Chapter 13 - Page 2

to stick by the Camillus, I might have brought up a
master. I had laid up money, and being employed while in port, I was
gradually losing my taste for sailor amusements, and getting more respect
for myself. That fall from the Jaffrail was a sad drawback for me, and I
never recovered the lee-way it brought about.

I was more than two months ashore, behaving myself rationally on account
of my arm. At the end of that time, I went on board the Sally, a ship also
bound to Greenock, as her second-mate. This vessel belonged to Charleston,
and it was intended she should return to her own port. The voyage turned
out well, and my arm got as strong as ever. On reaching Charleston, I left
the craft, which was laid up, and shipped in a schooner of the same name,
bound to St. Domingo, as her chief mate. This was no great craft,
certainly, though she proved a tight, wholesome sea-boat. We went out
without any accident, arriving in safety at Cape Henry. After discharging
cargo, and smuggling on board a quantity of doubloons--four hundred and
eighty, it was said--we got under way for the island of Cuba. We intended
to go into Matanzas, and kept along the coast. After crossing the Windward
Passage, we reached Cuba; and were standing on, with a light wind, under
our square-sail, the morning of the third day out, when we saw a large
boat, carrying two sails, standing out from the shore, evidently in chase
of the schooner. We had on board eight souls, viz. the owner, a Frenchman,
who had been a dragoon in the service of his own country, but who was now
between seventy and eighty; the captain, myself, a boy, the cook, and four
men forward. We could see that there were nine men in the boat. We had no
arms in the schooner, not even a pistol, and the men in the boat had
muskets. We did not ascertain this last fact, however, for some time. I
thought the strangers pirates the moment I saw them come out from under
the land, but the captain maintained that they were turtle-men. The boat
was rowing, and came up with us, hand over hand. When near, they commenced
firing muskets at us, to drive us below. All the crew forward, with the
cook, ran down into the forecastle, leaving no one on deck but the
captain, the old Frenchman, and myself. The boy got into the
companion-way.

What the others did on deck, as these gentry came alongside, amusing
themselves with keeping up a smart fire of musketry, I do not know; but my
own occupation was to dodge behind the foremast. It was not long, however,
before they came tumbling in, and immediately got possession of the
schooner. One or two came forward and secured the forecastle hatch, to
keep the people down. Then they probably felt that they were masters. One
chap drew a fearful-looking knife, long,