In less than half an hour he returned, bringing with him another reinforcement of armed men.
"My lads," said he, "I have obtained Cap'n 'Enery's consent. I propose to lead a body of men across the island, ambush the rest of these rascals, and, if successful, follow that up by seizing and burning their dwellings and storehouses. Forty men will be sufficient. Now, who's going to volunteer?"
Every one of us expressed his readiness for the service, but, refusing to take more than the number he had stated, the master gunner picked out his force, and examined their arms. Then, for every moment was precious, he gave them the word to march, and the little band set out on its errand.
Although I wished to share in the enterprise, Master Touchstone refused to allow me to accompany them, and to my disappointment I watched them disappear in the belt of canes and scrub by the route that we had twice traversed but a few hours before.
Four days passed without any tidings of our comrades, and we were naturally anxious at their prolonged absence. Yet those of our men who remained were not kept idle. The work of refitting proceeded apace, while advantage was taken of a spell of fine weather to bring off all the precious cargo that remained in the shattered hull of the wrecked buccaneer. Her name, we discovered, was the Black Arrow, her burthen being two hundred and eighty tons. She was the smallest of the pirate fleet, the others being the Terror, of three hundred and twenty tons, the Bonito, of three hundred tons, and the Secret, of the same burthen. This last was the vessel that we had not as yet fallen in with. Should she have returned to the pirates' haven, her crew would be able to rout our little force; so, as this event might take place, our anxieties increased as the hours passed with no news of Touchstone and his men.
Owing to the great reduction in the number of our men by death and wounds, together with the absence of Touchstone and his party, only eighty remained. Captain 'Enery therefore determined to temporarily abandon the Neptune, so that our slender force might be divided to the best advantage 'twixt the Golden Hope and the stockade.
With our own ship well manned we could beat off any attack from seawards, even should the still undamaged Secret rejoin her consorts; while the garrison ashore had to be maintained, so that the master gunner and his people might have a refuge should they be compelled to retreat before a superior force.
During the three days following their departure the wind had blown steadily on shore, and we were thus prevented from hearing any sounds of an engagement with the retreating buccaneers, although on the evening of the third day I thought I heard the sound of a distant cannonade.
"It does sound like it," assented Captain 'Enery, when I called his attention to the circumstance, "though it may be thunder."
"Whatever it is, it comes from seaward," said the quartermaster.