CHAPTER XVII
Attacked by Buccaneers
"Back to the ships!" was the cry, and with the utmost haste weretraced our footsteps. Not having to cut our way back, our progresswas considerably quicker than on the outward journey, most of themen casting aside their stock of provisions to enable them tolighten their loads. Yet, owing to the marshy state of the groundthrough which we floundered heavily, it was nearly two hours laterere we emerged from the forest--if forest I may term it.
The cause of our sudden recall then became apparent, for standing inunder all plain sail were three large ships. They were still aleague or more from the mouth of our harbour, but already they werein shoal water, so that 'twas plain they were no strangers to theisland, since they were following the intricate channel throughwhich we ourselves had come.
Our arrival had already been observed from our own ships, and boatswere putting off to take us on board. While we were awaiting themCaptain Jeremy ordered twelve men to reinforce the little garrisonwithin the stockade, and on numbering the remainder we wereastonished to find that only twenty-two remained. The outposts whomwe had left on the hillock had been recalled, and on the march not acry of alarm had been raised, so that the missing men must havedisappeared without a sound.
"Who are they? What are their names?" demanded Captain Jeremyanxiously.
Several names were mentioned, although some of them, I knew, werethose of the men who had been sent to the stockade; but all wereagreed that Ned Slater was amongst the six missing seamen.
A stern look overspread Captain Jeremy's bronzed features. The lossof the chart, and the unaccountable disappearance of a man of whom Ihad expressed my distrust, had considerably shaken our Captain'sfaith in his former shipmate; but, controlling himself, he orderedthe men to embark, for the boats had by this time gained the shore.
Although we hurried on board there was no unseemly haste or panic,and as each man came up over the side he took his place in hisallotted position.
Captain 'Enery, having handed over the command to Captain Jeremy,returned to the _Neptune_, where, as on board the _Golden Hope_, themagazines had been opened, and powder and shot placed alongside theguns, ere we came off.
The wind blew steadily straight on shore, so that we hoped thestrange vessels had not heard the guns fired as the return signal,though, as most merchantmen carried small guns for this purpose, thedischarge, even had it been heard, would not have led the enemy tosuppose that our vessels were well armed.
Meanwhile we lost no time in improving our posture of defence.Captain Jeremy sent away the long-boat with a kedge slung underneathher, to which was attached a long hawser, leading over the ship'sstern. The kedge was then dropped, and by taking a strain on thecable the _Golden Hope_ was brought to lie broadside on to the mouthof the harbour. A similar manoeuvre was also carried out on boardthe _Neptune_, so that all our available ordnance, or as many asthere were gun ports for, were trained on the approaching vessels,though as yet the guns had not been run out.
In breathless silence we awaited the oncoming ships, for, by CaptainJeremy's orders, not a shot was to be discharged, nor a shoutraised, from either brig till the word was given to open fire.
When just outside the inner reef the leading vessel rounded, and asshe did so her ensign became visible. It was the skull andcrossbones.
"She means to leave us no longer in doubt," exclaimed CaptainJeremy. "I am right glad that she has shown yonder flag, for itseems they take us for harmless traders, and would terrify us intosurrender."
Even as he spoke a cloud of smoke burst from the pirate's sideamidships, and a twelve-pound ball whizzed betwixt our masts,striking our lee bulwarks and knocking up a shower of splinters;then, rebounding, it plunged into the sea within a few yards of theshore.
Another and another followed, while the remaining ships took up asimilar position and also opened fire. Though many of their shotswent high or passed wide, one penetrated the bulwarks, killing twomen and wounding three.
The master gunner, who had returned on board, besought our Captainto open fire.
"No," he replied resolutely. "We must grin and bear it awhile."
Just then a shot was fired from the _Neptune_. Possibly the captainof the gun had lost his nerve; but the shot was well aimed, for itstruck the fore mast of the nearest buccaneer.
"A pest take it!" muttered Captain Jeremy, "that will ruin all myplans;" and springing on the poop he hailed the _Neptune_, to knowwhy the gun had been discharged.
Fortunately the premature shot was not followed by others, though weexpected it would be mistaken for the signal to commence firing; andfor ten minutes longer we lay under a heavy fire from all thevessels.
Evidently the buccaneers did not wish to sink us, for they directedtheir fire principally at our spars and cordage. Once we werecaptured they would remove our stores and other valuable gear, andscuttle the ships, so as to leave no trace of their fiendishhandiwork. Such has been the fate of many unfortunate merchantmen inWest Indian waters, with hardly a fragment left afloat to tell thetale.
"Stand to it, my lads," shouted Captain Jeremy encouragingly. "Sparscan be replaced and cordage refitted. They'll get tired of that gameere long. Lie down, all of you."
It was indeed a trying ordeal. We had already lost our foreyard,which had tumbled down across the fo'c'sle, bringing with it alitter of ropes, blocks, and torn canvas. Our spritsail yard, brokenin two places, dangled from the bowsprit; while our mainmast wassplintered from the futtock-shrouds to within ten feet of the deck.Several shots had torn gaping holes in our sides, and as a resultfour more dead men lay on our decks, while nearly a dozen badlywounded were carried below.
Nor was our consort in a better plight. Her fore topmast had beenshot away early in the cannonade, her poop lanterns and part of thetaffrail had disappeared, and several ominous dark holes werevisible in her bulging yellow sides.
"How much longer are we to stand this?" asked Touchstone, as hebound his wrist with a kerchief.
"Patience, man, patience!" was Captain Jeremy's only reply, as hecalmly surveyed the scene of destruction--the blood-stained decklittered with the prone figures of seamen, whether they were dead,or wounded, or unhurt; and the tangle of shattered spars andcordage--and the smoke-enshrouded outlines of our ferociousattackers.
Ever and anon a shrill cry of pain or an exclamation of rage wouldbe heard, as a mass of timber dislodged from aloft came hurtlingthrough the air and struck some unfortunate man crouching near theguns; and another limp body would be borne below to add to thesteadily growing numbers of our wounded. Yet discipline, irondiscipline, prevailed, and were we to win the day we must receivehard knocks with the traditional fortitude of Englishmen.
Ashore our stockade, its seaward face hidden by a mask of bushes,also maintained a dignified silence, though in the case of itsdefenders, they were not put to the same temptation as ourselves.
All at once two men emerged from our main hatchway, dragging withthem a great, hulking fellow, whose face was livid with terror.
"'Ere you are, Cap'n," said one of the men. "We found 'im skulkingin t'hold."
"And 'e hasn't a scratch on 'im," added the other. "Shall us pitch'im over the side?"
For the space of a full minute Captain Jeremy intently regarded thetrembling man; then, as the cry arose, "Here they come!" he steppedto the weather bulwarks and looked in the direction of the enemy.
"Pass the word for the crew to stand to their arms," he said in alow tone to the master gunner; then, returning to where the abjectcreature still stood cowering, "There's your chance," he remarkedquietly, pointing towards the buccaneering craft; "play the man!"