In less than a minute the sails of the pirate were seen to blowout, and she began slowly to glide through the water. Those of the Research gave a few loud flaps against the masts, and then hung down again, then swelled slightly to the breeze; but before she had gathered way, the pirate had gained considerably on her.
“We must try to stop her progress,” exclaimed Captain O’Brien. “A gold doubloon to the man who first knocks away a spar; and if I succeed myself, I’ll keep it in my pocket.”
The old captain fired one of the stern guns as he spoke, but the shot did no harm to their pursuer. The first mate and the most experienced gunners among the crew tried their hands with no better success. The speed of the Research was increasing, but the pirate, having now got a steady breeze, came on faster than she was going through the water.
“If we can maintain our present distance, we may still escape the enemy during the night,” observed Captain Tracy.
The sun was setting on the starboard hand, casting a ruddy glow on the sails of the two ships.
“Would that we could knock away a few of her spars, though,” said Captain O’Brien; “it would make the matter more certain.”
“It is to be hoped that she’ll not knock away some of ours,” remarked the first mate, as he observed the pirate yawing.
By doing so she brought her starboard broadside to bear on the Research, and every gun from it was fired at once. Although no one on deck was hurt, it wrought sad havoc in the rigging: braces and shrouds were shot away, the main-topsail yard was cut almost in two, the foreyard was severely damaged, and two or three of the lighter spars were knocked away. The old captains gazed up at the injuries which had thus suddenly been produced. To repair them seemed almost hopeless.
“I feared it would be so,” muttered the first mate. “These fellows have some good gunners among them, as we shall find too soon to our cost.”
Still neither of the sturdy old captains were inclined to despair. Hands were sent aloft to fish the foreyard, and to knot and splice the most important parts of the running rigging. The main-topgallantsail was let fly, the main-topsail brailed up so as to take the strain off the yard. The two stern guns were in the mean time kept actively employed.