“I am very glad we shall have your assistance in getting the ship to rights,” said Mr Ferris, “for I fear she is sadly short-handed.”
“Tracy and I will give all the aid we can. I wish we had a few of the Champion’s hands with us,” answered the lieutenant.
“Tell me what to do and I will assist you,” said Mr Ferris.
“Oh, then I too will come on deck—though I am afraid I cannot help you much,” exclaimed Ellen.
Her father would not have prevented her, but Norman begged that he would be content to remain below.
“I regret to say that the deck of the ship presents a scene too dreadful for Miss Ferris to contemplate; and the rigging has been so much cut about that there is still danger from falling blocks or ropes—you might at any moment meet with a serious accident.”
Ellen was at length persuaded to retire to her cabin, Norman promising not to leave the ship without coming to bid her farewell. The deck of the Ouzel Galley did indeed present a fearful scene. Several of the pirates lay dead between the guns, while five of her own crew had been killed, and many more badly wounded; every plank was slippery with gore, the rigging hung in festoons, the sails were rent and full of holes. Here and there the bulwarks appeared shattered by the shot, which had also damaged the boats and caboose, the masts and spars.
As now and then other vessels of the fleet came passing by, inquiries were made as to what had occurred. “Attacked by a pirate—beaten off—Champion gone in chase,” was the only answer Owen had time to give.
“No thanks to those who, by clapping on more sail, might have come to our aid, but did not,” he could not help remarking to Mr Ferris.
The first thing to be done was to attend to the wounded, who were carried to their berths, where Mr Ferris offered to assist in binding up their hurts and watching them; the next was to heave the dead overboard. This sad office was quickly performed, as there was no time for even the pretence of a service; the dead would not be the worse for going without it, and the attention of the living was too much occupied to listen to a word spoken. Before committing the bodies of the pirates to the deep, however, they were examined by the light of a lantern, to be sure that no spark of life existed in them, and to ascertain to what country they belonged. Two were men of colour, and the others white men, rough, savage-looking fellows; but it was difficult to decide as to their nationality.