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The masts had been lowered. On the cat-heads hung the anchors weighted with stone to fend off an enemy, astern towed the pinnace ready to drag alongside and break the force of the hostile ram. The heavy-armed marines stood with their long boarding spears, to lead an attack or cast off grappling-irons. But the true weapon of the Nausicaä was herself.
Then, passing under the stern of our quarry we luffed up into the wind, shot alongside the craft, hove our grappling-irons into her rigging, and, whilst our boarders were still busy driving her astonished crew below, cut her cable and dragged her a quarter of a mile to sea before the people in the battery woke up and fully realised what we were about.
Of course I might let it slip, you know, by accident and when a thing slips there is no possibility of recovery, as I said once to your dear father that time when he slipped off the end of the pier into the water and had to be fished up by the waist-band of his trousers with grappling-irons, I think they called them at all events they were very dangerous-looking things, and I've often argued with him though I hate argument that they might have gone into his body and killed him, yet he would insist that, being blunt, the thing was out of the question, though, as I carefully explained to him, the question had nothing to do with it but it is useless arguing with you, Ruth I mean, it was useless arguing with your father, dear man, for although he was as good as gold, he had a very confused mind, you know.
Hitherto we have generally got the better of the enemy on land and we are now going to fight a land battle on the sea. As soon as you come within reach of a Syracusan vessel, fling your grappling-irons, and hold her fast, until not a man is left alive to defend her deck. This will be the task of the soldiers, whom I need not tell to do their duty.
He hissed at me between his clinched teeth; then, suddenly bursting into a shout of fiendish laughter, he cried "Well, well, after all there's no harm done. It'll make them understand that we don't mean to trifle with 'em. Clear the boarding-pikes there. Are the grappling-irons ready?" "Ay, ay, sir."
The sixth cell contained nothing but empty quivers; the seventh, greaves for protecting the legs in battle; the eighth vault was filled with bracelets and armlets; and an examination of the remaining vaults disclosed forks, grappling-irons, ladders, cords, even catapults, and bells for the necks of camels; and as they descended deeper into the rocky foundation, it became evident that the whole mass was a veritable honeycomb of cells, and that below those already seen were many others.
"Shorten sail!" shouted the captain, "see the grappling-irons ready! up with the helm!" The next instant the two ships came in contact. Norman Foley and Gerald were the first to spring on board; the dreadful idea had taken hold of both of them that the vessel attacked was the Ouzel Galley.
Barely had the Golden Hind taken a position in the midst of the enemy's fleet, when, selecting one of the staunchest vessels of the enemy, Drake had grappling-irons thrown out, clamping his ship to her victim. In a trice the English sailors were on the Spanish deck with swords out and the rallying-cry of 'God and St George!
The rest of the crew took good aim, and then running in their guns, reloaded them. "Here she comes!" cried the mate. "She will be aboard us presently." As he spoke the stranger ranged up alongside, her decks covered with men. Four of the Ouzel Galley's guns alone went off, and ere they could be again loaded the stranger was alongside, throwing grappling-irons on board to secure her prey.
God said to King Wen, Take measures against hostile States, Along with your brethren, Get ready your grappling-irons, And your engines of assault, To attack the walls of Ts'ung. God sends Famine. The Ode from which the following extract is taken carries us back to the ninth century B.C., at the time of a prolonged and disastrous drought:
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