in hand, were prepared to
dispute their passage.

The pirates, for such there could be no doubt our visitors were, had
four or more guns mounted on their deck; but they seemed resolved to
depend rather on their overwhelming numbers than on them for victory.
They had not calculated, apparently, what a few determined men could do.
"Stand back, ye scoundrels!" shouted our brave captain, in a voice
which made the ruffians look up with amazement, though I do not think
they understood his words. He gave them further force by a sweep of his
cutlass, with which he cut off the head of the nearest of his
assailants. Peter, whose arm was almost as powerful, treated another in
the same way; and Mr Gale knocked a third over with his pistol before
any of them had time to get hold of our rigging. This determined
resistance caused them to draw back for an instant, which enabled Peter,
with one of the other men, to cast loose the grappling-irons forward.
At the same time two of the pirates, who were attempting to leap on
board, were dealt such heavy blows on the head that they were knocked
overboard before any of their companions could help them. "Well done,
my lads!" cried the captain. "Keep up the game in this way, and we may
yet beat off the villains!" Saying this he sprang aft to drive back a
gang of the pirates, who were attempting to board on our quarter. Two
of the first paid dearly for their temerity, and were cut down by either
the captain or Mr Gale. I got a long pike, and kept poking away over
the bulwarks at every fellow I could reach. Several pistols were fired
at me, but missed their aim; but at last the pike was dragged out of my
hands, and thrown overboard. Unfortunately there was so little wind
that the pirates, by getting out a sweep on the opposite side of their
vessel, brought her head aboard, and at the same time made a rush to get
on our deck. Peter, with two of our men, hurried to repel them; but a
bullet at that moment struck one of them on the breast, and knocked him
over. Poor fellow! I tried to save him as he fell; but the heavy way
in which he came to the deck showed me that his fighting days were over.
I ran to help Peter and my other shipmates, but the pirates pressed us
so hard that we had little hope of keeping them out. In the meantime
also a stout active little Spaniard, followed by two or three blacks and
another white man, made a spring at our bulwarks about midships; and
though one of