ast, thank Heaven!" said I to myself. "What a position
am I in, and how much will be in suspense before twenty-four hours are
over. My own brother here, not ten miles perhaps from me, commanding
the vessel which will attack this on which I am on board. That they
will take us I have no doubt; but what risk do I run--of death by
shot, or by their blowing up the vessel in spite of me, or of no
quarter being given. Well, I wish it were decided. At all events, I am
long supposed dead, and I shall not be recognized among the heaps of
bodies."

I then went to the locker and took out my duck frock and trowsers,
determining that I would, if I were killed, be killed in those
clothes, and be thrown overboard as a common seaman. I then went on
deck, for I had heard the grating of the sides of the two vessels and
knew that they were in contact.

All was uproar and confusion on board of the Transcendant, but there
was nobody on board the schooner except Toplift and myself. I cannot
say that I never saw such a scene, for I had seen quite as bad on
board of a privateer. The common seamen, as well as the soldiers, when
let loose to plunder, are like maniacs. In half an hour they had
broken open every thing, cut the crew to pieces, found out the hoard
of dollars, which was shown them by young Peleg, who tried for his
share, but for so doing received a chop with a cutlass, which cut off
his right ear, and wounded him severely on the shoulder; but his right
arm was not disabled, and while the man that cut him down was bending
over a heap of dollars, which took both hands to lift them, the boy
ran his knife deep into the man's side, who fell mortally wounded. The
rush for the dollars thus at the mercy of the rest was so great, that
Peleg was not minded, and he crept away and came on board the
schooner. We saw that he was bleeding profusely, but we asked no
questions, and he went down the ladder forward.

"What has that young villain been after?" said Toplift.

"I presume he has been quarrelling for plunder, and considered that he
had a greater right to his father's money than anybody else."

Among other plunder the people had not forgotten to look for liquor,
and an hour had not passed before three-fourths of the men were more
or less intoxicated. They had found plenty of good clothes, and were
strutting about with gold-laced waistcoats and embroidered coats over
their dirty frocks. The uproar increased every minute, when Toplift,
who