We now rapidly left the floundering and mazed man-of-war. But our men kept firing into the medley on her decks, plying the stern-chasers in furious haste; and, ever as he was able, the enemy did shoot at us with muskets and pistols, and once—his ship having slewed right round—gave us a thundering great broadside. But his gunners did much mistake, in that they hulled us (as the saying is), instead of aiming at our masts and tackling, whereby they might have crippled us, and, perhaps, brought us quite to a stand.

As it was, our ship took no great hurt, though the splinters flew, and six of her ports were battered in; yet many of our men were wounded after a dreadful manner, and one was killed outright. Whereupon such brutish and demoniac fury came upon the rest as transported them like very devils.

Our decks were bloody like a slaughter-house; and from the spar-deck the wounded men roared out very grievously as Surgeon Burke wrought upon them, so that their groans and shrieks did mingle with the horrid blasphemies.

Now, all this time my brother, the Captain, did frantically rage as hot as any man; yea, so far beside himself was he, that, when he found we drew out of gunshot and could no longer murder the King’s men, he was for going about and returning upon them. He had even given the order to bear up the helm; but hereupon, to my huge surprise, the Quartermaster did interpose. ’Twas no more than a look and a word, but it availed, and the order was immediately revoked.

We now lay right out of the bay; and, having set studding sails, stood off to sea, whilst the decks were cleared, the broken ports stopped, and the bolts and tackling overhauled. But I, being sick at heart, went and shut myself in the master’s cabin, which I found empty; and, a great weariness coming over me, I got me into a hammock, and presently slept.

I dreamed a fearful dream; and it seemed to me that one went before me through a gully in a terrible high cliff. And the gully became dark and darker as we went, and its sheer sides of dank rock towered higher yet; so that they were frightful to look on. Still they rose and rose, until their tops might no longer be discerned; and darkness fell, a darkness that seemed to wither my soul! Then he who went before me did turn himself about, and lo! ’twas Ouvery, the Quartermaster. His face gleamed ghastly white, but his eyes were blacker than the darkness. They seized on mine, and held them—for ever!

I woke gasping and shaking; and there were two eyes as black as jet fixed on mine! Ouvery, the Quartermaster, gazed across at me from the middle of the cabin, where he sat in close converse with my brother.

He got up from his chair; and, making a sign that I was awake, immediately went out. Hereupon my brother rose also, and stepped to my hammock.

“Well, my heart,” said he, “hast been a-voyaging to Tophet, or is’t the ghosts from the Haunted Island? Bless us! you screeched like a stuck pig.”

“Scoff away! Scoff away!” cried I. “’Twill be another tale to-morrow!”

“Ay!” said he, but I thought his countenance fallen, “pieces-of-eight, and golden bars, and jewels—jewels by the shipload—that’ll be the tale to-morrow!”

“And a hempen cord about your neck, and iron chains to hang in, and yokel faces a-gape at you!”

On that he flamed out in a fury, snapping his fingers, swearing and cursing. But I let him rave, answering nothing, and soon he fell quiet, and throwing himself into a chair, sat still, seeming to brood in his mind.