University of Virginia Library

4. CHAPTER IV.
THE LAST SHOT.

`If that is not the schooner may I never see Boston!' exclaimed Wordley,
as soon as he could find words to give expression to his astonishment. Ready
about!'

The next moment we were dashing along on the other tack, and in full
chase. With the glass the schooner was visible like a gray cloud resting upon
the sea. The excitement on board was now intense. The men believed the
vessel to be a phantom, and some roundly swore it was the same slippery fellow
that had got away from them the year before, the young Flying Dutchman!'

Wordley paced the deck a few moments in silence after he had seen that the
schooner was doing her best, and then stopping by me, he said impressively,

`What do you think of all this?'

`That, after he saw the illumination you made, he knew he must be discovered
and so at once made sail and resolved to pass you boldly, as the only
chance of escaping.

`That is what I think,' he said thoughtfully; `but it is very singular. I am
not superstitious, but to tell you the truth, I begin to think I might as well give
hase to a cloud on the horizon, as to this fellow!'

The light of the binnacle shone upon his face, and I could see, as I looked
at it with surprise, that he was serious.

`There is nothing supernatural in what has occurred!'

`No, nothing yet; but if she don't show us some other trick before long,
may I never see Boston!'

`Most sailors I know, are superstitious, but I have not usually found officers
so,' I remarked.

`Why not officers? we commune night after night, as we pace our lonely
decks; we commune, I say, night after night with the same deep and mysterious
sea on which we live, and with the same starry or stormy skies above us,
and which is our only roof. Our ears hear the same moanings and whisperings
from the waves and the winds, and our imaginations people the surrounding

air and ocean with the strange forms and flitting shapes! It is no wonder
sailors, I mean by the term both officers and men, should be superstitious.—
There is not a man on board but what believes in the Flying Dutchman as
faithfully as he believes in the existence of old Neptune!'

`That is rather equivocal faith,' I said laughing. `Do you mean to say the
men believe that there is such a personage as Neptune!'

`Ask one of them! There is an old man-of-war's man there at the main tack
coiling up the slack. `Come here Jack!'

`Aye, aye sir,' answered the tar crossing the deck and touching his tarpaulin.

`Do you believe in Neptune?'

`Do you mean old father Nep with the beard and grains, sir?' asked Jack
respectfully.

`Yes, Jack!'

`Why sartinly, sir, I hopes I do!' responded the tar giving a pull at his trousers
on either hip, and touching his cap at the same time with a certain reverence
of manner, as if with an involuntary feeling of respect for the bearded
sea-king.

`Have you ever seen him, Jack?' I enquired.

`That I cant swear to sir, because its not bible proof: but then if I said as
how I had'nt seen him, I believe I should lie!'

`You believe there is such a craft cruising the wide ocean as the Dutchman,
dont you Jack?' asked the Captain after taking a long and steady look at the
schooner ahead, and satisfying himself that she was still visible.

`The Flying Dutchman, sir?'

`Yes, Jack!'

`It stands to reason I does. He has been seen a hundred times,' he answered
with positiveness. `I have had a glimpse at him twice myself!'

`You have, Jack?'

`Yes, sir, and I knew ship-mates who have had him come athwart their course
as many as seven times in a cruise! I never want to see him, for the ship
that falls in with this crazy craft never brings all her crew safe to port; and if
she meets him thrice she finds the bottom afore her best bower will, that is
gospel!'

`Well Jack, you may go forward and keep a good look out, and tell the lads
there to button their eyes back, for that fellow ahead must'nt give us the slip a
second time!'

`We are gaining on the vessel,' I said as I took up the glass; `I can make
out the spaces between her yards and sails which were blended with them in
a confused mass a few moment ago!'

`You are right. I will train the long gun upon him, now I have him in
range and see if I cant cripple him. He is not more than three quarters of a
mile ahead of us. Hark! Do you hear and see that! It is a pistol that

had been discharged on board of her, by accident, I suppose. The sound was
so clear and distinct that she cannot be so far off! Come forward with me
and I will train the forty two upon her and send him my respects!'

The gun was loaded and then accurately levelled by Wordley upon the vessel
which was now plainly distinguishable without the glass; and, therefore, it
was evident that we were rapidly approaching her.

`Now I will try whether his sails are made of canvass or of moonlight,'
said Wordley as he took the lighted fuse from the hand of the gunner and moved
it two or three times through the air to brighten the ignited end.

He applied it to the priming and the flashing light of the explosion showed
us plainly the whole proportions of the schooner towards which the roaring ball
of iron was hurled. It was but for an instant,like the transient picture produced
by a magic lantern. Smoke enveloped us, and our ears, almost deafened
by the report, were bent eagerly to catch any sound from the direction in which
the shot had sped.

`She has got it?' shouted Wordley as a crashing sound accompanied with
cries wild and shrieking was borne to us! `She has got it, every ounce of it,
and much good may it do her. Hark! here that sharp noise? Now listen
for the splash! There it is! One of her masts has gone by the board!'

With the glass I could see that his ear had not deceived him. Her foremast
had fallen carrying with it all the sails over the side into the sea. As soon as
Wordley saw this he seemed a new man! He was all life and gaiety. He
gave his orders with spirit and a cheerful `aye, aye' came back from the men.
The gloom and superstition of his mind as well as of their's vanished, and the
feeling throughout the vessel was one of exhiliration and joyous anticipation.
Crippled as she was, the chase could not now escape us. Each instant we
were expecting a return from her first gun, but as she did not fall off as she
would be compelled, to bring it to bear, it being forward, we supposed she was
unable to do so. But as we came up we could see that she was lying perfectly
unmanageable upon the water and rapidly falling off from the wind, so
that if we had not luffed she would the next moment have laid broadside to our
course! Wordley grasped his trumpet as we came nearer and sprung upon
the companion-way.

`Have you struck?'

`Yes!' was the answer, but not in the same voice that before had bade us
good night and wished us bon voyage so gaily.

`Why dont you lower your main-sail if you can't come to?' he cried as we
went bounding on past his stern, crossing his wake and wearing round upon
his starboard-quarter, for he was now going off before the wind under the
main-sail and gaft-topsail, while his top-mast stay-sail torn away from the fore
mast, was blowing out strait like a streamer, as she was driven helplessly along.
`Lower the main-sail to stop her way, and send a boat on board!'

`Aye, sir.'

We were now moving on side by side both right before the wind, which
was the only course the prize could take. To keep from shooting ahead, as
she drove in this way only about four knots, and the wind blew an eight knot
breeze, we had to brail up our fore-sail, drop the main peak, and even let the
fore top-sail drop upon the crosstrees. The distance between us was about
one hundred yards.

Their main-sail came down by the run, and a boat was lowered into the water.
It soon approached us and a rope being flung to them from the gang-way
it was soon alongside. A person who stood in the stern, got out and came upon
deck. Wordley met him at the gang-way, on each side of which stood a
sailor holding a battle-lantern that cast a bright light upon the scene. By
their glare the stranger was distinctly seen. He was a man under thirty years
of age, of the middle height, but a strong frame compact and symmetrical.—
His face was either English or American, though his complexion was very
dark. He was dressed in a blue seaman's roundabout but had the air of a person
superior in rank to a common-sailor. The expression of his face was singularly
resolute.

`Are you the captain of the prize, sir?' asked Wordley.

`No, sir, only the second in command, answered the man glancing around
upon the group with a cool and observing look.

`Where is your captain?' demanded Wordley quickly. `Why has he not
come on board of me?'

`He was wounded by that last shot of yours, and lies bleeding in his cabin.
But for this we should hardly have struck, but fought it out till one or the other
of us went down!'

`He ordered you to strike!'

`He did, and it is the first time such an order came from his lips,' said the
man with a sort of sad pride in the character of his chief.

`What is the name of your vessel?'

`El Viento?'

`That is The Wind!'

`Yes, `The Wind' is her name!'

`She is well named?'

`Have you brought your papers on board with you?' asked Wordley with
irony. `I suppose they will say that you are from port Westerly, bound to
port Easterly, and that your captain, is captain North wind, and your crew are
a crew of fresh breezes!'

`We have no papers,' answered the man doggedly. `We are what we are—
free travellers of the waves!'

`Free robbers rather than travellers. What is your captain's name?,

`Captain Rafael?'

`That man I have heard of before; but it could not be he, for he was shot
in Havana, a year ago! A daring fellow he was!'

The man smiled significantly and said—

`My captain is also called Captain Rafael, sir. It is a good name for a free
flag!'

`You are then a pirate?'

`For want of a more courteous term,' answered the man with a smile of
reckless hardihood. `But it is not worth while to be talking here, sir, while
our schooner is going down by the head as rapidly as she can sink.'

`Is this true!'

`Your last shot passed out under her bows a foot below the water-mark.—
She was filling when I left her! Our boats too are stove, save the one I came
in!'

`You are confoundedly cool about it,' cried Wordley with angry emotion.—
Lower away the boats all! `Lively men! Four men to each—nomore, as
there will be enough to bring back! I see her settling by the head plainly.—
Give way towards her, and not let the poor devils perish, for they must live to
be hanged; and I want to see this captain Rafael in person!'

Three boats were now pulling towards the sinking vessel, and in the leading
one stood up Wordley animating his boats'crew. In a few moments she had
struck the vessel's side and he was upon her deck.

`Save yourselves all of you by the boats,' was heard in his commanding voice
She is settling fast and will soon pitch under.'

The pirates sprung for the boats, the love of life overcoming every other
feeling, and soon crowded them. As fast as they came up the side and stepped
on deck they were ironed and sent below. Wordley came last and aided
by two men lifted the wounded Captain upon deck and had him conveyed to
his cabin, and being himself an excellent surgeon, and his only one on board,
he prepared to examine his wounds, and dress them.

`For,' said he to me, making use of his favorite pharse, `may I never see
Boston if he shant live to be hanged!'