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In a few minutes more the remainder were too far distant for the carronades, and, as they did not fire, Jack turned his attention to take possession of his prize, sending a boat with ten men on board, and heaving-to close to her to take her in tow. Ten minutes more and the frigate was hove-to a cable's length from the Rebiera, and our hero lowered down his other quarter boat to go on board.
"Murder as cruel as ever was done," I said, and told him further of the round hole that bored itself in John Ozanne's forehead right before my eyes. "By !" he said again, and more lustily than ever. "I hope to God we don't run across him! Which way did he go, did you say?" "He went off nor'-east, but his prowling-ground is hereabouts. What guns do you carry, sir?" "Ten eighteen-pound carronades."
One of the carronades of the battery, a twenty-four pounder, had broken loose. This is the most dangerous accident that can possibly take place on shipboard. Nothing more terrible can happen to a sloop of was in open sea and under full sail. A cannon that breaks its moorings suddenly becomes some strange, supernatural beast. It is a machine transformed into a monster.
"A hundred and fifteen galleons of old Spain, a certain argosy that went from Tyre, eight fisher-fleets and ninety ships of the line, twelve warships under sail, with their carronades, three hundred and eighty-seven river-craft, forty-two merchantmen that carried spice, thirty yachts, twenty-one battleships of the modern time, nine thousand admirals...." he mumbled and chuckled on, till I suddenly rose and fled from his fearful contamination.
He and certain other adventurers had purchased a vessel of some five hundred tons, which they proposed to convert into a pirate by cutting port-holes for cannon, and running three or four carronades across her main-deck.
"My dear sir," said I, "don't shove me adrift with that old pot there do lend me one of your long brass eighteen pounders." "Why, Master Cringle, what is your antipathy to carronades?" "I have no absolute antipathy to them, sir they are all very well in their way. For instance, I wish you would fit me with two twelvepound carronades instead of those two popgun long sixes.
Pistols were protruded and fired in our faces, while occasionally her carronades went off, stunning us with their deafening noise, and rocking the boats in the disturbed water, if they had no other effect.
Norway's words: "On November 22, 1812, the Townshend packet, armed with eight 9-pounder carronades, a long gun of similar calibre for use as a chaser, and a crew of twenty-eight men and boys under the command of Captain James Cock, was within a few hours of dropping her anchor at Bridgetown, Barbadoes, when the first light of morning revealed two strange vessels cruising at no great distance.
Apart from his colonial career, he had been to Greece in a brigantine with four brass carronades; he had travelled Europe in a chaise and four, drawing bridle at the palace-doors of German princes; queens of song and dance had followed him like sheep and paid his tailor's bills.
Still the British boats pulled steadily on in two divisions, Captain Walcott's intention being to board the pirate on both sides at once. Each of the pinnaces carried carronades, which were now rapidly fired, while the marines began to blaze away, thus partially, by the smoke which circled round them, concealing the boats and preventing the pirates from taking exact aim.
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