646 A STERN CHASE,

life, and the ship, and the lives of all the men in her, we will
leave the rest to you.”

1 consented to this readily, and went immediately on board, and
the two men with me. As soon as I came to the ship’s side, my
partner, who was on board, came out on the quarter-deck, and
called to mo with a great deal of joy, © O ho! O ho! we have
stopped the leak! we have stopped the leak 1" “Say you so,”
said 1; “thank God! but weigh the anchor immediately.”
“Weigh!” says he, ‘what do you mean by that? What is the
matter?” says he. ‘Ask no questions,” says [, ‘but all hands
to work, and weigh without losing a minute.” Heo was surprised ;
but, however, he called the captain, and he immediately ordered
the anchor to be got up. And though the tide was not quite done,
yet a little land breeze blowing, we stood out to sea, Then T
called him into the eabin and told him the story at large, and we
called in the men and they told us the rest of it. But as it took
us up a great deal of time, so before we had done, a seaman comes
to the cabin door, and calls out to us that the captain bade him tell
us we were chased.“ Chased,” said 1, “ by whom, and by what?”
“ By five sloops or boats,” says the fellow, “full of men.” “ Very
well,” said 1, “then it is apparent there is something in it.” In
the next place T ordered all our men to be called up, and told them
that there was a design to seize the ship, and take us for pirates ;
and asked them if they would stand by us and by one another ?
The men answered cheerfully, that one and all they would live and
die with us. Then 1 asked the captain what way he thought best
for us to manage the fight with them, for resist, them T was re-
solved we would, and that to the last drop. He said readily that
the way was to keep them off with our great shot as long as we
could, and then to fire at them with our small arms as long as we
could; but when neither of these would do any longer, we shoula
retire to our close quarters; perhaps they had not material to
break open our bulkheads, or get in upon us,

The gunner had, in the meantime, order to bring two guns to
bear fore and aft out of the steerage, to clear the deek, and load
them with musket-bullets, and small pieces of old iron, and what
next cama to hand, and thus we made ready for fight , but all this