e were a-lowering the boats, and all
hands pleased at the thoughts of a good prize, blowed if she didn't
quietly steal her fore-yard forward a little, to gather way, and before
you could say Jack Robinson, she was braced sharp up, with all her small
kites set, and, as she stood across our bows, she pitched it into us in
style. It was a blind look-out, sartinly, to let the sneaking scoundrel
slip through our fingers that way; but there was no help for it now. The
boats were secured again; and in a few minutes we were after her. As
long as the breeze held strong and steady, we had rather the best on't;
but it soon began to die away, and then we thought we would lose her for
sartin, when a lucky shot crippled her gaff, which soon snapped like a
carrot. Now that so much after-sail was off her, she couldn't keep her
wind, and we neared her fast. 'Don't spare her, my lads!' shouted the
captain; and we _did_ pour the grape and canister into her in fine
style, till she was a regular wreck; but she showed pluck to the last,
and kept blazing away at us as long as she was able. At last she got
tired, and gave over firing, and struck her colours. The boats were well
manned and armed, and were again sent to take possession of her; the
frigate running almost alongside, and threatening to blow her out of the
water, if she attempted any further resistance. When we were coming up
under her quarter in the boats, we heard the sound of loud quarrelling
on board, and when we got fairly on the quarterdeck, we found the
captain of the pirate swearing like a trooper, and saying as how his
crew had betrayed him, like cowardly dogs, as they were. He kept
stamping up and down the deck like mad, looking as if he could eat the
luftenant, when he took his sword from him. Ten or twelve
desperate-looking rough'uns as ever I seed gathered round him, muttering
that it was better to die on the quarterdeck like men, than hang like
dogs at the yardarm, and all at once they snatched up some tommyhawks as
was lying on the deck, and made a desperate rush upon us. We had an
awful tussle for it; and, just as we were in the thick on't, hand to
hand, up runs a young man from below, and sings out to us, 'Save
me--save me!' As soon as the pirate captain seed him, he ran at him like
a tiger, and, seizing him by the throat, shouted out, 'Dead men tell no
tales!' and raised his tommyhawk to cleave him to the skull. Poor lad!
he thought his signal for sailing was made, t