eir
officers, made so furious an attack on the captain's party that he and
most of his men were separated from each other. Paul had stuck by his
captain from the first. His arm was not very strong, but he was active;
and, while he managed to avoid the blows of his enemies, he bestowed
several as he leaped nimbly on. He, with the captain and Reuben Cole,
had nearly gained the quarter-deck when a Spaniard rushed at the latter,
and knocked him over with the butt-end of a musket. At the same moment
the captain's foot slipped, and another Spaniard striking him a furious
blow on the head, he fell senseless on the coaming of the hatchway, very
nearly going over below. Paul fully believed that his brave captain was
killed, and that his last moment was come. The Spaniard was about to
repeat the blow when Paul, springing in, regardless of consequences to
himself, cut him so severely under the arm with his sword that the man
missed his aim, and he himself fell headlong down the hatchway.

Paul then, while he laid about him with his weapon, did the best thing
he could by shouting at the top of his voice, "Help! help!--the captain
is down--help! help!" at the same time laying about him in so energetic
a way that none of the Spaniards seemed disposed to come within reach of
his weapon. His shouts quickly brought several of the crew of the
_Cerberus_ to the rescue; and, while some kept the Spaniards at bay, the
others assisted the captain, who was recovering from the effects of the
blow, to rise. Paul, as soon as he saw the captain on his feet, hurried
with two of his companions to the assistance of Reuben Cole, just in
time to prevent some Spaniards from giving him his quietus. Reuben's
head was a tolerably thick one; and, notwithstanding the severity of the
blow, he quickly came to himself; and, seizing his cutlass with right
good will, joined the party under the captain, who were employed in
preventing the Spaniards from regaining possession of the quarter-deck.
Meantime, several separate combats were going on in different parts of
the ship. The Spaniards, as they recovered from their first surprise,
rallied in considerable numbers; and, attacking the boatswain's party,
which had been separated from that of the captain's, fought their way
forward and re-took the forecastle. Paul could only discern what was
going forward by the flashes of the pistols of the combatants on deck,
and of the great guns which those below still