Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 4 October 1848Various
General
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 4 October 1848
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
"Fire," cried Lieut. Morris. In a moment he was obeyed. Wild cries of
agony arose amid the gathering smoke, which, as it rolled away,
revealed a horrible sight. Not a living pirate stood upon the deck of
the privateer. A dense mass of bodies, writhing in pain, lay upon the
fore-deck, and many of the pirates who had jumped into the sea were
seen scrambling up the sides of their own vessel; the pirate chief
lay dead at the head of his followers, foremost in death, as he had
been in life. It was a terrible and revolting scene--the scuppers
literally ran with blood, the bulwarks were bespattered with brains
and pieces of scalps; several limbs were strewn about, and the entire
deck covered with the dead or dying.
While the crew of the Raker stood for a time awe-struck at the
desolation they had themselves made, the pirates, ferocious to the
last, had regained their own ship and cut her adrift, and as they paid
off fired a broadside into the Raker, which injured several of her
men. Roused by this, the privateersmen rushed to their guns. The
larboard guns, in obedience to the order of Captain Greene, were
already loaded with grape; while with the starboard Morris commanded
his men to keep up a steady fire at the masts and rigging.
A fortunate shot from the Raker struck the helms-man on board the
pirate, shattering at the same time the tiller. In a moment the brig
was up in the wind, and taken aback, throwing the pirates into
confusion.
"Ready about," cried Morris, leaping from the carronade-slide on which
he had raised himself, and taking in at a glance the exposed position
of the enemy--"head her round, and stand ready to give the rascals a
taste from our larboard quarter."
The Raker ranged across the bows of the pirate, and before he could
regain his headway, raked him with a tremendous broadside of the same
deadly missiles which had already destroyed so many of their comrades.
The wild cries of anguish which arose from the clouds of smoke told
with what destructive effect the death-bolts had been hurled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account