The Privateersman | Page 5

said no more. The
old lady put a ring on my finger, which she took from her own hand,
and kissing my forehead told me to look at that ring and continue to do
good and act nobly as I had just done.
I waved my hand, for I had no time even to take the proffered hands of
the young ones, and hastened to join my shipmates, already on the
retreat, and exchanging shots with our pursuers. We were harassed by a
multitude, but they were a mixed company of planters, mulattoes, and
slaves, and not half of them armed, and we easily repelled their attacks
whenever they came to close quarters. Their violent animosity,
however, against us and our evil doings induced them to follow close at
our heels, keeping up a galling irregular fire, and endeavouring to
detain us until we might be overpowered by their numbers, every
minute increasing, for the whole country had been raised, and were
flocking in. This our captain was well aware of, and therefore made all
the haste that he could, without disturbing the regularity of his retreat,
to where our boats were lying, as should they be surprised and cut off

our escape would have been impossible. Notwithstanding all his care,
several of our men were separated from us by the intricacies of the
wood, or from wounds which they had received, and which prevented
them from keeping up with us. At last, after repelling many attacks,
each time more formidable than the preceding, we gained our boats,
and embarking with the greatest precipitation we put off for the
schooner. The enemy, emboldened by our flight, flocked down in great
numbers to the water's edge, and we had the mortification to hear our
stragglers who had been captured imploring for mercy; but groans and
then silence too plainly informed us that mercy had been denied.
Captain Weatherall was so enraged at the loss of his men that he
ordered us to pull back and attack the enemy on the beach, but we
continued to pull for the schooner, regardless of his threats and
entreaties. A panic had seized us all, as well it might. We even dreaded
the ill-aimed and irregular fire which they poured upon us, which under
other circumstances would have occasioned only laughter. The
schooner had been anchored only two hundred yards from the beach,
and we were soon on board. They continued to fire from the shore, and
the balls passed over us. We put a spring upon our cable, warped our
broadside to the beach, and loading every gun with grape and cannister
we poured a whole broadside upon our assailants. From the shrieks and
cries, the carnage must have been very great. The men would have
reloaded and fired again, but the captain forbade them, saying, "We
have done too much already." I thought so too. He then ordered the
anchor to be weighed, and with a fresh land breeze we were soon far
away from this unlucky spot.
CHAPTER TWO.
WE ARE PURSUED BY TWO SCHOONER-PRIVATEERS, AND
FAILING TO ESCAPE THEM A TERRIBLE CONTEST
ENSUES--THREE ACTS OF A MURDEROUS NAVAL
DRAMA--WE ARE WORSTED--CAPTAIN WEATHERALL IS
KILLED--I AM PLUNDERED AND WOUNDED.
About six weeks after the unlucky affair before described we met with

a still greater disaster. We had cruised off the Spanish main, and taken
several prizes; shortly after we had manned the last and had parted
company, the Revenge being then close in shore, a fresh gale sprung up,
which compelled us to make all sail to clear the land. We beat off shore
during the whole of the night, when the weather moderated, and at
daybreak we found out that we had not gained much offing, in
consequence of the current; but, what was more important, the man
who went to the look-out at the masthead hailed the deck, saying there
were two sails in the offing. The hands were turned up to make sail in
chase, but we found that they were resolutely bearing down upon us;
and as we neared each other fast we soon made them out to be vessels
of force. One we knew well--she was the Esperance, a French
schooner-privateer, of sixteen guns and one hundred and twenty men;
the other proved to be a Spanish schooner-privateer, cruising in
company with her, of eighteen guns, and full manned.
Now our original complement of men had been something more than
one hundred; but by deaths, severe wounds in action, and manning our
prizes, our actual number on board was reduced to fifty-five effective
men. Finding the force so very superior, we made every attempt with
sails and sweeps to escape, but the land to leeward of us, and their
position to windward, rendered it impossible. Making, therefore, a
virtue