voice, with the speaker's head down the
companion-way. It was heard plainly enough below, but scarcely at all on
deck.

In the meantime everybody was in motion. It is amazing how soon sailors
are wide awake when there is really anything to do! It appeared to me
that all our people mustered on deck in less than a minute, most of them
with nothing on but their shirts and trousers. The ship was nearly
before the wind by the time I heard the captain's voice; and then Mr.
Kite came bustling in among us forward, ordering most of the men to lay
aft to the braces, remaining himself on the forecastle, and keeping me
with him to let go the sheets. On the forecastle, the strange sail was
no longer visible, being now abaft the beam; but I could hear Mr. Marble
swearing there were two of them, and that they must be the very chaps we
had seen to leeward, and standing in for the land at sunset. I also
heard the captain calling out to the steward to bring him a powder-horn.
Immediately after, orders were given to let fly all our sheets forward,
and then I perceived that they were wearing ship. Nothing saved us but
the prompt order of Mr. Marble to keep the ship away, by which means,
instead of moving toward the proas, we instantly began to move from
them. Although they went three feet to our two, this gave us a moment of
breathing time.

As our sheets were all flying forward, and remained so for a few
minutes, it gave me leisure to look about. I soon saw both proas, and
glad enough was I to perceive that they had not approached materially
nearer. Mr. Kite observed this also, and remarked that our movements had
been so prompt as to "take the rascals aback." He meant they did not
exactly know what we were at, and had not kept away with us.

At this instant, the captain and five or six of the oldest seamen began
to cast loose all our starboard, or weather guns, four in all, and
sixes. We had loaded these guns in the Straits of Banca, with grape and
canister, in readiness for just such pirates as were now coming down
upon us; and nothing was wanting but the priming and a hot loggerhead.
It seems two of the last had been ordered in the fire, when we saw the
proas at sunset; and they were now in excellent condition for service,
live coals being kept around them all night by command. I saw a cluster
of men busy with the second gun from forward, and could distinguish the
captain pointing to it.

"There cannot well be any mistake, Mr. Marb