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Ryan and I had by this time pretty well made up our minds as to the character of both our neighbours; and as the stranger astern a large brig was now barely half-a-mile distant from us, and drawing rapidly up on our starboard quarter, it was necessary to make up our minds without delay as to the course to be pursued; the question being whether we should meddle at all with the brig, and thus run the risk of exciting the barque's suspicions, or whether we should devote our whole energies to the pursuit of the latter.
But, still under the influence of gratitude, he glances back over the barque's counter, to see on her quarter-deck what intensifies his desire to become one of her crew.
It was well aimed, for it cut right through the barque's main-mast, just below the yard, and brought the main-top-mast, with all the yards, sails, and gearing above it, down upon the deck. The weight of the wreck, also, carried away the fore-top-mast and, in a single instant, the Firefly was completely disabled.
All this firing would have attracted the attention of any Spanish war vessel there might be about. We must leave the barque's manifesto till the morning. "As you have lost the boatswain, I will send one of my best hands back with you, to act as your first mate. He must get that topsail yard of yours repaired, at once. It does not matter about the mizzenmast, but the yard is of importance.
They sat talking together for some time of the people in Arrecifos, of Barradas, and of the days on the old Mahina. Then when Barry spoke of the barque's approaching departure she became silent. "I shall miss you very much, Captain Barry " she began and then she stopped. He looked at her and saw that her eyes were filled with tears.
Five minutes which seemed hours passed, and then we suddenly lost sight of the barque's headlight, and saw the dull gleam of those aft shining through the cabin ports. 'Thank God! said the whaler officer, 'he's bringing to. Scarcely had he spoken when we heard a hail distinctly. 'Boat ahoy, there, where are you? 'In the water. We're capsized, I answered.
He paused for a minute or two with his face close to the pane, and then flung up the sash. A faint north wind breathed down the harbour, scarcely ruffling the water. Around and above him the frosty sky flashed with innumerable stars, and over the barque's masts, behind the long chine of the eastern hill, a soft radiance heralded the rising moon.
The whole thing was done so smartly that the only two visible members of the barque's crew who seemed to be quite slow-moving and slow-thinking men were completely taken by surprise, and evidently knew not what to make of it. Meanwhile Leslie, with a single glance about the ship's deserted decks, seemed to grasp the situation intuitively. "Are you two men named Royston and Hampton?" he demanded.
At length, gasping for breath, I rose to the surface, and found that I was within twenty feet of the barque's stern, with the whole of her crew upon their feet, anxiously watching me, while a man stood at her taffrail, holding a coil of rope in his hand. The instant he saw me he shouted: "Look out, monsieur; I am about to heave!" "All right; heave!"
It afterwards appeared that as soon as matters seemed to be going badly for the barque's people her skipper had attempted to slip out of the fight and slink below; but Ryan, suspecting some sinister object in this projected movement, had stuck to the man so closely, getting between him and the companion, that his object, if he had one, was frustrated; and in his desperation he had struck a blow at Ryan that clove the unfortunate Irishman's skull open, only to be impaled himself upon our dashing captain's sword at the same moment.
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