"Ingraham, Joseph Holt - Rafael-The Twice Condemned" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ingraham Joseph Holt)

I will make him a present of my next twelve month's pay. But I fear that as soon
as he discovers that there is one of brother Jonathan's bull dogs in the harbor
and we are in motion he will cut and run. It is strange we did not discover him.
But the rascal kept purposely astern, and the ship I have now no doubt, yawed as
she did to give us a chance of looking at her enemy and coming to help her.'
We were now underweigh, having slipped the cable and floated it by a buoy so
that we should know where to find it again when we returned to port. The moment
we had any headway on the vessel, a gun was fired forward in answer to the
signals. The wind was blowing from the south a little westerly, and about a six
knot breeze; but by laying our course strait out of the harbor on a bowline, we
could fetch the ship without tacking. The ship kept firing at intervals of a
minute, her signals of distress, that produced by their solemn and irregular
sound associations in my mind similar to those created by the knoll of the
funeral bell. The ship seemed to me to be an animated creature, and the signal
cannon, her voice, appealing to man for succor. Her motions, her irregular
progress, were like life, and like living actions under the influence of terror.
I felt a sympathy for her as I should have done for a human being. The black
schooner too, crouching low upon the waves seemed to be a living animalЧsome
subtle beast of prey hunting its victim. And to any one witnessing such a scene
as thisЧwitnessing the helpless efforts of the one to escape and the sullen
advances of the other to make captive; these as sociations would irreverently
press upon the mind.
The war-schooner upon whose deck we stood, was now gliding swiftly towards the
scene of peril. She carried eight eighteens besides a heavy forty two pounder
upon the forecastle. The decks were cleared for action as soon as we had got
sail on her; ports thrown open; the tompions removed from the muzzles;
cartridges passed up from the magazine; balls, cannister, and grape, piled near
each gun upon deck; and forward, the huge globes of iron, which were to fill the
cavernous jaws of the forty-two, were placed in sockets by the brush.
In the meanwhile the ship was crowding on all sail, and was four miles only out;
and she was now making better speed, inasmuch, as soon as she heard our
answering gun, she had taken in her studdensails, which had been retarding her
progress instead of helping her flight.
The schooner, was however close upon her and had began to fire at her at
intervals, no doubt resolved to do her an injury if she could not capture her.
`That fellow has kept from firing upon her before, lest he should wake us up:'
said the lieutenant who was pacing up and down the quarter deck in fine spirits;
`but now that she has been firing powder for help, he has thought it folly to
keep silence. That he wont keep the course he is steering now long after he
discovers to his satisfaction who we are, you may be assured. There goes the
ship's mizzen royal carried away by a shot. The fellow is a good gunner; but let
me bring the Dolphin within half a mile of him, and I will show him how to play
at billiards and pocket the ball! Ah, see that!'
The schooner after firing the last mischievous gun suddenly luffed up into the
wind, close-hauled every sheet, showed a green flag and stood seaward under a
press of sail.
`Was I not right!' cried my friend, the commander, rubbing his hands with great
glee, his fine dark eyes, sparkling like stars, and his face glowing with hope
and confidence.
`He is running away, sir,' said the middy, with a look of chagrin, `and I am