Chapter VI: A Pirate in Spite of Myself

'TWOULD have needed a strong-minded man with plenty of supporters to have defied Captain Cleat. Much as I longed to be able to refuse flatly to serve him, I felt that such a course was inadvisable--nay, 'twould be sheer madness. Moreover, I had such faith in my master's word that I was convinced that he would have his revenge should I contrive to break out of the pinnace.

Whatever happened I must submit--reluctantly all the same--and trust to Providence to deliver me from the meshes of the net that had been cast about me.

The nine desperate ruffians on board the pinnace lost no time in preparing to attack the first helpless ship that stood across their path, and hours were spent in practising the management of the little craft in action.

Two of the crew manned each of the sakers, and three worked the long culverin. Captain Cleat had charge of the helm, James was stationed for'ard, while my duty was to bring powder from the magazine.

To my surprise this magazine was not the place in the Captain's cabin where Jack had hidden himself, but in the midship hold, where the powder was stored in huge casks, one barrel only to be opened at a time as required. This being so, I thought, to what purpose was that quantity of loose powder kept under the floor of the after-cabin?

After practice with the cannon, the men were exercised with their arquebuses and long-bows, followed by drill with the cutlass, pike, and boarding-axe; and the whole of the forenoon passed so rapidly that I had little time to ponder over my distasteful position.

Meanwhile the breeze had held true, and the _Damsel of Lyme_ was well on her way down Channel. Late in the afternoon the cry of "Sail-ho!" brought the watch below tumbling up on deck.

The pinnace's course was altered to intercept the on-coming ship, while the Red Cross was hoisted to her peak.

"What d'ye make of her?" asked Captain Cleat of his minion James, as the pair of rascals stood upon the poop.

"Not too big for us to tackle," replied the mate. "A Hollander by the cut of her bows."

"We could do with a leavening of Dutchmen," continued the Captain reflectively. "Give 'em plenty of spirits and they'll fight for any one save a Don. Bid our men lie hidden, and lay us alongside."

Nearer and nearer came the strange craft, the water hissing sullenly from her bluff cutwater. Then just as James was about to lay the pinnace across her path, the lofty sides were lined by full twoscore men, whose breastplates and steel morions showed above the bulwarks, while from her hitherto unseen ports a tier of brass muzzles were thrust aggressively forward.

"Where are you coming to, you lubberly rascals?" roared a hoarse voice. "Heave-to and give a fair account of yourselves."

My heart bounded for joy, for caught redhanded, ere the rascally crew had time or opportunity to communicate with their friends ashore, it was more than possible that I might escape their clutches and their threatened revenge.

Motioning his armed crew to remain hidden, Captain Cleat came to the gangway.

"_Golden Cross_ ahoy!" he shouted. "I bear letters for the worthy Captain Amyas Thorrogood."

"This is not the _Golden Cross_," replied the officer on the Queen's ship for such she was; "who and what are you?"

"The _Mary_ of and from Weymouth," replied Captain Cleat. "Chartered by Sir John Granville to bear letters to Captain Thorrogood."

"Then make sure 'tis the _Golden Cross_ ere you stand across the bows of another Queen's ship. Get you on your way."

Laboriously the yards of the pinnace were swung round, and she stood off on her former course, the overjoyed rascals still lying hid till the cause of their alarm was well-nigh hull down.

"'Twas a near thing, Cap'n!" exclaimed James, with a mirthless laugh. "But for your ready wit----"

"Avast flattery," replied Captain Cleat shortly. "It served its purpose."

All that night and the following day passed without incident, but just as it was getting dusk, the granite cliffs of Land's End showing a league or so on our starboard quarter, another sail was reported.

This time 'twas a small sloop manned by four men and a boy. Unsuspectingly they allowed us to approach to within half a cable's length, but on Captain Cleat hailing to them to heave-to they took alarm, put their helm hard down, and attempted flight.

We immediately stood in pursuit, the wind being well on our beam, and now the _Damsel of Lyme_ showed her speed. Yet the chase was no bad sailer, and all but held her own.

James was for letting her have a dose from the culverin, but to this Captain Cleat objected, saying that the noise of the firing would bring some of the large armed fishing luggers out of Penzance to see what was amiss.

"Then we stand to lose her in the darkness," objected the mate.

"Peace, fool," replied the Captain, giving a swift glance shorewards. "Keep her as she is till I give the word, then see to it that you put the tiller hard over."

Onward tore the sloop in search of shelter or succour, while at her heels raced the _Damsel of Lyme_, with her ferocious crew ready to cast grapnels and board the moment 'twas possible to come within reach.

"Down helm!" roared Captain Cleat, having caught sight of a peculiar swirl in the water ahead of the two vessels.

Round swung the _Damsel of Lyme_, but ere the pursued could realise the meaning of this sudden change of course the sloop struck with terrific force upon a submerged rock. For a brief instant she pounded heavily, her mast going by the board with a crash, then gradually sank till she settled upon the reef.

Hastily the pinnace was hove-to, her longboat swung out by means of tackles from her yard-arms, and into it swarmed James and four of the men, all armed to the teeth.

Being but a short distance on, I could follow their movements with ease. Ignoring the entreaties of the master and crew of the sloop, the villains plundered all that was of value in the cabin. 'Twas but little, and this served to exasperate the pirates.

"Shall we finish the business?" shouted the mate, passing his forefinger lightly across his throat.

"Stave in their boat--'twill suffice," replied the Captain; and in an undertone he added, "'Tis not the first time that the Runnelstone has served me well--I pray 'twill never be otherwise."

Promptly the pirates carried out the Captain's orders. The only boat carried by the sloop--and a frail cockle-shell at that--was shattered across keel and garboards by a few heavy blows with an axe.

Already the waves were beginning to break asunder the planks on the weather side of the doomed sloop, and her utter destruction would be the matter of about half an hour. Mutely the crew watched with despairing eyes the double work of the sea and of the scum who infested it. They knew the significance of the mate's question, and, realising that 'twould be useless to beg for mercy, could only wait, trusting in some chance of fate whereby they might escape.

Their diabolical act having been accomplished, the pirates prepared to re-embark in the longboat that was moored bow and stern on the lee-side of the shattered sloop. As they did so Old Garge suddenly seized the boy, and, in spite of his cries of terror, bore him to the side and dropped him upon the boat's bottom boards.

I could see James grumblingly protest at this act of mercy, but the old seaman for once stuck to his point, and soon the longboat was alongside the pinnace as she tossed and pitched in the short steep seas. By dint of great exertion and no little risk the boat was hoisted in, and the work of retrimming the sail was proceeded with.

Ere the _Damsel of Lyme_ had covered half a league no traces of the wrecked sloop remained, the seas sweeping over the dreaded rock. One act of wanton cruelty had been committed, and the pirates were no better off, save to the extent of a few barrels of stale provisions, some trivial objects from the cabin, and a terror-stricken boy.

"The snivelling youngster may be the cause of our undoing," grumbled James. "'Twould be well to toss him overboard."

"He'll come in handy to help serve the guns, sir," remarked Garge. "Besides, he'll soon knuckle under."

"I'll warrant he will," replied Captain Cleat grimly, "or I shall have something to say in the matter. You, Roy, take this blubbering boy for'ard, and see to it that he mends his ways, and that quickly."

Ere long I succeeded in quieting the lad, who was not ten years of age, and gained his confidence sufficiently to hear his story. It was his first voyage, the sloop being the _Jane_ of and from Padstow, and bound for Ipswich.

Beyond that he could tell me little, having been down with sea-sickness during the voyage round Land's End. It was a matter of some trouble to understand all he said, for he spoke in a quaint Cornish dialect, many of the words being beyond my comprehension.

After a while I told him of the circumstances under which I had been bound 'prentice to this villainous Captain Cleat, and impressed upon him the necessity, for his own sake, of obeying the pirates' orders, since he might plead compulsion if good fortune delivered him from this accursed ship.

With that he brightened up, and began to tell me--as they say Cornishmen are fond of doing--all his family's history, bringing in names of people whom I never expect to meet. Yet I gleaned that the lad's name was Dick Buzza, his father being a fisherman of Padstow. The _Jane_ was not manned by any of the lad's relations, but every member of her crew was an acquaintance of the elder Buzza, so that the ruthless abandonment of the hapless men told heavily upon the sole survivor.

For the next month our cruise was full of incident. Hardly a day passed without some vessel or other being spoken. In some cases Captain Cleat thought fit to maintain the role of harmless trader; in others he did not hesitate to cripple the stranger with gun-fire, and complete the work by boarding and cutting down every member of the crew. Then, having plundered the prize, he would send her to the bottom.

Soon our booty became so large that the _Damsel of Lyme_, deeply laden, was compelled to put into an obscure port of Brittany, where unscrupulous persons were ever ready to purchase the ill-gotten cargo without troubling how or whence it came.

Even though I made up my mind to break away from these lawless ruffians at the first available opportunity, it seemed as if I was doomed to exist in a state of bondage, for while in port I was not allowed to set foot ashore. Even my actions while on deck were subjected to a strict watch. This, in a measure, was a kind of consolation, for had Captain Cleat had confidence in the effect of his threat he would not have been so jealous of my liberty while in port.

In any case I knew full well that my life was in peril on board the _Damsel of Lyme_--be it at the hands of the pirates or their antagonists. This thought prompted me to cast about to find some means of freeing myself from the toils of Captain Hannibal Cleat, but ere long my deliverance was effected in a very unsatisfactory manner.

It was, indeed, a case of out of the stock-pot into the fire. But of that anon.