Twice Lost | Page 5

not much to be gained by capturing a rascally pirate. For my part,
I hope she'll knock under at once, and give us as little trouble as
possible."
Hour after hour went by, but the breeze did not come; and I heard
Lieutenant Worthy remark that it would afford time to the pirates, if
they were so minded, to fortify themselves on shore, which would
enable them to hold out much better against us, as we should have both
the fort and the ship to contend against.
"That must not stop us," observed the captain; "we must take the ship
first, and the fort afterwards."
At last a few cat's-paws were seen playing over the water. The
dog-vanes blew out, and the breeze, fresh and pure from the ocean,
began to blow. The anchor was quickly got up; and the ship, at first
standing close-hauled to weather the point, glided on towards the main
channel of the river. The bar, on which the water was unusually
deep,--a few slight rollers only coming in over it,--was safely passed,
when we began to stand up the stream. The shores on either hand were
thickly covered with trees, forming impenetrable walls of foliage, and
preventing us from seeing the country beyond, with the exception of
some high hills which rose in the distance.
The wind being light, and the current running out, we made but slow
progress; and before we got far up the river the wind again failed us,
and we were compelled to come to an anchor. Had it not been for Mr
Worthy's report, we should have supposed that the ship was not there,
and should probably have stood out to sea again, in the hope of falling
in with her elsewhere. As evening drew on, the hot land-breeze again
blew down the river, which was here of considerable width.
"I shouldn't be surprised if the pirate were to try to give us the slip after
all," observed Mudge. "We must keep a sharp look-out, so that we may
stop her should she make the attempt. I only hope she will, as it will be
more to our advantage to bring her to action under way, than to have to
attack her at anchor, with springs on her cables, and protected by a fort

which, if the fellows have any sense in their heads, they are sure to
throw up."
It was still daylight, and Peter and I were walking the deck, for it was
our watch; indeed, the midshipmen's berth not being the pleasantest
place in the world in that climate, we were seldom in it, except at
meal-times. I have not talked much about the heat, but the air, if not
hotter, was more stifling in that river than we had felt it since we
reached the coast. I was looking towards the nearest shore, off which
we had brought up at the distance of scarcely a cable-length, when I
saw a figure moving amid the trees. I pointed him out to Mudge.
Presently, as he reached the bank, we saw that he was a black man,
without a particle of clothing on. Putting his hand to his mouth, he
hailed, and then waved vehemently, as if to attract our attention. Mudge
sent me to tell Mr Worthy; who at once ordered a boat to be lowered,
and directed Mudge to pull in to the shore, to ascertain what he wanted.
The black, however, turning his head over his shoulder, either saw or
heard the approach of some one he wished to avoid, and plunging into
the river, began to swim towards the ship. Mudge and I had jumped
into the boat, and as we were approaching the shore to pick up the
black I saw a dark fin rise just ahead of us. I told Mudge.
"That's a brute of a shark!" he exclaimed, "and a big fellow too, and the
chances are he has poor Blackie for his supper."
"Not if our voices can drive the monster away," I answered, horrified at
the thought of witnessing the destruction of a fellow-creature. "Shout!
shout, all hands!"
Mudge and I raised our voices, joined by the crew, who gave way with
redoubled vigour. The black, who just then saw the shark coming,
began to splash and kick, and to shout pretty lustily. This was not the
only peril to which he was exposed, for at the same moment several
persons appeared among the trees, with muskets in their hands, and
began to fire at him. Happily, one of the bullets aimed at him or at us
struck the savage shark, just as it was about to make a dash at him; and,
either from the wound it had received, or frightened by our shouts, it
suddenly turned round, with