the captain looked quickly at his men.
"Port, a little," said he to the man at the wheel.
"Are you ready?"