“As there are ten blacks to one white man, if the negroes are combined we might find it not so easy a matter to put them down,” observed one of the timid gentlemen.
“Pooh-pooh, sir!—show them the muzzle of a blunderbuss and they’ll be off like a shot,” answered the other.
From the remarks made by the timid gentleman, Owen felt, however, inclined to side with his opinion.
Captain Brown, of the good ship Sarah Ann, on hearing that Owen was to sail without convoy, warned him of the danger he would run. “All very well, sir,” he observed, “when you get to the eastward of the islands, but you’ll find out that you’ll have to run the gauntlet of the enemy’s cruisers, for they’re pretty thick in these seas; and, in addition, there are not a few picarooning, piratical rascals who don’t pretend even to be privateers, and boldly hoist the black flag, and rob and murder all they can capture.”
“I hope that the Ouzel Galley can keep clear of them, as well as of the regular cruisers of the enemy,” answered Owen. “We fell in with a gentleman of the sort on our passage out, but we had fewer guns and hands than we have now, and we at first took him for one of our convoy, or we should have beaten him off without much difficulty.”
“That is more than poor Wilkins, of the Greyhound, was able to do,” remarked Captain Brown. “I was in company with him at sunset, when everything was well on board, and we were standing the same course—but next morning he was nowhere in sight, and my first mate, who had the middle watch, told me he saw two vessels astern instead of one. As no guns were heard, it’s my belief that the Greyhound was taken by surprise and carried before the crew had time to fire a shot in their defence.”
“Depend on it, we’ll keep too sharp a look-out to be surprised,” said Owen, “though I am obliged to you for the warning.”
As the party was becoming a somewhat uproarious one, Owen, who both from principle and habit was a sober man, stole off and returned on board his ship. The mate reported all well, and that none of the crew had even asked leave to go on shore. When Dan, however, made his appearance in the cabin, he looked while he moved about as if he had something to communicate.
“What’s the matter? Out with it, Dan,” said Owen.
“Your honour, I don’t want to be a talebearer,” answered Dan, “but Routh and Green and the rest of their gang have been talking together the whole of the watch, and that means mischief.”