a quiet, harmless trader like him?"
answered the captain.

The words were scarcely out of his mouth, as the _Star_ got almost
abreast of the schooner, when up on her deck rushed a crowd of men with
muskets and pistols, and began peppering away at us, while her ports at
the same time were hauled up, and her guns opened a hot fire on us. She
at the same time put up her helm, and attempted to run us aboard.

"Now, fire away, my lads. Boarders, prepare to repel boarders!" shouted
Captain Armstrong.

Those of the crew not required to work the guns, drawing their
cutlasses, divided into two parties. Some came aft to range themselves
under the captain, while others, led by the second lieutenant, sprang on
to the topgallant forecastle. The schooner was within a dozen fathoms
of us. Her crew seemed considerably to outnumber ours; and I certainly
never saw a more desperate set of villains crowded together. I had no
fear, however, that our honest British crew, though somewhat diminished
in numbers by sickness, would be an ample match for them. Our men
worked away at their guns in silence. The pirates shouted and shrieked,
and kept up a terrific fire at us. Several of our men were hit, and one
poor fellow standing near me fell suddenly on the deck. I tried to lift
him up, but not a groan did he utter. There was a round mark on his
forehead. He had been shot through the brain. In another moment I
thought the pirates would be aboard us. I heard a terrific explosion, a
hundred times louder than the loudest thunder, I thought, and looking up
I saw to my horror the masts, and spars, and sails of the schooner
rising in the air, the hull seemed to rock to and fro, and directly
afterwards down there came on our heads fragments of spars, and burning
sails, and blocks, and planks, and ropes, and the mangled bodies of men,
all mingled together in horrible confusion, while the sea around us was
a mass of wreck. Many of our crew were hit by the spars and blocks, and
several were struck down and killed. Every one, however, who was
uninjured began instantly to heave overboard the burning fragments, but
it was not without difficulty that the brig was saved from catching
fire. The instant her safety was secured, the captain ordered the boats
to be lowered to try and save some of the unfortunate wretches who might
have escaped destruction by the explosion. I jumped into one of them,
followed by Solon, and off we shoved. Before,