attle concerning which so much hath been writ and
spoken of late. When we had finished our councils we came upon deck
again, and found that the sloop was rather less than a mile distant from
the other craft, and in a little while she hove to nigh to the barque,
and let go her anchor with a splash and rattle of the cable which we
could hear distinctly whence we lay.

For half an hour Mr. Langely and I stood upon the poop-deck watching
the two crafts by aid of the telescope, and what we saw in that time
foreboded to my mind no good to ourselves.

First we beheld a boat pass from the barque to the sloop, and in which
was one evidently of great consequence amongst the pirates, for by aid
of the glass we could distinguish that his apparel was better than the
others, and also that he wore what appeared to be a crimson scarf tied
about his body.

He remained aboard the sloop for maybe the space of ten minutes, at the
end of which time he returned again to the barque, where they
immediately began lowering away the boats. Four of these boats were
filled with men who were all transported to the sloop, up the side of
which we soon saw them swarm to the number of fifty or more.

Whilst these things had been going forward, Mr. Langely and I had been
standing in silence, but now my first mate turned to me, "Sir," said
he, "methinks that they mean to attack us."

I nodded my head in answer, but said nothing.

* * * * *

By this time the breeze was wellnigh upon us, for the smooth water all
around us was dusked by the little cat's-paws that swept the glassy
surface.

Now that morning, just before the pirate sloop hove in sight, I had got
out warps by means of which I hoped to change our position, bringing the
_Cassandra_ nigher to the _Greenwich_, and to a station of greater
defence. In this, however, we had made but little progress, for the
current set strong against us at the present state of the tide. Seeing
now the imminence of the attack, I hoisted sail, hoping to take
advantage of the first wind, and bring the _Cassandra_ closer to the
_Greenwich_.

What followed I am even now not able to explain, for I am slow to
believe that one English captain could desert another in such an
emergency as the present. It might be that Captain Kirby thought that we
intended trying to get away upon the wind, for the _Greenwich_ also
began immediately to set all her sail. Seeing what they were about I
hai