CHAPTER XXIV.
"Were you asleep, Franklin, when you were overpowered?" I asked.
"No, I was not," he protested, warmly. "I had just been round and looked at the pirates. They were all safe and right, and I sat down on the box near the door which leads between decks. The first thing I knew, the door opened, and Grego had me by the throat. I did the best I could, but against three of them I had no chance."
"What did they do then?" asked Sanderson.
"They let the prisoners loose, and tied me to the stanchion. Then they went between decks, and I suppose they are there now."
We were on the lookout for the conspirators, but we heard nothing of them. I concluded that they were waiting for Martino to open the fore scuttle for them. I thought it was best to let them wait. I had deterred Sanderson from making an onslaught upon the pirates, but I was not yet ready to propose a plan of operations against them. Leaving Sanderson and Palmer at the door of the steerage, I went on deck to consult further with the captain. I was in favor, if possible, of postponing the battle till daylight.
"Phil, you have managed this thing so far, and I think you had better see it through," said Captain York; and there was not a little anxiety manifest in his tones.
"I will do the best I can; but you are the captain of the bark, and if you have any orders to give, I shall obey them, without regard to my own opinions."
"If it were a question of seamanship I could settle it; but you seem to have a talent for this kind of business. I would rather leave it all to you. I will give such orders to the men as you suggest."
I was certainly very much honored and flattered by his confidence; and no modesty on my part could disprove the fact that I had furnished the plan, and performed a leading part in the capture of the vessel.
"It is not of much use to give any orders to the men just now, for most of them are too drunk to do anything," I replied.
"It's going to blow before morning," added Captain York, looking around him at the black sky and the restless ocean.
"Do you mean that we shall have a gale?"
"That's just what I mean. I thought this morning that we should have heavy weather within twenty-four hours."
"It will be a bad time to settle this business then?"
"Yes; the sooner it is over, the better."
"I wanted to wait till daylight before we did anything decisive."
"We haven't hands enough fit for duty to reef the main topsails."
"Very well; then we will have some more hands."
"What do you mean?"
"I am in favor of making Martino, Gorro, and the rest of those piratical seamen do their share of the work. If they won't take hold, they shall take the consequences. I suppose the men will be sober in a few hours."
"Yes; if their rum is all gone. We had better see about that."
We took a lantern and went into the forecastle. We could find no rum there, nor anywhere else. It was probable that they had drank all they possessed, for it was not like them to leave any. We overhauled the drunkards, and found two or three of them who were able to stand up; but that was all.
"Have you any rum here?" demanded the captain, very sternly.
"Not a drop, captain," replied one of those who still had the use of his limbs.
"Where did you get your liquor?"
"Grego gave it to us, and said the captain sent it."
"I suppose you are all ready to go slaving now."
"No, sir!" shouted the speaker and his companions, with energy.
We plied them with questions till we were satisfied that they had not been tampered with. Grego had visited the hold and brought up the rum, without the knowledge of any of the officers. The conspirators had only intended to make the crew drunk; but Martino and Gorro had doubtless drank more than was laid down in the programme.
"The men will be all right as soon as they are sober," said Captain York. "They haven't joined the pirates."
"No; that's plain enough; but in getting drunk they have done almost as badly."
"Well, what shall we do? We may find it necessary to haul up the courses and reef topsails. The bark has about all she can stagger under now, and we haven't hands enough to watch the pirates and handle the vessel at the same time."
"That's very true," I replied.
"I suppose the pirates are only waiting for us to be busy, when they will make their strike. There are seven of them between decks, you know."
"No matter; we can handle them, if we are careful and prudent. They are only waiting for Martino to open the fore scuttle."
"How do you know?"
"I don't know; but from what we have seen of their plan we can judge of the rest. Martino and Gorro were to remain on deck, while the other three sailors were to release the prisoners. The two on deck have evidently overdone their part, as all drunken men are apt to do. I have only to say that, if they had kept sober, and the other seven had reached the deck, the nine might have overpowered us, while nearly all our men were helplessly intoxicated."
"That's so; and we have had a narrow escape."
"Everything seemed to be going along so well, that I suppose we were not as sharp as we ought to have been. But, thank God, we are still in a situation to do something; and we must act at once, instead of waiting till daylight, as I wished."
"What are you going to do?" asked the captain.
"I am going to let a part of the pirates come on deckâsay three. We can take care of them very well."
I went into the cabin, and stated my plan to Sanderson. Leaving Palmer in the cabin with a pistol in his hand, and with orders to shoot the first pirate that attempted to enter the cabin, I went on deck with Franklin and the mate. I had no fear that a demonstration would be made upon the cabin from between decks until the battle on deck was ended. I told Walker, who was at the helm, to hail us forward if anything happened in the cabin, and we went upon the forecastle, to grapple in earnest with the emergency.
The wind came in fearful gusts, and the bark was laboring heavily under her present canvas. It was time that the courses were hauled up. I thought so when the vessel heeled down to her rail, and a heavy surge swept over the bow, and rolled down through the scuppers as her head lifted.
"This won't do," said the captain. "It's coming heavier and heavier every minute, and before we finish this business, the masts may be taken out of her. There she goes again."
The bow plunged deep down into the sea, and we took the crest of another billow on board. We were obliged to grasp the fiferail to keep from being carried over into the scuppers. Of course we were all drenched to the skin, and so were the drunken sailors, some of whom were tossed very rudely about by the rushing waters. But the effect upon them was decidedly hopeful. Cold salt water was the antidote of the rum they had drank. I agreed with the captain that we must defer the business to take in sail.
"Stand by to haul up courses!" shouted the captain. "Phil, you stay at the fore scuttle, and let Baxter take hold here."
"Ay, ay, sir!" I replied.
I went to the forecastle, where Baxter, already half drowned by the water which poured in over the top-gallant forecastle, was faithfully keeping guard over the scuttle. He had stretched a life-line across the deck, to enable him to act efficiently; but the hatch was clamped down and toggled with an iron strap, so that it could not be lifted from below; and really there was no danger of an onslaught through this aperture till it was opened by some one on deck. I relieved Baxter, and he joined the working force at the courses. Some of the tipsy crew were sufficiently sobered by the torrents of cold water which the stormy sea had tossed upon them to assist, and the courses were promptly furled.
While I was at my post over the scuttle, I heard a rap from beneath; and I judged that the pirates below were impatient at the unexpected delay. I put my head down to the deck and listened. In a momentary lull of the roaring sea, I heard the name of Martino, in the voice of Waterford; but I made no reply, though I rapped on the deck to signify that he had been heard.
The courses were hauled up, and again the bark was relieved; but the captain was not satisfied, and the fore topsail was also furled. The vessel was then under jib, spanker, and main topsail. The effect was decided and satisfactory. Though the spray still dashed over her, she no longer took the water aboard by the tun. The bark went along very comfortably, still headed on her course to the north-west, for the gale came from the southward and westward.
While I stood at my post, holding on at the life-line, I considered the plan which I had adopted for capturing the pirates. The fore scuttle was forward of the fore mast, and the house on deck just abaft it. The darkness was deep and dense, though sailors are just as much at home in the gloom of the night on deck as in the glare of the noonday sun; for weeks of service on this limited area of planking familiarize them with every inch of space, and every object near them. I had reasoned myself into the belief that the sailors would be sent on deck first when the scuttle was opened, for they belonged to the crew, and their presence would cause no suspicion. They were to strike the first blow, and the others were to follow when it had been done.
As soon as the fore topsail had been furled, Baxter and Sanderson came forward, and reported themselves ready for the next step. The captain soon followed them, for he had been aft to satisfy himself that all was quiet there. There were really only five of us who were entirely reliable for the difficult duty we were to perform. Franklin declared that he was willing to take part in anything; but we had some of the old suspicion of him lingering in our minds.
"You two will station yourselves just inside of the forecastle," I said to Sanderson and Baxter.
"Where shall I go?" asked the captain.
"You and Franklin can be at hand, and if they need any help, you will be able to give it to them. I shall let only three of them come up."
"Then we don't want any help," added Baxter.
"As soon as you have ironed the three, go aft, and see that nothing happens in the cabin."
"Ay, ay," said the party, in a low tone, as they took the stations assigned to them.
I opened the scuttle, and whispered that all was ready. As I had anticipated, the three sailors were the first to obey the summons.