f a month in
which to work.

It was Job's suggestion that they should interest the governments of
North and South Carolina to help in destroying Bonnet's craft. The
pirate's port of departure had been Charles Town and he was to be
fought in waters adjacent to both the colonies. It seemed not
unreasonable to hope that there was aid to be obtained there. Next day
they asked the Governor's sanction to this proposal, and were so far
rewarded that in less than another twenty-four hours a messenger had
been dispatched to Wilmington and Charles Town bearing letters under the
colony seal.

CHAPTER XVI

The _Royal James_ hurried down the Chesapeake for a day and a night
before Captain Bonnet gave orders to free the young prisoners below in
the bilboes. Jeremy and Bob came on deck stiff and weary from their
cramped quarters and very far from happy in their minds. Rescue seemed
farther away than ever, and though they had laid many plans for an
escape by swimming, the sight of the great stretch of water off either
beam--the shore was frequently a dozen miles away--quenched their hopes
in this direction.

The crew seemed quite elated over something, and talked and joked
incessantly about the prospect of action in the near future. Bonnet was
merrier than Jeremy had ever seen him, came often on deck and even mixed
a little in the conversation of the foremast hands. On the night that
they cleared the Capes he served out double noggins of rum to all the
men aboard. There was a good deal of prodigality in the way it was
poured out and a fine scene of carousal ensued, lasting until after the
watch changed at midnight. It was the first time either of the boys had
heard the smashing chorus of "Fifteen Men" sung by the whole fo'c's'le.
Of course, the words had often been hummed by one or two of the pirates,
but it took the hot cheer of the grog to open most of their throats. At
the final "Yo, ho, ho!" every cannikin crashed on the deal table and the
lantern heaved to and fro overhead as if a gale were blowing outside.
There followed the howling refrain that Jeremy had heard on the beach of
the island a month before--"An' we'll walk the bloody beggars all below,
all below--an' we'll walk the bloody beggars all below!"

The sentiment seemed too true to be picturesque after what had happened
aboard the brig. The fierce-faced buccaneers, with their red, drunken
eyes, strained forward, every man, and yelled like demons under the
sw