nd their descendants of
the New World.

They pulled up at once alongside, and before any one attempted to stop
them they had hooked on, the man in the bows climbing up on deck,
followed by his companions in cloaks, and two of the seamen. The other
two remained in the boat, pointing at their mouths, as a sign that they
wanted water.

Seamen, from the sufferings and dangers to which they are exposed, are
proverbially kind to those in distress. Our men, therefore, seemed to
vie with each other who should first hold the pannikins of water to the
mouths of the strangers, while a tub, with the fluid, was also lowered
into the boat alongside. They eagerly rushed at the water, and drank up
all that was offered them; but I could not help remarking that they did
not look like men suffering from thirst. However, a most extraordinary
effect was produced on two of them, for they fell down on the deck, and
rolled about as if in intense agony. This drew the attention of all
hands on them; and as we had no surgeon on board, the captain began to
ransack his medical knowledge to find remedies for them.

While he was turning over the pages of his medical guide to find some
similar case of illness and its remedy described, the schooner was
edging down towards us. As she approached, I observed only a few men on
board; and they, as the people in the boat had done, were pointing at
their mouths, as if they were suffering from want of water. The boat
was on the lee side.

I think I said that there were some sails, and two or three cloaks,
apparently thrown by chance at the bottom of the boat. While all hands
were engaged in attending to the strangers, and for some minutes no one
had looked towards the schooner, on a sudden I heard a loud grating
sound--there was the wild triumphant cry of a hundred fierce voices.
The seemingly exhausted men leaped to their feet; the helmsman and our
captain lay prostrate by blows dealt by our treacherous foes; the second
mate and several of the men were knocked down; and before any of us had
time to attempt even any defence of the brig, a set of desperadoes, of
all colours and nations, were swarming down on her decks from the
rigging of the schooner, while others, who had been concealed in the
boat, sprang on board on the lee side. Never was a surprise more
complete, or treachery more vile. In an instant we were helplessly in
the power of as lawless a band of pirates as ever infested those seas.