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Updated: June 25, 2025
The yards had in the meantime been braced round, and the ship had been standing on her course. Rayner was now sent for into the cabin, where he found the midshipman he had saved placed in the commander's cot. "Do you see a likeness to any one you know?" asked Commander Saltwell.
In the meantime the fresh hands had been called up before the first lieutenant, Mr Saltwell, and their names entered by the purser in the ship's books, after the ordinary questions had been put to them to ascertain for what rating they were qualified.
The men were laughing and joking with each other, and the occupation seemed to afford amusement to all employed. Suddenly there came a shout from the look-out at the masthead of "Five sail in sight." "Where away?" asked Lieutenant Saltwell, who was on deck superintending the operations going forward. "Dead to leeward, sir," was the answer.
"Shall we get the gun ready, sir?" he asked of Captain Fleetwood. "You may, Mr Saltwell; but as long as she does not show any intention of avoiding us, on no account fire," was the answer. "He seems in no hurry to move, at all events," observed the first lieutenant.
Linton had command of the first gig, Tompion of the second, and both had some loaded muskets in their stern sheets, and all the men had their cutlasses and pistols; all these necessary arrangements having considerably delayed the boats, but Saltwell judged rightly, that it would be worse than folly to send unarmed men against such desperate characters as the pirates.
"About ship then," cried Saltwell, and when she was round, after standing on a little way he hove her to, and ordered Mr Black to burn a blue light to show their position. On this a faint cheer came down on the wind to prove that the signal was perceived. The next few minutes were passed, by those more immediately interested in the success of the expedition, in considerable anxiety.
Lieutenant Saltwell, on whom, in his captain's absence, had devolved the command of the Ione, walked her quarterdeck on the night on which the events we have been describing took place, with a mind very ill at ease.
"Mr Tompion sent me back, sir, with Mr Linton, who is badly hurt, while he and Mr Duff stopped to chase a pirate craft which had been dodging us," replied Jennings, to Saltwell's questions, giving afterwards a brief account of the failure of their expedition. "Poor Linton wounded, and by such villains," muttered Saltwell, as his brother-officer was lifted carefully on deck.
"No, they were wrong," answered Bill. "I was then what I told you, but I am now a midshipman." He then gave an account to Pierre of how he had been promoted. Their conversation was interrupted by the return of Mrs Crofton and Mary with some food for their patient, as the doctor had told Mr Saltwell that he should be fed often, though with but little at a time.
"I think that I can make out a part of the wreck jammed in between two rocks, just flush with the water," observed Saltwell, who had been examining the place with his glass. "An awkward place to get on." "Faith, indeed, it is," said the master. "If we hadn't come up, and another gale of wind had come on, every one of those poor fellows would have been washed away."
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