“You must have kept a sharp look-out, though?” But, without heeding this remark, the burly scoundrel went on––
“Well, Captain Brand, the boys tumbled me over the side––”
“Not forgetting the little bag of shiners!” sneered his auditor.
“Tumbled me into the boat, sir, and then pulled like mad for the schooner. I know’d, d’ye mind, captain, or leastways I felt sartain we could show any think afloat our heels, and so away we scrambles aboard, and off we splits. But ye must see by this time, sir, the corvette had come down and rounded to on the weather beam of the drogher, acting like a screen for the schooner close under his lee. It wos only a minnit, though, while he was holding some jaw with those lubbers aboard the brig, before he filled away again, and wearing sharp round her bows, he diskivered us sartain. I don’t think, as matters stood by this time, that our boat was a boat-hook’s length from the schooner when I jist see a burst of red flashes from the man-o’-war’s starboard ports, and heerd an officer roar out, ‘Give him the whole three divisions of grape!’ when I’m da––your parding agin, sir; I’m blest if ever I heerd sich a rain of cold iron in all my sea-goin’ experience. Ay, sir, by G––gracious, sir, if about two bushels of them grape didn’t riddle the barge like the nozzle to a watering-pot, and same time tore seven of our noble fellows all to rags––”
“You saved the boat, of course?” suggested his companion, in a kind voice, but with a frightful sneer.
“Why, captain, we unfortinately lost her; for ye see, arter tumbling me aboard the schooner, and arter bailing nigh as much blood as water––”
“Capital! excellent! best joke I ever heard,” broke in Captain Brand, with a hollow laugh of much enjoyment.
“Arter bailin’ as much blood as water, and finding the man-o’-war was heaving in stays to slam another broadside into us, we cut the boat adrift, and then got the sheets flat aft, the gaff-top-sails up, and away we drove with a crackin’ breeze right up to wind’ard, like a swordfish. Lord love ye, sir! we walked away from the cruiser, a eatin’ the wind out of him like a knife, and notwithstandin’ he hove 59 more nor forty round shot at us, he only knocked away the fore-top-mast and some other triflin’ little damage about the hull, and”––he hesitated––“Lascar Joe’s head.”
“That counts off about half your crew, eh?” said Captain Brand, smiling in his peculiar manner. “Well, what next?”
“Why, sir, the next mornin’ Belize Paul––as is part doctor, you know––said as how my leg was to come off below the knee, and arter givin’ me a sip or two o’ rum––”