kerchief round his head, and set to work with a
will; and his wife backed him to the last, handing the powder and
everything else. Well, we had with us ten men who all stood to guns;
but the passengers went down below with the soldiers. Well, on comes
the brig upon our starboard quarter as if to board; all her fore
rigging, and fore-chains, and forecastle being full of men as bees in a
swarm.

"`"Are you all ready, my men?" said the captain.

"`"Yes, all ready, sir."

"`"Yes, and I be ready too, massa!" cried the black cook, bringing out
from the caboose the red-hot poker.

"`"Well, then, up on the wind with her, and fire when the guns bear."

"`The men kept their eyes on the guns; and when they cried "fire!" the
cook set them all off, one after another, with the hot poker, and no
small mischief did these three guns do. His forecastle was cleared of
men in no time; down came his gaff and, fore-topsail, and being now
right on our beam, he put his helm up to lay us on board; but we were
too quick for him--we wore round too, and gave him the three other guns,
which did him no good.

"`Well, he came after us on the other tack, and pelted us with musketry
in a cruel way. The mate was hit in the head, and taken down below; and
poor old Nesbitt, who was at the wheel, steering the craft beautifully,
had a bullet right into his bow-window, as they call it. "Well," the
old fellow says, "here's a shot between wind and water, I reckon--we
must have a plug;" so he puts his flippers into his waistband, and
stuffs his flannel jacket into the hole. Then we throws her up in the
wind again, and rakes him with our three guns well into him, and carries
away more of his gear, and stops his sailing--and so we goes on for a
whole hour and thirty-five minutes; and, to make a long story short, we
beat him off, and he turned tail and ran for it with both pumps going.'

"Now you see, Tom, that's the account of the affair, given to me by a
man who I can trust; and there you see what can be done if men are
resolute and determined to fight. Some little difference between that
affair and this one, Tom."

"Did old Nesbitt die or recover?"

"I asked that question: he was doing well when my friend left; somehow
or another no vital part was injured, and he has had many presents made
him for his gallant conduct, and the sergeant was well rewarded also.
Well, my pipe's out, and it's not far from midnight; I should think we
may just as wel