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"What may be the circumstance that has caused your mind to go about-ship just now?" asked Dan, stirring the fire under the robbiboo-kettle. "Well, it's in regard to them there canoe-paddles.
"Now, if that su'thin' had kep' quiet, I do believe that I'd have gone about-ship an' showed her my heels, but that su'thin', whatever it was, set up my dander. `Now then, says I, `haul taut the main brace! Up wi' the t'gall'nt-s'ls an' sky-scrapers! "England expects," etceterer! "Afore you could say Jack Robinson, I was along side grapplin'-irons hove into her riggin', and a broadside fired.
"A brig ahead, sir!" shouted the third lieutenant from forward. "Shall we weather her?" asked the captain. The answer was in the negative. "Set the foresail and spanker! Ready, about-ship!"
"What!" bawled one of the grumblers, "he carrieth us to seaward!" "'Tis sooth," cried another. "Nay, we are betrayed for sure." And they all began to cry out in chorus that they were betrayed, and in shrill tones and with abominable oaths bade Lawless go about-ship and bring them speedily ashore.
"Well, then, let's go to our left, where I see some bluejackets," said Tom, who had been looking through his telescope; "to my mind we ought then to be about-ship, and find our way to where we left our horses, or we shall be getting into a scrape."
I looked again; a man was holding on to it, and drifting up towards us. I was certain I saw him lift up his hand and wave it. I immediately reported the circumstance to the captain. "Although he is probably one of those wretched Moors, he is a fellow-creature, and it is our duty to try and save him," he observed. "About-ship! helm a-lee!" he sung out.
Accordingly we went about-ship, got our larboard tacks on board, set the top-gallant sails, and crowded for the bay of All Saints, where we came to an anchor early in the morning, just out of gunshot of the forts; we furled our sails with rope-yarns, that we might haul home the sheets without going up to loose them, and, lowering our main and fore-yards, looked just as if we had lain there a good while.
We began to think that we should have to be about-ship, when what should we see, but the gates open to let in the governor and some other officers who had been sleeping outside the walls. The opportunity was not to be lost. Led by our gallant captain, we made a dash at the gate.
But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred gallery, they went about-ship at once, and a head popped out again on deck. "Down, dog!" cries the captain. And the head popped back again; and we heard no more, for the time, of these six very faint-hearted seamen. By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boat loaded as much as we dared.
The instant he hove in stays, we, who had been reserving our fire, poured in our broadside, raking him fore and aft with murderous effect. "All hands about-ship!" was now the cry. So cut up was our rigging, however, that we had no little difficulty in getting her about. Our masts also were badly wounded. It was a question whether they would carry our canvas.
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