The hose from the
steam pump of the ship had been drawn on board, and the master was in
charge of it. At the command of the officers the men leaped below at all
the openings in the deck, and it was found that she had been fired in
half a dozen places.
In most of them the combustibles had only been lighted a few moments
before, and they had not become well-kindled. Except at the main hatch,
the men extinguished the flames with their hands and feet, and a stream
from the hose put out the one amidships. The hoseman shut off the water,
and the ship's company of the St. Regis were in full possession of the
prize.
"Anything more to be done, Captain Bristler?" asked the mate, as he
approached the commander.
"Nothing more can be done, Mr. Victor," replied the captain, who
appeared to be overwhelmed with wrath at the unexpected termination of
his voyage. "It is too late to scuttle her, and that vampire of a Yankee
has smashed both of our boats into kindling wood. We did not begin the
end soon enough."
But the beginning had evidently ended sooner than had been expected, and
the Raven was the prize of the St. Regis. Christy still stood on the
rail, and saw that all his orders had been executed to the letter. Mr.
Makepeace had sent the carpenter and his gang into the hold, or as far
as they could get, to ascertain if the steamer had been scuttled.
Pages:
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253