The assistant-surgeon, who was fighting as furiously as any one, now hurried up, and bound a handkerchief tightly round Mr Ormsby’s leg.
“Give me my sword again!” he exclaimed. “There is some fight in me yet!”
At that moment several fresh prows were making towards us. Every man on board would be required to repel them. Our guns were, however, all loaded ready to give them a warm reception. In spite of the hot fire we poured aboard them, on they came. Now one of them grappled us on the starboard bow, while we had another on our quarter. And now, with loud shrieks and cries, the pirates began to spring upon the schooner’s decks.
“Lads! we will sell our lives dearly?” exclaimed Mr Ormsby.
“Yes; never say Die?” shouted Dicky Plumb, in a shrill voice.
The crew being divided, some went on the starboard bow and some on the port side, to repel the boarders. Still it seemed impossible that we should drive them back altogether. The Malays, from the prow on our bow, came pouring on board. Mr Ormsby, with Ned Rawlings and Dicky Plumb, made a dash forward to try and repel them. Just at that moment a loud, hearty British cheer saluted our ears. A blue light burst forth at our port bow, and a number of blue jackets were seen climbing up over the bulwarks, led by no less a person than our gallant captain himself. We could scarcely believe our senses when we saw them; in fact, I fancied it was a dream. They soon, however, by the way they treated the Malays who had gained our decks, showed us that their appearance was a satisfactory reality. In a few seconds the fore part of the vessel was cleared; and now, sweeping up, they soon drove off the pirates who were leaping down on our quarters. In another instant, the prows were making the best of their way from us.
“We must not let them go free!” exclaimed the captain; and calling his men into the boats, away they started after the prows. Meantime, we could see the blue lights from the ship burning a couple of miles away to windward. The surgeon had now time to attend to Mr Ormsby’s wound. I was looking out for Dicky Plumb. He was nowhere to be seen. The thought came across me that he had been killed, or else that the Malays, as they retired, had carried him off. We, meantime, made sail and followed the boats. Four prows were captured. We could see their men jumping overboard as the boats dashed alongside. Daylight at length broke. There lay the schooner, her decks bloody, her bulwarks shattered, and her rigging cut up. Portions of wreck floated round us. Not a human being, however, was to be seen. The four captured prows lay close together, and half a mile off was the old Roarer, standing towards us under all sail. Captain Sharpe now came on board, and greatly to my satisfaction Dicky Plumb came with him. He had slipped into the captain’s boat as he shoved off, as he said, to see a little more of the fun. The Roarer, we found, was on her way to Calcutta. As soon as we were again free of the pirates, the hands were again sent to the pumps. Mr Ormsby had done his best to keep the crew ignorant of the condition of the vessel. It now became evident, however, that, pump as hard as we could, she could scarcely be kept afloat. Captain Sharpe was convinced of this as soon as he returned on board. He at once ordered Mr Ormsby and the other wounded men into the boats. Fresh hands went to the pumps, but all they could do was in vain.
“All hands into the boats?” shouted our captain.
There was not a moment to lose. I got hold of Mr Ormsby’s sextant and chronometer, and scarcely had I leaped with them into one of the boats, than the schooner gave a plunge, and down she went, her pennant streaming up, the last object seen as she disappeared beneath the surface. The end of it, however, floated for a few seconds. She had gone down, it was evident, in shallow water.
“Hillo! what is that buoy floating there?” asked the captain.