Percy F. Westerman

“ Owing to the high seas that were running, the Algerine had been unable to use her oars; but the luckless slaves, chained to their benches, did not escape the hail of shot, much as we should have wished otherwise.
Amidst the clamour of shrieks, groans, and maledictions, for the havoc our broadside had caused was immense, two white men sprang over the side of the Algerine and began to swim in our direction.
"There are some slaves escaping," shouted one of our seamen from the fo'c'sle.
"Where away?" asked Captain Jeremy. ”

“ The tarred and hempen shrouds, long since severed at the deadeyes, were dangling like fiery serpents from the swaying masts; while ever and anon the shotted guns of her broadside would discharge their dangerous contents, the balls ricochetting on the surface of the sea with a series of fountain-like jets. Some of the shots passed unpleasantly close to the Golden Hope, and orders were given to forge ahead till we were well in line with the stern of the burning ship, where, being still to windward, we were in no danger. ”

“ From the poop I gazed once more upon the shores of Old England, after an absence of three years, for on our larboard bow I could discern the dark, lofty outlines of the Lizard, the southernmost headland of our isle.
The Golden Hope was now bowling along under easy canvas at a good six knots, and ere night the dreaded Eddystone, rearing its ugly reef above the breakers, was well abeam, and the rugged Devon coast away on our larboard bow. Should this breeze continue, to-morrow's eve would find us safe in Poole Harbour. ”

“ We could clearly discern the last of the villainous but unfortunate vessel. With her foremast shot away she was helpless, in spite of frantic efforts to row her seaward. As fast as the heavy sweeps were shipped they were shattered by the irresistible force of the waves, till, midst a turmoil of foam, the doomed ship struck the cliff.
"The Deadman [2] has claimed another toll," shouted Captain Jeremy in my ear. "Yon's one of the worst parts of the Cornish coast, and should a single man of her crew reach the land, he'll meet with short shrift at the hands of the wreckers and smugglers." ”

“ When at length some semblance of order was restored, the work of loading the treasure was begun and carried on till, staggering under the weight of seventeen heavy sacks, the seamen gained the open air.
"Shall we do anything with these, sir?" asked one of the men, pointing to the skeletons of the ill-fated members of the crew of the Madre.
"Nay; they have guarded the treasure so far, let them sleep on in peace," replied Captain Jeremy softly, as, stooping down, he picked up a rapier of exquisite workmanship. ”

“ I could see her lofty fo'c'sle crowded with men--brown, black, aye, and even white faces, for renegades were to be found in the service of the infidels. Some of the crew wore turbans and flowing robes, others a kind-of hooded garment that reached to the knees; but the majority were naked from the waist upwards. With scimitar, spear, pistol, and musket they crowded ready for a spring upon our decks, while they rent the air with shouts of defiance and rage, which were borne to our ears by the wind. ”

“ Nor could we render any assistance, for our broadsides might do more harm to friend than to foe; while it would be extremely hazardous to attempt to land an armed party on an open beach, as we knew not the numbers of our enemies. Moreover, in the darkness we might fire on, or be fired upon by our own men.
Above the crackle of musketry and the shouts of the combatants we could distinguish the deeper crash of the ordnance that had been landed from the Golden Hope, while now and again would come an ominous lull, only to be broken by another crash of guns and the noise of a hand-to-hand conflict. ”

“ This much I noticed as they tore onwards with undiminished pace through the narrow street, till they were lost to view in a cloud of dust on the Southampton Road.
"There's some news for Cap'n Hammond, Master Clifford!" shouted Chambers the blacksmith from across the way. "They say as how Duke Monmouth's been beaten, and half his army cut to pieces. Those redcoats are Cornbury's Dragoons, and they are hot on the track of the Hampshire rebels. Heaven help the Mayor of Lymington and the score of men he sent to the West!" ”

“ Now, since no one can deny that I am a just man, I'll speak plainly on what I propose to do. Those of you who left England in the Golden Hope will receive a share in the Madre treasure, while all hands are entitled to the spoils we recovered from the wreck of the pirate ship. Now, to prevent mistakes, I propose to separate the two; and since the Neptune is of the lighter build, and sails a full knot faster than the Golden Hope, I'll stow the whole of the Madre treasure in the hold of the Neptune. ”

“ For the space of a full minute Captain Jeremy intently regarded the trembling man; then, as the cry arose, "Here they come!" he stepped to 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 a low tone to the master gunner; then, returning to where the abject creature still stood cowering, "There's your chance," he remarked quietly, pointing towards the buccaneering craft; "play the man!" ”

“ Looking round the harbour, I could see the Golden Hope and the Neptune, their sides crowded with men, while within a few hundred yards of them was the long-boat, rowing slowly, with her gunwale barely showing. ”

“ At length we emerged from the forest and gained the rolling expanse of heath, where, to right and left, as far as the eye could reach, the heather and the gorse gleamed in the bright sunshine like a sea of purple and gold.
"See, there's a man riding as fast as his horse can carry him!" exclaimed Constance, pointing down the bridle path that, running between Ring wood and Beaulieu, crosses the highway near the place where we were. ”

“ I know these men. They are full of fight, and only need a stiffening of good seamen to turn them into a passable crew."
"Then you expect we shall have opposition, sir?" I asked. "From whom?"
"From the buccaneers, unless I be greatly mistaken. With the Golden Hope alone 'twould be necessary to avoid an engagement should these rogues think fit to molest us, for they swarm all over the Caribbean Sea; but with a consort like the Neptune we can hold our own. Is she a seaworthy craft?"
"As sweet a craft as I could wish for--saving our own," replied 'Enery. ”

“ In the confusion several of the passengers, despite the assurances of the officers and seamen in the boat, jumped to their feet, so that the already heavily laden craft was in imminent danger of capsizing.
Ropes were thrown from the towering sides of the Golden Hope amidst a loud shout of "Women first!" Yet (though some excuse must be made for their cowardice) several of the men sprang for our bulwarks. Others, with more presence of mind, assisted in slipping the bowlines over the shoulders of the women; and as each one was hoisted aboard the danger of the boat being swamped became less. ”

“ Jeremy Miles has always prided himself on being a man of his word, and sink me if I fail to carry out this matter to the satisfaction of my principles."
Thus I found myself installed in the Captain's cabin of the brig Golden Hope, which was more than I expected and more than I deserved.
"Sixty men we carry," remarked the Captain. "None too many, but the most we can reasonably afford. Most of them have been shipmates with me in times past, and I'll warrant they'll be a tough nut for any man to crack, be he Turk, Algerine, or buccaneer. ”

“ Not only had the Neptune disappeared from view, but the gale had swept away the few remaining fragments of the pirate ship Black Arrow, so that another link with the adventurous past had been severed.
Seamen, from their constant exposure and peril, are ever ready to rise above their misfortunes, though these are not easily forgotten; and so it was with the crew of the Golden Hope. The dejected mien so observable on the preceding day gave place to a bustle of activity, for much had to be done ere we were ready to weigh anchor and set sail on our homeward voyage. ”

“ I fought under him when he was Duke of York, and a braver seaman never trod deck."
"Ah! James Duke of York and James King of England are two very different personages, I trow," replied Captain Jeremy. "The best fighter is ever the worst statesman."
"After all," said the master of the Phoenix, "so long as there are English ships at sea and plenty of work for us poor seamen, it matters not much who rules the roost. That's how the wind blows, say I."
"The wind draws ahead," observed Captain Jeremy; "that is the matter that concerns us chiefly. ”

“ If the survivors had had any doubts as to our nationality, they were now set at rest.
"Hands shorten sail!" Hardly had the last notes of the bos'n's mate's whistle died away, when the topmen were flying away aloft; the courses were taken up, the topsail yards lowered, and slowly the Golden Hope began to lose way.
"Women and children too, by Jove!" ejaculated Captain Jeremy, as the boats made towards us. "'Tis well we are close to land, or we would be hard put to it to feed them."
"'Twill mean half rations, in any case," replied 'Enery, "though the men will not mind that." ”

“ The Golden Hope gave a swift, and graceful turn, so that she exposed the whole of her larboard broadside to her enemy. Then, as the Algerine likewise put her helm down to avoid a collision that would doubtless have proved fatal to both craft, nine of our vessel's guns were run out, and a crashing volley was poured into our entrapped foe.
When the smoke had cleared away I saw a sight that I shall never forget. The fo'c'sle, swept by a hail of bullets, was covered by a writhing mass of dead and wounded men; her bows were beaten in by the solid shot ”

“ I managed to evade the monster, for it floundered heavily in the shallows, lashing out with its tail, the noise of the blows sounding like the report of a musket.
The water was now up to my ankles on the highest part of the reef. Often would I imagine that my foot touched the slimy tentacles of an octopus, as the now increasing current caused the long tendrils of seaweed to sweep against my legs; while many crabs of small size would dart swiftly in a sidelong motion over my toes. ”

“ The Golden Hope was now moored alongside a wharf on the Hamworthy side of the harbour, and at two bells in the afternoon watch the men mustered on deck, those who came off the Neptune having fallen in on the larboard side, each with his bundle ready for his long tramp to distant Sedgemoor. ”

“ The Algerine was now but a few hundred yards astern, the foam flying from her sharp bows as they cleft the water. She had put up her helm and was bearing down on our lee quarter, doubtless to board in the manner that Captain Jeremy had predicted.
Observing that those of the crew who were not at the guns had armed themselves with musket or pistol, I took hold of a musket. Thanks to my forest training, I was well accustomed to handle a gun, being reckoned a tolerable shot, though on board the Golden Hope the motion of the ship put me at a disadvantage. ”