The World of Ice | Page 6

with desperate courage, they could not stand before the
increasing numbers of pirates who now crowded the fore part of the
ship in a dense mass. Gradually they were beaten back, and at length
were brought to bay on the quarter-deck.
"Help, father!" cried Fred, pushing through the struggling crowd,
"here's the carronade ready loaded."
"Ha! boy, well done!" cried the captain, seizing the gun, and, with the
help of Buzzby, who never left his side, dragging it forward. "Clear the

way, lads!"
In a moment the little cannon was pointed to the centre of the mass of
men, and fired. One awful shriek of agony rose above the din of the
fight, as a wide gap was cut through the crowd; but this only seemed to
render the survivors more furious. With a savage yell they charged the
quarter-deck, but were hurled back again and again by the captain and a
few chosen men who stood around him. At length one of the pirates,
who had been all along conspicuous for his strength and daring,
stepped deliberately up, and pointing a pistol at the captain's breast,
fired. Captain Ellice fell, and at the same moment a ball laid the pirate
low; another charge was made; Fred rushed forward to protect his
father, but was thrown down and trodden under foot in the rush, and in
two minutes more the ship was in possession of the pirates.
Being filled with rage at the opposition they had met with, these
villains proceeded, as they said, to make short work of the crew, while
several of them sprang into the cabin, where they discovered Mrs.
Ellice almost dead with terror. Dragging her violently on deck, they
were about to cast her into the sea, when Buzzby, who stood with his
hands bound, suddenly burst his bonds and sprang towards her. A blow
from the butt of a pistol, however, stretched him insensible on the deck.
"Where is my husband? my boy?" screamed Mrs. Ellice wildly.
"They've gone before you, or they'll soon follow," said a savage
fiercely, as he raised her in his powerful arms and hurled her overboard.
A loud shriek was followed by a heavy plunge. At the same moment
two of the men raised the captain, intending to throw him overboard
also, when a loud boom arrested their attention, and a cannon-shot
ploughed up the sea close in front of their bows.
While the fight was raging, no one had observed the fact that the breeze
had freshened, and a large man-of-war, with American colours, at her
peak, was now within gunshot of the ship. No sooner did the pirates
make this discovery than they rushed to their boats, with the intention
of pulling to their schooner; but those who had been left in charge,
seeing the approach of the man-of-war, and feeling that there was no

chance of escape for their comrades, or, as is more than probable, being
utterly indifferent about them, crowded all sail and slipped away, and it
was now hull-down on the horizon to leeward. The men in the boats
rowed after her with the energy of despair; but the Americans gave
chase, and we need scarcely add that, in a very short time, all were
captured.
When the man-of-war rejoined the West Indiaman, the night had set in
and a stiff breeze had arisen, so that the long and laborious search that
was made for the body of poor Mrs. Ellice proved utterly fruitless.
Captain Ellice, whose wound was very severe, was struck down as if by
a thunderbolt, and for a long time his life was despaired of. During his
illness Fred nursed him with the utmost tenderness, and in seeking to
comfort his father, found some relief to his own stricken heart.
Months passed away. Captain Ellice was conveyed to the residence of
his sister in Grayton, and, under her care, and the nursing of his little
niece Isobel, he recovered his wonted health and strength. To the eyes
of men Captain Ellice and his son were themselves again; but those
who judge of men's hearts by their outward appearance and expressions,
in nine cases out of ten judge very wide of the mark indeed. Both had
undergone a great change. The brilliancy and glitter of this world had
been completely and rudely dispelled, and both had been led to inquire
whether there was not something better to live for than mere present
advantage and happiness--something that would stand by them in those
hours of sickness and sorrow which must inevitably, sooner or later,
come upon all men. Both sought, and discovered what they sought, in
the Bible, the only book in all the world where the jewel of great price
is to be found.
But Captain Ellice could not be induced to