The Pirate City | Page 4

can bear."
This was indeed the case, for the vessel was by that time flying before a
stiff breeze, with all the sail set that she could carry, while the water
dashed in clouds from her bows, and rushed over her lee bulwarks.

But the sailing powers of the pirate-vessel were superior to those of the
trading schooner. In a short time she was close alongside, and fired a
shot across her bows to cause her to heave-to. This, however, the
determined skipper resolved not to do. In reply he sent on board the
pirates the varied contents of the big gun, which cut the halyards of
their smaller sail, and brought it down on the deck. This result was
celebrated by a hearty cheer from the schooner's crew. The pirates, in
return, discharged a broadside which cut away the foremast of the
schooner, thus rendering escape impossible.
"Now, men," cried Francisco, when the disaster occurred, "you must
this day make your choice--victory or slavery--for there is no mercy in
the breasts of these scoundrels."
He waited for no reply, but at once sprang to the big gun, which had
been re-loaded with a charge so miscellaneous that the sable Manqua
grinned with satisfaction as he endeavoured to ram it home.
Meanwhile Mariano and Lucien placed the men, who were armed to
the teeth, at the gangways, and along the weather-side of the schooner,
to be in readiness to repel the foe when they should attempt to board.
There was no hesitation on the part of the pirates, although they saw
plainly the vigorous preparations which were being made to receive
them. Bearing down on the crippled vessel at full speed, in spite of the
bellowing discharge from the great gun, and a well-delivered volley of
small shot, which stretched many of them on the deck, they ran straight
against her, threw grappling-irons into the rigging, and sprang on board
with a fierce yell.
The melee that followed was sharp, but very short and decisive. The
Sicilian crew fought with the courage of desperate men, but were
almost instantly overpowered by numbers. Mariano had singled out the
pirate captain as his own special foe. In making towards the spot where
he expected that he would board, he observed the tall Jew standing by
the wheel with his arms crossed on his breast, and regarding the attack
with apparent indifference.

"What!" cried Mariano, anger mingling with his surprise, "do you stand
idle at such a moment?"
"You will miss your chance," returned Bacri, giving a glance and a nod
towards the side of the vessel where the pirate captain stood ready to
spring.
Almost at the instant that the brief hint was given, Mariano had sprung
to the bulwarks, and parried the thrust of a boarding-spike, which act
unfortunately disconcerted his aim in discharging his pistol. Next
moment he had seized the pirate by the throat, and fell with him to the
deck, where a fierce struggle ensued.
We have said that the Sicilian youth was powerfully made, but the
pirate captain was more than a match for him in size, if not in courage;
nevertheless, the superior activity of Mariano, coupled with the fact
that he chanced to fall uppermost, gave him an advantage which would
in a few moments have cost the pirate his life, had not a blow from
behind rendered his youthful adversary insensible.
Rising hastily and regaining the yataghan which had fallen from his
grasp in the struggle, the pirate captain was about to rush again into the
fight, but, perceiving that although one or two of the schooner's crew
still showed resistance, his men were almost everywhere in possession
of the deck, he desisted, and turned with a look of surprise to the man
who had freed him from his antagonist.
"You here, Bacri!" he said. "Truly my fate is a hard one when it
condemns me to be rescued by a dog of a Jew."
"It might have been harder, Sidi Hassan, if it had condemned you to be
slain by the hand of a Christian," replied the Jew, with an air of
humility that scarcely harmonised with his towering height and his
breadth of shoulder.
Hassan uttered a short laugh, and was about to reply when a shout from
his men caused him to run to the forward part of the vessel, where
Francisco, Lucien, and the warlike negro already referred to were still

fighting desperately, surrounded by pirates, many of whom were badly
wounded. It was well for the three heroes that their foes had discharged
all their pistols at the first rush. Some of them, now rendered furious by
the unexpectedly successful opposition made by the dauntless three, as
well as by the smarting of their wounds, were hastily re-loading their
weapons, when their