to the corvette, who immediately altered her course for us. We had
therefore only to fight, and the crew, being most of them in liquor,
declared that they would fight till the schooner sunk under them. In a
quarter of an hour, the corvette being close to us, and standing stem
on, we opened our fire, raking her masts and yards, and then I went
down below. I had changed my clothes for the duck trowsers and shirt
which I had swum on board in, and I now remained quietly in the cabin.
A few minutes afterwards the corvette opened her fire, and the shot
did great execution. The cries of the wounded and the shouts of the
tipsy men were mingled together, but the crew of the schooner tired
with great rapidity, and sustained the unequal conflict most
gallantly.

After a time some men darted down into the cabin. I was then at the
door which led to the magazine passage, and busied myself handing up
the powder, as it secured me from observation, and it was supposed
that I was one of the crew sent down for that duty.

The men roared out, "Where is the captain? We want him to fight the
ship. Toplift is an old fool, and don't know what he is about."

I made no reply, but with my back towards them continued to hand up
the powder, and, having changed my dress, they did not recognize me,
so they rushed upon deck again.

The corvette was now alongside of the schooner, pouring in her
broadsides with fatal execution, the shot passing in every direction
through her, so that there was as much danger below as on deck, and it
was evident that the schooner could not oppose them much longer. Still
they continued to fire with great resolution, being now sobered into
more steadiness than at first. But by this time more than half the men
were killed and wounded, and our guns were encumbered with the wreck
and bodies. I heard them, at the very time that a crashing broadside
was poured in by the corvette, cry out, "Avast firing for a moment and
clear the decks."

They did so, and having thrown the bodies overboard and cut away the
spars and rigging which had fallen, so as to enable them to work their
guns, during which time three broadsides were poured in, they remanned
their guns, and fought with as much spirit as before. I could not help
admiring the courage of the scoundrels, for nothing could exceed it;
but resistance was useless, further than they preferred dying at their
guns to being hanged on the gibbet.

But the shouts of the pirates an