e English crew; some using those weapons,
others spare muskets, with which they blazed away, though there was no
time to reload them. It was sharp work to attempt driving back one
hundred and fifty men, at least, who were endeavouring to climb up the
side, armed with cutlasses and pistols. The strongest party of the
pirates were making a vigorous attempt to get on board on the quarter.
Adair calling to Snatchblock, ran out one of the guns, and Desmond being
ready with a match, fired right into their midst. The piercing groans
and cries which followed showed the terrible effect produced. The boat
drifted away, not having been hooked on, and the crew having deserted
their oars. Another boat immediately took her place, and a big fellow,
with cutlass in hand, springing to the side, and shouting to his
companions to follow, attempted to climb on deck. Before Adair could
defend himself, he had received an ugly cut on the head from the fellow,
who was about to follow up the blow, when Desmond, seizing a pike,
rushed at him with such good will, that the point entering the
Brazilian's breast, he fell backwards into the boat.

Adair, though hurt, was able to make good play with his cutlass.
Snatchblock was keeping a dozen fellows at bay, while the rest of the
crew were employed in a similar manner; bullets were flying and blows
were rapidly given and taken. Though several of the Englishmen were
wounded, and some very severely, not a man had been killed.

They could see that the Brazilians had suffered much more severely.
Some had been knocked overboard into the water; others lay dead or dying
at the bottom of the boats. Again, and again, however, the pirates came
on, as if determined, at all costs, to take the prize with her five
hundred blacks on board. Again Terence was wounded, and another big
Brazilian, apparently the leader of the pirates, was levelling a pistol
scarcely two feet from his breast, when Snatchblock, seeing the danger
of his young commander, brought his cutlass with such force down on the
fellow's head, that he clove it in two, and sent him tumbling back into
the boat out of which he had sprung.

The pirates, though they had met with a much warmer reception than they
expected, were unwilling to abandon their object, and encouraged by
their leaders, some twenty or more made a dash together at the
fore-rigging. Several gained a footing on the chains, others caught
hold of the shrouds and back-stays.