“I am afraid so, indeed,” answered Alick, with a deep sigh and a sinking of the heart; “I wish we were aboard to help them.”
“I guess, now, we should have a better chance of helping them by being aboard here,” answered the captain. Alick thought so likewise. He and Jack were glad that they were not compelled to fight against their countrymen.
The larger number of the junks had placed themselves ahead and astern of the brig, and kept pouring in a raking fire on her. To avoid this as much as she could, she got out her sweeps; but they continued to change their positions as often as she got her head round, so that the English had not a moment’s respite. The pirates shouted with delight as they saw the success of their plan. They, of course, thought it would be a great thing to cut off an outer Barbarian man-of-war, and anticipated no small amount of valuable plunder as their reward. They, however, were all this time not escaping scot-free, for the brig’s shot went through and through the hulls of their junks, and several of them were reduced to a sinking condition; while the musketry of the marines told with no little effect on their decks. Still they had the advantage of an immense superiority in numbers, and although they might lose twice as many men as the crew of the brig numbered, they might still come off victorious. Nearer and nearer crept the junks. For some time no people were killed on board the one which had captured the midshipmen. This made her captain and crew grow bold, and approach still nearer to the Blenny.
“They would be wiser if they kept at a distance,” observed Rogers; “they’ll catch it to a certainty.”
“Perhaps they hope to bring the combat to a conclusion,” remarked Murray.
“They’ll not do that, let me tell them, in a hurry,” exclaimed Jack; “they little think what sort of a fellow they have to deal with in Hemming. He’ll give them more than they expect.”
While Jack was speaking, several shots came crashing on board the junk, killing five men, wounding others, and knocking away part of the bulwarks. The wounded men set up the most terrific cries, and their shipmates, anxious to avoid a second edition of the same dose, put about, and sculled off to a more respectful distance. Another junk, the next in the line, was not so fortunate. The greater part of a broadside struck her. The midshipmen saw her reel with the shock, and immediately she began to sink lower and lower, till down she went, and the water washed over the spot where she had just before floated. Numbers of her crew went down with her or followed her to the bottom. Very few of the neighbouring junks took the trouble of lowering their boats to pick up the remainder, and numbers were drowned in sight of their countrymen, by whom, with a little exertion, they might have been saved.
The engagement had now lasted several hours, and neither side had gained any material advantage. Some junks had been sunk, and a good many Chinamen killed; but as a set-off against this, there could be no doubt that the brig had lost several men. Jack, too, observed that she now only fired when the junks pressed very close round her, and he could not but suspect that she was running short of ammunition. The evening was drawing on. It was a question whether darkness would favour the crew of the brig, or make her enemies bolder. She at length ceased firing, and manning all her sweeps, she began to move forward, very clearly with the intention of fighting her way out from among the pirates.
“She is coming towards us. Hurrah!” cried Jack. “Now if we could but knock the fellows aboard here on the head, we might render her some help.”
“Don’t be trying that on,” said Captain Willock. “We shall only lose our lives if we make the attempt.”