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Book of Pirates-Part16_Howard Pyle(1853-1911)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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been daylight, they must at this juncture all have perished,



though, as was said, what with the night and the confusion and

the hurry, they escaped entire destruction, though more by a



miracle than through any policy upon their own part.

Meantime the galley, steering as though to come aboard of them,



had now come so near that it, too, presently began to open its

musketry fire upon them, so that the humming and rattling of



bullets were presently added to the din of cannonading.

In two minutes more it would have been aboard of them, when in a



moment Captain Morgan roared out of a sudden to the man at the

helm to put it hard a starboard. In response the man ran the



wheel over with the utmost quickness, and the galleon, obeying

her helm very readily, came around upon a course which, if



continued, would certainly bring them into collision with their

enemy.



It is possible at first the Spaniards imagined the pirates

intended to escape past their stern, for they instantly began



backing oars to keep them from getting past, so that the water

was all of a foam about them, at the same time they did this they



poured in such a fire of musketry that it was a miracle that no

more execution was accomplished than happened.



As for our hero, methinks for the moment he forgot all about

everything else than as to whether or no his captain's maneuver



would succeed, for in the very first moment he divined, as by

some instinct, what Captain Morgan purposed doing.



At this moment, so particular in the execution of this nice

design, a bullet suddenly struck down the man at the wheel.



Hearing the sharp outcry, our Harry turned to see him fall

forward, and then to his hands and knees upon the deck, the blood



running in a black pool beneath him, while the wheel, escaping

from his hands, spun over until the spokes were all of a mist.



In a moment the ship would have fallen off before the wind had

not our hero, leaping to the wheel (even as Captain Morgan



shouted an order for some one to do so), seized the flying

spokes, whirling them back again, and so bringing the bow of the



galleon up to its former course.

In the first moment of this effort he had reckoned of nothing but



of carrying out his captain's designs. He neither thought of

cannon balls nor of bullets. But now that his task was



accomplished, he came suddenly back to himself to find the

galleries of the galley aflame with musket shots, and to become



aware with a most horrible sinking of the spirits that all the

shots therefrom were intended for him. He cast his eyes about



him with despair, but no one came to ease him of his task, which,

having undertaken, he had too much spirit to resign from carrying



through to the end, though he was well aware that the very next

instant might mean his sudden and violent death. His ears hummed



and rang, and his brain swam as light as a feather. I know not

whether he breathed, but he shut his eyes tight as though that



might save him from the bullets that were raining about him.

At this moment the Spaniards must have discovered for the first



time the pirates' design, for of a sudden they ceased firing, and

began to shout out a multitude of orders, while the oars lashed



the water all about with a foam. But it was too late then for

them to escape, for within a couple of seconds the galleon struck



her enemy a blow so violent upon the larboard quarter as nearly

to hurl our Harry upon the deck, and then with a dreadful,



horrible crackling of wood, commingled with a yelling of men's

voices, the galley was swung around upon her side, and the



galleon, sailing into the open sea, left nothing of her immediate

enemy but a sinking wreck, and the water dotted all over with



bobbing heads and waving hands in the moonlight.

And now, indeed, that all danger was past and gone, there were



plenty to come running to help our hero at the wheel. As for

Captain Morgan, having come down upon the main deck, he fetches



the young helmsman a clap upon the back. "Well, Master Harry,"

says he, "and did I not tell you I would make a man of you?"



Whereat our poor Harry fell a-laughing, but with a sad catch in

his voice, for his hands trembled as with an ague, and were as



cold as ice. As for his emotions, God knows he was nearer crying

than laughing, if Captain Morgan had but known it.



Nevertheless, though undertaken under the spur of the moment, I

protest it was indeed a brave deed, and I cannot but wonder how



many young gentlemen of sixteen there are to-day who, upon a like

occasion, would act as well as our Harry.



V




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