hting with what
powder we had by us. Fight we did, nevertheless, for at least four
hours, when dawn broke, and to our great joy we saw another ship not far
away, and distinguished English colours. At this sight we gave a great
shout and fired our small-arms again; but our enemies very quickly cut
away their grappling irons, and did their best to make off. Their
rigging, however, was so shattered that they could not hoist sail, and
in the meantime up came the English ship, and without so much as hailing
the pirate, poured a broadside into her. Then followed a desperate
fight. As for us, we steered off, to clear away the lumber from our
powder-room, as we had nothing left to charge our guns with. In
half-an-hour we had loaded again, and returned to the fight; but as we
approached we saw the pirate sinking. The English ship had torn a hole
in her between wind and water, so that she sank in an instant, and only
eight men were saved. They told us that their captain was a pirate from
Guadaloupe, and when they sank they had not more than twenty men left
out of a hundred and fifty. On board our ship seven sailors and two
passengers were killed, while the Guernsey frigate that rescued us had
lost sixteen men and three wounded.

[Illustration: 'As we approached we saw the pirate sinking']

I need now relate no more of our adventures on the voyage till I come to
a very sad one which befell me in October. We were sailing towards
Jamaica, and one day I went into the boat astern which had been hoisted
overboard in the morning to look after a wreck we had seen on the water.
I pulled a book out of my pocket and sat reading in the boat; but before
I was aware, a storm began to rise, so that I could not get up the ship
side as usual, but called for the ladder of ropes in order to get back
that way. Now, whether the ladder was not properly fastened above, or
whether, being seldom used, it broke through rottenness, I cannot tell,
but down I fell into the sea, and though, as I heard afterwards, the
ship tacked about to take me up, I lost sight of it in the dusk of the
evening and the gathering storm.

Now my condition was terrible. I was forced to drive with the wind and
current, and after having kept myself above water for about four hours,
as near as I could guess in my fright, I felt my feet touch ground every
now and then, and at last a great wave flung me upon the sand. It was
quite dark, and I knew not what to do; but I got up and w