o fire too, and taking the chance for a look round I saw that the
pirates had separated, and were coming up one on each side of us.

"So far they had not fired a shot after the first. I suppose they didn't
want to lose ground by yawing, but as they came abreast of us they both
opened fire. Our chaps fought their guns well, and I expect the pirates
found they were not getting much the best of it; for one of them made a
signal, and they both closed in to board. We hadn't had much luck after
our first shot. We had hulled them over and over again and spotted their
sails with shot. Many of their ropes were hanging loose, but we hadn't
succeeded in crippling them, although almost every shot had been aimed
at the masts; for every man knew that our only chance was to bring them
down.

"As they came up close to us they poured in a volley of grape, and a
minute later they grated alongside and a crowd of men swarmed on board
over the bulwarks. Our fellows fought to the last, but the odds were
five to one against them. The skipper had been killed by a grapeshot,
but the mate he led the men; and if fighting could have saved us the
ship would not have been captured. But it was no use. In two minutes
every man had been cut down or disarmed. I had laid about me with
a cutlass till I got a lick over my head with a boarding pike which
knocked my senses out of me.

"When I opened my eyes I was hauled up to my feet and put alongside the
mate and six others, all of whom was bleeding more or less. The rest had
all been chucked overboard at once. In a minute or two the captain of
one of the pirates, a little dapper Frenchman, came up to us. 'You have
fought your ship well,' he said to the mate, 'and have killed several of
my officers and men; but I bear you no malice, and if you are ready
to ship with me I will spare your life.' 'I would rather die a hundred
times!' the mate said. The pirate said nothing, but just nodded, and
four of his men seized the mate and flung him over the bulwarks. The
same question was asked of each of the men; but each in turn refused,
and an end was made of them. I was the last.

"'Now, my boy,' the captain said, 'I hope you won't be stupid like those
pig headed fellows. What do you say--good treatment and a free life on
the sea, or the sharks?'

"Well, lad, if my turn hadn't been last I would have said 'no' like
the others. I wouldn't have shown the white feather before any of my
shipmates; but they had gone-