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As he spoke I saw a white splinter glance from the fore-topmast of the frigate, while a rent appeared in the sail. The Frenchmen shouted as if they had done a clever thing, but they had little to shout for; the next instant a shower of round-shot came whistling through our sails, some just above our heads; two struck the lugger's side, and one killed three men dead on the decks.
At last it seemed many hours to him he heard the splash of oars, and presently a slight shock as a boat ran alongside the lugger. Then there were voices, and the sound of feet above as persons mounted on to the deck. There was a scraping noise by the lugger's side, and immediately afterwards another bump as the second boat took the place of the first.
'Deyvil! replied Hatteraick, 'how should I tell what he knows now? But he remembered something of it long. When he was but ten years old he persuaded another Satan's limb of an English bastard like himself to steal my lugger's khan boat what do you call it? to return to his country, as he called it; fire him!
"We are only just in time; our fellows are being beaten back." A moment later the two pieces were fired. Their discharge took terrible effect among the French, sweeping away more than half of those gathered in the lugger's bow. "Load again!" Terence exclaimed. "They are too strong for the Jersey men, still."
The ball had passed through the great foresail, a couple of feet from the mast. "Very good," the captain said. "Give her a trifle more elevation, next time. If you can hit the yard, it will be just as good as hitting the mast. "Ah! There she goes!" Two puffs of white smoke broke out from the lugger's bow. One shot struck the water nearly abreast of the brig, at a distance of ten yards.
'Deyvil! replied Hatteraick, 'how should I tell what he knows now? But he remembered something of it long. When he was but ten years old he persuaded another Satan's limb of an English bastard like himself to steal my lugger's khan boat what do you call it? to return to his country, as he called it; fire him!
But it was too late for success. As Griffin in the launch came out of la Divina Providenz'a smoke he saw the lugger's sails all opened and filled with the dying effort of the southerly air.
"Take the men from the small guns, Joe, and get that sail in," the captain said. "Its loss is of no consequence." In half a minute, the lugger's foresail again rose; and she continued the chase, heading straight for the brig. "He doesn't like this game of long bowls, Probert," the captain said. "He intends to come up to board, instead of trusting to his guns. "Now, boatswain, you try again."
The Ringdove was ordered by signal to haul up south-southwest, or close on a wind, with a view to make such an offing as would prevent the possibility of the lugger's getting outside of the ships, and gaining the wind of them; an achievement Cuffe thought she might very well be enabled to accomplish, could she once fairly come by the wind under circumstances that would prevent any of his vessels from bringing her under their guns.
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