stead of the easy prey on which
they calculated, found themselves crushed by the fire of a heavy
battery in a commanding position. Captain Thompson, seeing that the
guns of the ship were silent, and that all resistance had ceased, now
ordered the sailors to turn their guns on the dhows and sink as many
as possible. These, crowded together in their efforts to escape,
offered an easy mark for the gunners, whose shot tore through their
sides, smashing and sinking them in all directions.

In ten minutes the last of those that floated had gained the mouth of
the bay and, accompanied by the boats, crowded with the crews of the
two pirate vessels, made off; followed by the shot of the thirty-two
pounders, until they had turned the low promontory which formed the
head of the bay. Long ere this Mr. James and the boats' crews had
gained the vessel, and were engaged in combating the fire, which had
broken out in three places.

The boats were sent back to shore, and returned with Captain Thompson
and the rest of the sailors, and this reinforcement soon enabled them
to get the mastery of the flames. The ship was found to be the Dover
Castle, a new and very fast ship of the Company's service, of which
all traces had been lost since she left Bombay two years before. She
was now painted entirely black, and a snake had been added for her
figurehead. The original name, however, still remained upon the
binnacle and ship's bell. Her former armament had been increased and
she now carried thirty guns, of which ten were thirty-two pounders.

A subsequent search showed that her hold was stored with valuable
goods; which had, by the marks upon the bales, evidently belonged to
several ships; which she had, no doubt, taken and sunk after removing
the pick of their cargoes. The prize was a most valuable one, and the
captain felt that the board of directors would be highly delighted at
the recovery of their ship, and still more by the destruction of the
two bands of pirates.

The deck of the ship was thickly strewn with dead. Among them was the
body of a man who, by his dress, was evidently the captain. From some
of the pirates who still lived, Captain Thompson learned that the brig
was the original pirate, that she had captured the Dover Castle, that
from her and subsequent prizes they had obtained sufficient hands to
man both ships, all who refused to join being compelled to walk the
plank. These were the only two pirate ships in those seas,