two men with me. As soon as I came to the ship’s side, my partner,
who was on board, came out on the quarter-deck, and called to me,
with a great deal of joy, “We have stopped the leak – we have
stopped the leak!” – “Say you so?” said I; “thank God; but weigh
anchor, then, immediately.” – “Weigh!” says he; “what do you mean
by that? What is the matter?” – “Ask no questions,” said I; “but
set all hands to work, and weigh without losing a minute.” He was
surprised; however, he called the captain, and he immediately
ordered the anchor to be got up; and though the tide was not quite
down, yet a little land-breeze blowing, we stood out to sea. Then
I called him into the cabin, and told him the story; and we called
in the men, and they told us the rest of it; but as it took up a
great deal of time, before we had done a seaman comes to the cabin
door, and called out to us that the captain bade him tell us we
were chased by five sloops, or boats, full of men. “Very well,”
said I, “then it is apparent there is something in it.” I then
ordered all our men to be called up, and told them there was a
design to seize the ship, and take us for pirates, and asked them
if they would stand by us, and by one another; the men answered
cheerfully, one and all, that they would live and die with us.
Then I asked the captain what way he thought best for us to manage
a fight with them; for resist them I was resolved we would, and
that to the last drop. He said readily, that the way was to keep
them off with our great shot as long as we could, and then to use
our small arms, to keep them from boarding us; but when neither of
these would do any longer, we would retire to our close quarters,
for perhaps they had not materials to break open our bulkheads, or
get in upon us.
The gunner had in the meantime orders to bring two guns, to bear
fore and aft, out of the steerage, to clear the deck, and load them
with musket-bullets, and small pieces of old iron, and what came
next to hand. Thus we made ready for fight; but all this while we
kept out to sea, with wind enough, and could see the boats at a
distance, being five large longboats, following us with all the
sail they could make.
Two of those boats (which by our glasses we could see were English)
outsailed the rest, were near two leagues ahead of them, and gained
upon us considerably, so that we found they would come up with us;
upon which we fired a gun without ball, to intimate that they
should bring to: and we put out a flag of truce, as a signal for
parley: but they came crowding after us till within shot, when we
took in our white flag, they having made no answer to it, and hung
out a red flag, and fired at them with a shot. Notwithstanding
this, they came on till they were near enough to call to them with
a speaking-trumpet, bidding them keep off at their peril.
It was all one; they crowded after us, and endeavoured to come
under our stern, so as to board us on our quarter; upon which,
seeing they were resolute for mischief, and depended upon the
strength that followed them, I ordered to bring the ship to, so
that they lay upon our broadside; when immediately we fired five
guns at them, one of which had been levelled so true as to carry
away the stern of the hindermost boat, and we then forced them to
take down their sail, and to run all to the head of the boat, to
keep her from sinking; so she lay by, and had enough of it; but
seeing the foremost boat crowd on after us, we made ready to fire
at her in particular. While this was doing one of the three boats