The Missing Ship Part 42

"If we wait till dark we shall have a better chance of taking the pirate by surprise, as she will not expect to be attacked by the boats,"

observed Mr Tarwig to Gerald; "but then, again, we run the risk of losing her altogether, should a breeze spring up.--What do you say, master?" he shouted to Mr Billhook, who was in the boat nearest to him.

"Shall we wait till darkness comes on, or pull away at once for the pirates?"

"As you ask me, I venture to say that we had better wait till dark. If the pirates catch sight of us before we are alongside, they may knock one of our boats to pieces, or, for that matter, sink all of them,"

answered the master.

The boatswain, when asked, agreed with the master. Mr Tarwig therefore decided to wait, under shelter of a high reef of black rocks, which would effectually conceal the boats from the pirate.

Gerald felt greatly disappointed. He had hoped to pull on board at once, and settle the doubts which had been agitating his mind all the morning. On looking out to the northward, he observed the hitherto gla.s.s-like sea rippled over in various directions.

"Do you observe those cat's-paws, sir?" he asked, pointing them out to Mr Tarwig. "If the strangers feel the breeze before we get on board, we shall lose the pirate, and too likely the other vessel will fall into her hands."

"I believe you are right, Tracy. We must give up the idea of surprising the pirate.--We must pull for her at once, master. You board on the starboard bow, Mr Dobbs on the larboard, and I will get on board over the starboard quarter. You will clear a road for yourself along the starboard gangway, master. I will meet you there."

Scarcely had these arrangements been made, the boats still remaining concealed behind the rocks, when the pirate's canvas blew out to the increasing breeze, and she began to glide rapidly away over the smooth water.

"I was afraid so," exclaimed Mr Tarwig. "I am the most unlucky fellow in existence. We shall lose her, after all."

As he spoke the pirate was seen to be running rapidly through the water, the chase at the same time getting the breeze, and, as before, keeping ahead and doing her utmost to escape. On seeing this, Mr Tarwig gave the order to the other boats to pull back.

"I can't make it out, sir," said Gerald, as they were returning to the island; "I feel more certain than ever that the vessel with the black flag is the _Ouzel Galley_. I wish that we could have got on board her, to learn what has become of my friends."

"It is very disappointing, I allow, Tracy," answered the first lieutenant, "but I doubt if we should have been much the wiser. Depend on it, the pirates would not have acknowledged that their craft is the _Ouzel Galley_, and still less how they had disposed of the officers and crew."

"They must have murdered them all," cried Gerald, bending down his head upon the palms of his hands. "I cannot bear to think of it, for I am sure that Owen Ma.s.sey would not have yielded without a desperate struggle."

"Well, Tracy, we have all our trials to bear. Cheer up, cheer up, matters may not be so bad as you suppose," said Mr Tarwig in a soothing tone. Rough as was his exterior, he was a true kind-hearted man at bottom.

The two vessels were soon lost to sight in the darkness, which rapidly came on. Still the guns could be heard, showing that the chase had not yet yielded, and was, as before, endeavouring to make her escape. First they were fired only at intervals, as either one or the other could bring her bow or stern-chasers to bear on her antagonist; just as the boats reached the sh.o.r.e the booming sounds came with far greater rapidity, as if both were firing their broadsides.

"The pirate has brought the chase to action," exclaimed Mr Tarwig.

"May Heaven protect the right! The merchantman has done her best to escape, and small blame to her. She will now, I doubt not, fight to the last, and may, I hope, beat off the enemy."

The whole party, on landing, stood listening to the sound of the guns, trying to judge how the fight was going. Broadside after broadside was exchanged for the s.p.a.ce of nearly half an hour; then suddenly the firing ceased.

"Can the merchantman have beaten off the pirate?" said Gerald to the first lieutenant. "Do you think she has, sir?"

"I much doubt it," was the answer. "What do you say, master?"

"I believe that the pirate has taken the merchantman," replied Mr Billhook. "Those buccaneering fellows will stick to their prey like leeches. They had made up their mind that she would prove a rich prize, and were determined to have her."

Most of the party agreed with the master, and few felt otherwise than sad at the thought of the fate which had probably overtaken the crew of the merchant vessel.

They returned to the fort.

The commander was satisfied that Mr Tarwig had done his best to capture the pirate. He had observed the breeze coming on, and fully expected that she would escape.

The fine weather having now set in, and the stock of provisions running short, the commander agreed to allow his second lieutenant, without further delay, to try and make his way to Jamaica. It had become of double importance that he should get there as soon as possible, both that a man-of-war might be sent to the relief of the _Champion's_ crew, and another despatched to search for the pirate, which was likely to be committing serious depredations on British commerce.

Mr Foley begged that he might be allowed to start the very next morning. He had already obtained from the purser the provisions he expected to require for the voyage, and had selected eight trusty men from among those who had volunteered to accompany him.

Greatly to Gerald's delight, the commander gave him leave to go, Mr Foley having, according to his promise, applied for him.

The pinnace had been carefully overhauled, and such additions to her fittings as the second lieutenant thought would be necessary had been made. Nothing more, therefore, had now to be done than to put her stores and water on board, and that would not take long, so that she might set off at an early hour the next morning.

Nat Kiddle was greatly disappointed at finding that he was not to go.

He again applied, through Mr Foley, for leave, but the commander considered that another officer was not necessary; he was unwilling to risk the safety of more people than were absolutely required. There was but little danger to be apprehended from the weather; the risk was far greater of falling into the hands of the enemy, who would, of course, if they were taken, prevent them from proceeding on their voyage. Should this happen, matters would become serious on the island, though the commander still hoped to be able to maintain the crew for many months to come, with the help of such wild-fowl and fish as could be caught.

Next morning, before daybreak, all hands were roused up, it being arranged that the pinnace was to start directly there was light enough for her to see her way between the reefs. Those who were to go were first to breakfast, while a party who had been told off for the purpose carried the stores and water down to the pinnace. She was soon loaded; and a ruddy glow had just appeared in the eastern sky as Mr Foley and his companions stepped on board.

It had again become perfectly calm. Not a breath of air ruffled the smooth surface of the ocean; scarcely a ripple broke on the beach.

"You will have a long pull of it among the reefs," observed the master; "but you will get a breeze, I hope, from the north-east when the sun rises."

The mists of night had begun to clear away, when Mr Foley, looking towards the south-west, exclaimed, "There's a vessel at anchor."

The pinnace was on the point of shoving off.

"Wait till we see what she is," said the commander, who had come down, as had all the officers and men, to bid farewell to their shipmates.

The sun now quickly rising, shed its rays on the stranger, towards which several telescopes were turned.

"She is the very merchantman we saw yesterday, or I am much mistaken,"

observed the commander.

"No doubt about it, sir," said Mr Tarwig.

"Foley, you will be saved a voyage in the boat. We must board her without delay, or she may be getting under way, although it seems strange that she should not have noticed our flag," said Commander Olding. "Can she have beaten off the pirate?"

"It looks like it, sir," answered the first lieutenant. "Either the pirate must have escaped or been sent to the bottom."

"We shall soon hear all about it, I hope; and we must get her to take us off," said the commander.

"As the pinnace is ready, I will pull on board at once, sir, if you will allow me," said Mr Foley.

The commander hesitated for a moment. "We will run no unnecessary risk," he observed. "She may have beaten off the pirate, or she may have become her prize, and if so, it will be safer for all the boats to proceed together well armed."

Some minutes were occupied in unloading the pinnace, that more men might go in her; and in the mean time the crews of the other boats hurried back to the fort to obtain their arms. Mr Tarwig and the master taking charge of them, as soon as all were ready they shoved off, and pulled as fast as the men could lay their backs to the oars towards the stranger.

As they got from under the shelter of some of the higher reefs, which had at first concealed them, they must have been seen from her deck, as the British ensign was run up at her peak.

"Hurrah! after all, she must have beaten off the pirate!" exclaimed Gerald.

"I am not quite so sure of that," answered Mr Foley. "If she is a prize to the pirates, they would hoist the flag to deceive us, and as they see only three boats, they may hope to beat us off. Don't let us be quite sure that yonder vessel is not in the hands of the pirates," he shouted out to Mr Tarwig, whose boat was astern of the pinnace.

"I agree with you," was the answer. "We will be on our guard."

The first lieutenant, as the senior officer, now took the lead, and the other two boats followed a little more than an oar's length apart. Mr Tarwig's boat carried an ensign, and as he approached the stranger he unshipped the flagstaff and waved it so that it might clearly be seen.

The boats had now got within hail of the merchant vessel. The British colours were still hoisted at her peak.