out fifty yards
from the shore. The pirate drew fully four feet less water, but it
pleased God that she stuck fast on higher ground, so that, after all,
they were prevented from boarding us.

Here we fought, for nearly an hour, the last, and I know not whether it
was not the bloodiest engagement of that whole day; nor can I
sufficiently praise the behavior not only of the officers, but of the
men, who even in this extremity behaved with the most extraordinary
courage, though the crew of the sloop supplied the larger vessel with
three boatfuls of fresh men.

Meantime the _Greenwich_ followed the lead of the Ostender and stood
clear away to sea, leaving us struggling in the very jaws of death. Soon
after the pirate craft floated clear off with the rising tide, and
immediately fell to work fitting out warps to haul out under our stern,
though still at some distance from us.

Seeing this, no hope remained for us but to leave the ship, if possible,
with the passengers and such of our men as were still alive, trusting to
Providence not only to bring us safe away, but to keep us all in that
desolate country amongst a strange and savage people.

IX.

As said above, it was now past six o'clock, and Mr. White and the
boatswain were the only unwounded officers with whom I dared intrust the
command of the boats in executing my plans for leaving the ship.[B]

[B] Mr. Richards, the third mate, had been killed by a grape bullet when
we ran down upon the larger of the pirate crafts. He was a young man of
great promise, of but twenty-two years of age, and my cousin's son.

The long-boat and the gig were all that remained sound and uninjured,
the others having been shot or stove during the engagement. It was
arranged that Mr. Jeks, the boatswain, should command the long-boat, and
Mr. White the gig. The passengers and the less seriously wounded were to
go in the long-boat; Mr. White to take those who had been more
dangerously hurt in the gig.

By this time the wind had died down again, and it was as calm as it had
been the two days before, so that the smoke hung thick about the ship
and upon the water, and did not drift away. Although, because of this
thick cloud, we could not see our enemy, and so could not point our guns
with any sureness of aim, it also prevented him from seeing us and what
we were about, so that all our movements were concealed from him as his
were from us.

Mr. Langely having come upon deck at this