“Certainly, sir,” said Captain Morton. “You’re my senior officer in the service, and I wouldn’t wish to fight under a braver!”
“Well then, men,” resumed the lieutenant, “we all here, Albatrosses and Hankow Lins alike, fight under one flag, the Union Jack of Old England! Stop, don’t cheer, men, or those pirate scoundrels will hear us too soon, and we don’t want ’em to hear us till they feel us! Men, I want you to be cool—I know you are brave—and wait my word of command before you utter a shout or draw a trigger. That pirate scoundrel is plucky enough, and will take some beating; but he’ll get it soon enough if you only obey orders. Captain Morton, will you take charge of the guns, please, with Mr Scuppers? Boatswain, you with that brave black fellow, and two other hands, will mind the forecastle, to prevent boarders coming up while we are attacking them elsewhere. I shall want eight hands along with me for the gig, to clear her away, and get her ready to lower to leeward, when the pirate comes alongside to windward. When we’ve given them a good sweeping discharge, and cleared their deck, captain, I shall, after reloading, drop into the gig, and board her on her weather-side, so that’ll take them between two fires. Now, men, quick to your posts! Boatswain, to the forecastle with three others; gig’s men step out, four blue-jackets and four Hankow Lins; the others of my cutter’s crew will work the guns.”
“May I come with you, sir?” said Mr Sprott anxiously. “I have no special duty here, and I’d like to pay out that cut across my jib on some of them piratical scoundrels!”
“Aye, you can come,” said Mr Meredith cordially, “and glad I’ll be to have such a brave fellow with me. Now, is everything ready in the gig, and the falls all slack for lowering?”
“Aye, aye, sir,” said the coxswain. “Right as a trivet.”
“Well, then, see to your small-arms, men. Have them all loaded ready, like the guns. The surprise will favour us at first, but we shall have to fight hard afterwards, as they’ll muster pretty numerous if the account I have received be true.”
All these preparations being complete, the guns loaded, and ready for discharging the moment the enemy ranged herself alongside, and each man being in his proper station, they awaited with the courage and caution of brave men the approach of the pirate. Fortunately for them, as it gave them more time to prepare, the breeze had quite died away, and a dead calm had fallen on the surface of the deep, while yet the schooner had scarcely decreased her distance, and they had been making their preparations for the fight. The glassy sea heaved up and down under the burning sun, which was now high in the heavens, with a sort of heavy, waveless throb, as if composing itself uneasily to sleep, the ship rolling with the motion to and fro.
The pirates were not asleep, however. As soon as the breeze failed they rigged out long oars from her low sides, and were leisurely sweeping nearer and nearer to the Hankow Lin with every pulse of the sea.
They must have heard the reports of the rifles and revolvers, as well as seen the smoke of the discharges, and heard the yells of the Malays as they fought hand to hand with the blue-jackets, for the air was as clear as could be; but the stillness now, and the absence of any attempt to trim the sails or to escape, deceived them. They evidently thought that their fellow-conspirators on board had gained the day, or that the slaughter had been so great on both sides that there was no longer anybody capable of resistance; for after a short pause, when they were a cable’s-length distant, the sweeps again set to work, and the low black hull of the schooner was urged forwards again towards the Hankow Lin, until those on the watch between the ports could see down on to her deck, which was crowded with yellow Malays like those with whom they had had such a desperate fight; besides numbers of Chinese, some of the black natives of Borneo and New Guinea, Portuguese desperadoes, and such ferocious-looking ruffians as herd together in Eastern seas.
“Be ready, men, to lift the ports and run out the guns,” said the lieutenant, with finger uplifted to impose silence. “Depress your muzzles, and wait till I give the word to fire. She’ll come up on this side, as I thought, so we’ll give her the benefit of all four at once!”