craft, running down with the intention, apparently, of intercepting our course. At the time of which I write, the southern waters were infested with gangs of the most desperate and bloodthirsty pirates which history has ever yet mentioned. War also was existing between the Spaniards and Patriots of South America, and privateers were consequently abroad for the destruction of the enemy's ships. The new sail, being to windward, had every advantage over us, and could therefore either bear down with a more flowing sheet, or haul her wind should she wish to avoid us. In less than three hours after we first saw her she was abeam of us about two miles distant, and proved to be a low brig of nearly two hundred tons well armed. All on board of course were somewhat alarmed at the approach of the new visitor, and especially when changing suddenly her course, she kept along directly abeam.

‘A pirate—a pirate,' was heard from every mouth; and from the captain to the cabin boy, there was not one aboard who did not wish himself safely moored in Matanzas.

Things remained thus until noon, when the brig again altered her course and steered directly for us. Within an hour she shot beautifully across our bows, and firing a lee gun, her commander hailed the ship, and ordered Captain N. to heave to, that he might board us. This was soon done, and the result was, that after an anxious half hour had elapsed, during which time Captain N. and myself had been cabined with the lieutenant of the brig, we were very politely informed that we might proceed on our course, the officer announcing himself, as he departed, to be Lieut. ***, of the Columbian gun brig L'Esperance. He had at first mistaken us for a Spanish vessel, and afterwards delayed running down, as we looked not unlike a sloop of war.

It was on the third morning after this occurrence, that we made the west end of Porto Rico. Captain N. had just gone below to breakfast, when, taking up the spy glass, I discovered in the Mona Passage two tapering masts, scarcely visible, close under a high jutting bluff.

'Here is a pirate indeed,' I cried; 'on deck quick, Captain, for you will find this fellow to be no scarecrow of a man-of-war.' Captain N. was immediately on deck, and upon a second observation, he noticed that the vessel was hoisting her foresail, and before he could look the third time, she had every thing set, coming out from under the land to meet us.

'This looks suspicious,' said he, 'to lie at one moment stowed away like a spider, with nothing to be seen, and then, within five minutes, to be in full chase after a stranger. Curse the fellow ! I am afraid that we shall not find it such easy work to get rid of him as we did of the brig the other day. What say you, Charles! suppose this craft should prove to be a pirate, will you fight him? or shall we heave to and quietly suffer him to cut our throats?'

As to fighting,' I replied, 'little can be done in that way, for our whole armament consists of only one four-pounder, two muskets, one cutlass and my fowling piece; a sorry array indeed against the force which that fellow doubtless musters. But I can

tell you one thing, Captain N., it is no harder to die by a cannon ball or boarding pike, than by being strung up to the yard-arm and choking to death by degrees, or by having our windpipes unskilfully opened by these quack doctors. For one then I say, get clear if we can, but if the worst comes to the worst, why, fight them.'

The true character of the suspicious vessel was soon ascertained, for, not being able to outsail us, she fell astern into our wake, at the distance of less than half a mile, and discovering her error in not having cut us off at once, she fired a lee gun and hoisted the Spanish flag. Of this we took no notice. Another lee gun was fired, and the American flag run up. This was also suffered to pass unnoticed. The third gun came from the windward double-shotted, and as the smoke rolled away, the black flag with Death's head and cross bones was seen flying at the mainsail peak. The vessel was a snakish looking craft, schooner rigged, yet one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. Every part of her displayed the most perfect symmetry, and the long raking masts tapered gradually away almost to a mathematical point. Every thing below the sails was as black as paint could make it, affording a striking contrast with the two long lines of white foam that widened off from either bow. Her deck was filled with men, in the centre of whom, as the great weapon both of offensive and defensive operations, was mounted a huge brass thirty-two-pounder, turning on a pivot. This 'long tom' was polished to the highest degree, and seemed to fling back in disdain the bright sun-beams as they fell upon it.

A council of war was immediately held, in which, each one having spoken, it was decided first to make every effort to escape, and if that did not succeed, to fight until not one of us remained. No time was to be lost, for though we could hold good our distance while the present breeze lasted, yet, should the wind die away, the pirate, being smaller than ourselves, could easily sweep up to Besides, his big gun was talking every few minutes, sending its shot all around us, one of which had already been so impolite as to come splintering through the round house, passing between Captain N. and myself in its way over the lee bulwarks. The sails were immediately wet* from the sky-sails to the spanker; logs of wood were painted black, and thrust out through the portholes in imitation of guns, and all the old pieces of iron which

us.

*

Wetting the sails, by fulling the canvass, causes them to hold more wind.

could be found were tied up in bundles for langrage. The muskets and fowling piece were loaded, the bayonets being taken from the former and affixed to the ends of two long poles, to serve as boarding pikes. Such was our force. Permit me, reader, once more to enumerate it. Fourteen men; one four-pounder, with not a ball to fit it, and with only five pounds of powder; ten wooden guns; two muskets; one fowling piece; one cutlass, and two long poles with bayonets attached to them.

'Cook,' said I, going forward to the camboose, 'fill all your coppers with water, and heat it as soon as possible.'

'Lorry, massa Charles, what for you gwang to do with so much hot water?'

'I will tell you, cook, what I want of it. You and the steward must get up one of the water casks and saw it into two equal parts, each making a large tub. Should the pirates attempt to board us with their boats, do you fill these tubs with hot water, and when the devils come alongside, just tip the water over their heads, and see how they will relish a good scalding.'

'Kyii, massa Charles, guess dey will tink dat rader a warm recepshum.'

Poor fellow! these were his last words, for a shot, glancing from the mainmast, struck him in the head, killing him instantly.

Never was I more proud of my Yankee countrymen than during that terrible day. Unarmed, defenseless, the shot flying around and across our vessel, with death directly before us, and that too a violent one, and one of our number stretched lifeless at our feet; it was enough to dash every face with consternation. But not a vestige of fear could be traced in a single countenance of our little band. Every heart and hand was nerved for the contest, while the firm and determined step with which each moved from spot to spot, showed that a noble resolution, and not feelings of despair, was at work in each man's bosom.

Short as has been my life, I have many times been brought into extreme peril, and more than once have been called to look death in the face, but never did I feel as I did during that chase. 'Tis not an easy thing to summon up our manliness and resolve to die:-to trample down those high hopes of the future, which have hitherto incited and sustained us to behold our brightest dreams, like bubbles, dashed to nought by a violent hand :-to tear away the warm and burning thoughts of home and friends, which cluster around the heart, and isolate one's self upon the edge of the grave:-to gather up all the past into a minute, and gaze upon it with our last tearful look, and then fling forward the vision into eternity, that we may anticipate our reception there :it is not an easy thing, I say, to die. We can read, and even think of death, without emotion, if he be far away; but when we listen to the hollow tread of his step lurking around us, and hear

the weapon hissing by as it hurries to slay our fellow, and feel that we may be the next victim, there is not a soul but thinks quickly, and not a heart which does not beat as if it would tear itself from the bosom. And yet, whatever these undefinable feelings may be, they are not fear: they are something nobler, holier, which, while they send the life-blood rushing through every vein with the lightning's speed, bid the soul act, and aid it in action. This is the hour when true courage sits royally upon its throne; it is now that noble deeds are done, to which the finger of history loves to point.

Throughout the day we kept the interval between us and the pirate about the same. We had perhaps gained on him a little; but after the sun went down, the breeze slackened, and soon died away nearly to a calm, not however until night had shut in for our protection. Every light on board, including that of the binnacle, was extinguished, and the helmsman commanded to steer the ship by the stars. The night wore slowly away, each one in turn catching a short nap at his post upon deck, for no one was permitted to go below, as an attack might at every moment be expected from the boats of the schooner.

I had stretched myself upon one of the seats in the stern boat, with my head resting upon the taffrail as a pillow, not to sleep, for that was impossible, but to think of home, and to throw off for a moment the heavy weight that was crushing my heart. It was so still around, that the very silence seemed oppressive. I had lain but a few moments, when I thought I heard something that resembled the splash of an oar, and rising from my seat, threw a hasty glance over the bows of the boat. What a sight met my eyes! there was a large boat filled with men, at least thirty in number, all armed with cutlasses and pistols, while by the side of each lay a boarding pike. Fortunately for me, I was not observed, and clearing with a single bound the sides of the boat and the taffrail, I sprung upon deck, and shouted with a voice that rung like thunder on the air, Pirates alongside! pirates alongside!'

6

The alarm spread through the ship, and every one in a second was ready to repel the enemy. The pirates perceiving that they were discovered, opened the attack with pistols, and upon the very first fire disabled three of our little band; yet we yielded not an inch, but, shoulder to shoulder, stood ready to die in defense of the vessel. The muskets and fowling piece were brought down to a level with the rail, sure death to the first two heads that appeared above it.

'Board the d-d Yankees, my boys, and cut their cowardly throats, and then for the plunder,' came from the commander of the boat, shewing by his correct use of the language that he was either an Englishman or American. ́

'Not so easily done,' said the green hand to me; 'darn the buggers, I'll spoil the bread-basket of some of them, I know.'

Determined however as we were, all our resistance would have been in vain, had not the steward interfered. Five of the pirates had at last gained a footing in the main chains, and the first two had almost as soon fallen back dead into the boat, from the unerring fire of our muskets. There was no time to reload, and in a moment the other three were over the rail and on deck, in close grapple with the captain and two of the men. A groan behind and in the chains, told me that the slaughter was going on, and the next moment the second mate fell dead in the lee-scuppers. For a minute or two it was the clash of steel, oaths, groans, when suddenly a loud splash was heard, and almost at the same moment those of the pirates who were in the boat were observed to shove off, with the most horrible imprecations. The steward it seemed had, at the beginning of the contest, filled the tubs with boiling water, and unobserved by the pirates, had dashed it full into their faces. Blinded and convulsed with pain, they could do nothing, and their only safety was in a retreat. Six who were left on deck soon fell, literally cut to pieces, not however without having slain two of our number. As the battle closed, a kind providence, as if in pity, sent a stiff land breeze, and in a few minutes we were moving rapidly along, secure, at least for the present, from further danger.

When the day dawned our foe was discovered about three miles astern, and as the land breeze was dying away, and consequently very light, he had two boats attached to the schooner, rowing ahead to quicken his speed. In consequence of this assistance the pirate gained rapidly upon us, and when the sun arose, only a quarter of a mile separated us. The shot were again flying fast, carrying away a large part of our mizen-topmast, and splintering the main-yard-arm. Our sails were completely riddled, yet fortunately no one was injured. Preparations were again made for boarding, and two boats were this time sent, both filled with men. On they came, with their pikes and cutlasses gleaming in the morning sun. It was now a dead calm, and there we lay with no means of defense compared with that of our enemy, unable to move a single inch, and a bloody set of men within a quarter of a mile, maddened by their former ill success, rowing up prepared to wreak upon us their vengeance by every imaginable torture. The fifteen minutes which elapsed after the boats left the schooner were to us a period of the most intense agony. We knew that we must die, and that too by inches, unless that overruling Power, "without whose notice not even a sparrow falls to the ground," should interfere for our rescue. The parting hand was taken by all, no distinctions now existing between the officers and crew. A letter, previously prepared by the captain, stating our situation, was placed in a bottle, which, with its mouth securely sealed, was committed to the ocean, to tell our fate to those