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Updated: May 17, 2025
"Curukity coo curukity coo," sung out a great bushy whiskered sailor from the crows nest, who turned out to be no other than our old friend Timothy Tailtackle, quite juvenilffied by the laughing scene. "Here am I, Jack, a booby amongst the singing birds," crowed he to one of his messmates in the maintop, as he clutched a branch of a tree in his hand, and swung himself up into it.
Tailtackle slipped down to the extreme end of the black withe, that looked like a scorched snake, pressed his legs close together, pointing his toes downwards, and then steadying himself for a moment, with his hands right above his head, and his arms at the full stretch, he dropped, struck the water fairly, entering its dark blue depths without a splash, and instantly disappeared, leaving a white frothy mark on the surface.
But this was not to be, for we had hardly ordered our meal, when the rush of the water past the vessel caught my ear, and I knew in a moment that we were once more in motion. At this moment Tailtackle appeared at the cabin door, and announced that the wind had sprung up again, and that the strange vessel was bearing down upon us.
"We have hit some of the poor blacks again," said Tailtackle, who was still on deck. But we had no further time for observation, for the Spaniard returned our broadside with the same cold-blooded precision as before.
"I see her now, sir, plain enough," cried Tailtackle. "Good! What does she look like?" "A large brig, sir, hard up against the wind. You can see her now without the glass." I looked in the direction indicated by Tailtackle, and sure enough, there was a dark mass towering above the surface of the water, dim and black like a spirit from the deep.
"Another shot, sir," cried Tailtackle, through the open cabin window. All was now noise and confusion, and I hastened on deck. Our opponent was a large brig of at least three hundred tons burthen, a low vessel painted black. Its sides were as round as an apple, the yards were unusually large, and it was evidently filled with men.
The latter, however, continued to look through the glass, and when I approached him, a few minutes afterwards, said: "Well, sir, now that it brightens a little, I see what it is that has been puzzling me." "The deuce you do! give me the glass." In a moment I saw it also. "By Jove, Tailtackle, you're right. Send the men to their posts, get the long guns ready, and clear the deck for action."
The only two Waves, that I successfully made interest at their own request to get back with me, were Tailtackle, and little Reefpoint.
At this moment, Tailtackle, in his shirt, pantaloons, and shoes, put his head out of the hatchway, and said: "If I might advise, sir, I think we had better keep our hatches down; that fellow is not honorable, depend upon it, sir." "Very well, Tailtackle, very well. Forward there, Master Jigmaree; give him a shot, if he won't speak, right between the masts, sir. Do you hear?"
I was startled from the number of black faces which I saw. "Why, Mr Tailtackle, how many of these poor creatures have we on board?" "There are fifty nine, sir, under hatches in the fore hold," said Timothy, "and thirty five on deck; but I hope we shan't have them long, sir. It looks like a breeze to windward. We shall have it before long, sir." At this moment Mr Bang came on deck.
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