University of Virginia Library

3. CHAPTER III.
THE DISAPPEARANCE.

The night set in clear and starry, so that without the aid of the glass we
could distinctly see the grey shape of the pirate schooner flitting away on the
sea about a two miles ahead. We were now exactly in her wake, for while
she had been falling off a little to gain in speed what she lost at windward,
Wordley, was keeping his vessel close hugged on a taut bow-line, thus
losing in speed what he gained to windward. His object was to get once to
the windward, letting the chase run on as she choose, and then give his vessel
the benefit of a freer sheet, when he was satisfied he would be enabled to
overhaul her by dint of faster sailing. The result will show the wisdom of this
policy. Having at length got the wind of her, the order was given to fall off
a point, and the schooner with every sheet eased and freed from its long restraint,
went dashing on with music about her bows, and every strand in her
telling.

Being myself only a guest on board, and non-belligerent, I had nothing to
do but watch the schooner with an occasional peep through my glass, and see
that she did'nt vanish like the Flying Dutchman; but Wordley having also six
men stationed in different parts of the vessel, with orders not to take their
eyes off the misty looking phantom ahead, not even to take time to wink, there
was no danger that she should disappear without due notice given.

`These fellows have so many tricks,' said Wordley, approaching me as I
was watching the swift progress of the vessel through the water, which glittered
with myriads of phosporescent sparks as if her bows were dashing
through fire instead of water. `They are up to all sorts of tricks! Some of
them will douse their whole top-hamper, yards, spars, and even masts in the
twinkling of a purser's prayers, and one might almost ride over them without
seeing them, they lie so low in the water. Some of them will furl every stich
of canvass and present nothing by which to distinguish her a cable's length
off, even in a night as bright as this. Now that schooner ahead! you can just
see that she is there with the naked eye looking like the ghost of a schooner
faint and flickering. Now suppose she should, while we were looking away for
a moment, suddenly lower her main and fore-sail and jibs, and furl her top-sails.

Would it be possible for us to find her by her slender masts? Last
year I was cruising in this same vessel on the south side of Cuba, and leisurly
sailing along the coast a league off, one morning I saw in the offing a little
fore and after making for the shore six miles to leeward of me. I knew there
was a suspected inlet in that direction for the rendezvous of all sorts of sea-robbers,
and was steering down that way to take a look in, when I saw this lugger.
I put after her with all sail I could carry to cut her off. On finding I
was in chase, she tacked all at once and scampered due south, wing and wing
dead before the wind. Schooners like this sail best on the wind four points
free, and perhaps this little rascal was aware of this fact. I however gave
him chase. Well he run about forty miles to the southward and finding I was
gaining on him gradually but surely, and perhaps not liking to be so far off
from home, he hauled his wind and went off with a free sheet due east, having
the wind on his larboard beam. This compelled me to haul a little and
cut across the country as they say at home, to meet him. He sailed like a
little devil. The schooner had to make every joint do its work to walk after
her. Just as night set in I began to gain on her very susceptibly, and half
an hour after sun-set I was within a mile and a half of her. I fired a shot
across her bows, but she paid no attention to it, but still cracked on at a slapping
pace. I swore then, that as I hoped to see Boston, I'd have that fellow
to breakfast with me in iron mittens. I set studden-sails forward and fore and
main gaft top-sails, sending them up and having them bent for the purpose,
and stationing men on the lookout I soon found I was gaining upon her. It
was about this time in the evening and a clearer night if possible, so that I
was able to see her a mile distant and distinguish her spars!'

`Was she a large vessel of her class?' I asked.

`She was about fifty tons, half the size of the fellow ahead!

`Keep a sharp lookout there, my lads!

`Aye, aye, sir!' answered half a dozen men's voices in a cheery tone.

`Well, I got within a third of a mile of her and having taken a last close
look at her with my glass I walked and placed it upon the binnacle and then
gave the order to stand by and lower away the quarter boat for boarding as
soon as I should come up with her! The coxswain and his crew had hardly
got aft when I cast another glance in the direction of the little rascal who had
given me such a long chase, but I could see nothing of him! Supposing the
man at the helm had let the schooner come up into the wind, I looked at the
compass, and found she was on her course. I then caught up my glass, and
swept the range of horizon and water, but devil a thing could I see of her.—
At the same instant three of my men called out in tones of surprise,

`The chase is not to be seen, sir!'

`This was very extraordinary!'

`Yes, and I was perplexed, I assure you. Lest I should run by the spot I
had last seen her in, I immediately brought the schooner to the wind, and going

aloft with my glass, took a survey of the sea around me. There was nothing
ing visible. If any thing had been four feet above the water any where near
where the chance ought to have been, it would not have escaped me. After a
fruitless scrutiny of the surface of the ocean, I decended to the deck and ordered
the vessel to be put away again, and for an hour I went sailing round
in a circle of a mile every man and boy on board on the lookout!”

`And you discovered nothing?'

`Not a sign of any thing; and in about an hour and a half after losing sight
of her, I gave the order to put ship about and return to the island, satisfied that
the fellow had foundered!'

`Was it blowing hard?'

`About an eight knot breeze, and not much sea at that! But what had become
of him if he had not gone to the bottom?'

`It is surprising indeed!'

`Well I must confess it has puzzled me to this day. My men swore it was
a young Flying Dutchman, and I'm half a mind,' he added laughing, `to be of
their opinion. But let us take a look at our friend ahead and see if he is likely
to play us any trick.

`The chase is not in sight, sir?' cried an old tar from the fore-riging, using
almost the same words Wordley had repeated in the other case.

`Not in sight?' he exclaimed, hurrying his glass to his eye.

`She has disappeared, all at once sir?' said the man at the helm, for I had
my eye on her and saw her plainly two minutes ago!'

`Well if I dont wish I had never told about that lugger!' exclaimed Wordley.
`This fellow has served me the same trick I fear!'

`What, gone to the bottom!' I asked laughing.

`No—but some internal artifice or other. He is not visible that is a fact, as
I hope to see Boston! Do you make out any thing?'

`I can see nothing,' I answered after a close survey of the sea ahead, with
my glass.

`She bore a point and a half to windward, sir, when I saw her three minutes
ago,' said the helmsman,' for I set her by compass!'

`Then luff that much and stick her dead on to the spot! If she has gone
down we shall find her bones floating about, and if she has only struck her
masts we shall walk right over her hull! This is all of telling about that
confounded other affair!'

The disappointment and chagrin of the brave officer was only exceeded by
his astonishment at this sudden disappearance of the chase. With his glass
at his eye he took a stand upon the gun forward and closely scanned the surface
of the ocean. He rubbed the lens of his glass at least a dozen times with
the cornor of his silk handkerchief and as many times replaced the instrument
to his eye. But the sight of the vessel did not reward his perseverance.

`We ought to be now in her neighborhood,' he said coming aft. `Now

every man of you open all the eyes you've got, and see with the ends of your
fingers. She must be somewhere about here.'

`Have you a blue-light on board?' I asked.

`No, but by the lord Harry, I can soon make something that will answer the
purpose. I have half a score of rockets below, and I will send one of these up
with lighted swab of oakum dipped in tar!'

The idea was no sooner suggested than carried into execution. The rocket
was bound to a spar that projected over the gang-way, and a hairy mass of
oakum, like a Medusa's head, was secured to the staff. A slow match was
placed in the midst of it, and ignited. The rocket was then let off into the air.
The weight of its unusual appendage retarded somewhat its velocity, but it
nevertheless rose boldly skyward, and by the time it had reached its greatest
altitude, the wind of its progress had kindled into a blaze, which communicating
with the oakum, exploded into a vast mass of the most brilliant light.

`Dont look after the light, but at the sea,' shouted the Captain, who had kept
his eyelids down to a level with the horizon, that he might have the full benefit
of the reflection upon the surface. It shed abroad far and wide, a wild
glare, lighting up the ocean for a mile around us. Then it began to descend
like some fiery fiend hurled from the skies, and with a loud hiss plunged into
the sea. All was instantly dark—darker than before, to our vision. I felt the
firm grasp of Wordley upon my arm as the light began to fall, and his finger
pointed me in silence to a black mass to windward and astern about two cables
length distant. I had hardly caught a glimpse of it when we were in darkness.
The glance was so brief that I could not tell whether it was a black
rock, or a vessel's hull!

He sprung to the compass and fixed the bearings of it, and then his noble
voice was heard ringing like a trumpet.

`Ready about! All hands to tack ship! Lively, men lively!'

The crew sprung to their several posts ignorant of the cause of the thrilling
order; yet guessing at the truth. The boatswain's whistle piped loud and
shrill. The schooner's head came up to the wind, her upper sails shivering,
then filled reversed against the mast; and then amid the flying of sheets and
braces, the swinging round of yards and swooping over of booms, she set her
bows the other way and was soon dashing on in the direction in which we had
discovered the dark object upon the water.

`There is no doubt that it is the vessel,' I remarked to Wordley as he took
his station on the weather side of the quarter-deck upon a gun-carriage.

`No. I saw the fellow as plain as I see my hand. He had struck his top-masts
and taken in every inch of canvass, and lay upon the water drifting.—
I dare say he expected he should escape us; and 'fore George! he like to have
done it, for we had passed him without seeing him, if it had not been for the
rocket and its fiery tail. We must keep a sharp look out now, or the fellow
will get off yet!'

A dozen men were on the bows and in the fore-rigging watching the sea,
and in five minutes the cry was—

`A sail dead ahead, sir!'

Wordley seized his trumpet and sprung upon a weather gun. There was
none visible.

`To leeward, sir!' called out the Boatswain.

We ran to the other side of the vessel just in time to see dash swiftly past
us, a large fore and aft topsail schooner, steering on the opposite tack, and to
hear a voice from her deck say in a pleasant ironical way—

`Good night, gentleman; a pleasant cruise to you!'

The next instant she was nearly out of sight, far astern!