tes had almost within their grasp their expected prize,
but were doomed to meet with a terrible penalty. They put their craft
alongside, and about a score of men made a jump for the rail, when the
intrepid Jake, who had full charge of the plan of defence and attack,
shouted: "Now boys, pour it on them smartly!" and in an instant the
pirates were an agonized rabble. Some of them jumped into the sea;
others fell back on to their own vessel; two got on to the
_Boadicea's_ deck, but were promptly put over the side. Boiling oil
and pitch as well as boiling water were thrown aboard the schooner, so
that even those who did not attempt a boarding did not escape the awful
consequences of their piratical invasion. As soon as Captain Macvie saw
that the punishment had been so great that they would more than
probably never fight again, he tried to steer clear, but found the
braces and other ropes had become entangled with the foreyard, which
broke, and then the vessels separated. The stillness of the night was
made a horror by the piteous moans that floated over the level sea, and
excited the sympathy of the men who were compelled to inflict the
suffering in order to preserve their own safety. They felt an
instinctive desire to launch a boat and go to the succour of their
victims. Curly, who knew the desperate character of these fearful men,
advised his shipmates to have neither remorse nor pity. He assured them
that the lesson given to the miscreants would not prevent those who
might recover or those who had received no injury from taking to their
trade with the same thievish and murderous zeal as they had practised
heretofore.

[Illustration: "NOW, BOYS, POUR IT ON THEM SMARTLY!"]

"Do not talk of your conscience when you think of these devils," said
he, "for, believe me, theirs are frozen, and all they want is a new
crew and fresh opportunity, and they won't mince matters with us or any
other ship's company. There is one thing, they won't be deceived in a
hurry into the belief that they have a soft thing on because no
apparent resistance is made; they will try to do some shooting first.
They won't forget the effects of boiling oil and pitch. But let us
cease chattering about them and get our rigging and sails repaired. We
may need to have everything staunch and strong, as the sky is
threatening mischief."

It took the crew four hours to repair the damage, and as they did so
the wail of the suffering wretches became fainter an