“She’ll overhaul us in a couple of hours,” he said.
I dressed quickly and went on deck. Captain Reeves was already there, and all eyes were turned astern.
“The fact is,” he said, in answer to a question put by me, “we are short of coals, and the mate, thinking all was perfectly safe, had banked fires, and was dodging on under sail with the little bit of wind there was. Fires are only just stirred up, but that little fiend has the weather-gage on us.”
“It’s a private venture?” I said inquiringly.
“A private venture!” cried the mate angrily; “it is more—it is a piratical adventure, and I for one would counsel resistance to the last. So sorry the fault is mine. Well, we have two six-pounders. I’ll take the fault. I’m a good shot, and blame me more than ever if I don’t make her trip over the wreck of her own rigging.”
So the guns were loaded with ball and run aft all ready.
On came the black one; on went we. We had bags of lard and even a fat ham or two to pop into the fire when we wanted to fly.
By ten o’clock the enemy was near enough to hail us through the speaking-trumpet.
“Lie to at once, or we’ll grapple and board you. Don’t want any loss of life; but we are five-and-twenty strong, and each man has a revolver.”
The answer went from the speaking-trumpet of bold Captain Reeves,—