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Excerpt:-"The twelve men we rescued the other night," began the steward, "turn out to be a gang of pirates" — he sank his voice at the word "pirates" and glanced uneasily around and up at the skylight. "They ain't no shipwrecked men at all. They've waylaid us off some vessel that's been a watching of us. That's what I say."
"But what's happened?" I asked.
"Why, in the middle watch they got hold of the arms-chest, and armed themselves to the teeth with pistols and cutlashes, clapped the hatches over those who were under deck, forced the watch on deck into the forecastle, along with the boatswain and carpenter; then a gang of them lays aft, and forces the Captain, who was on deck, and Mr. Gordon, who had charge, into the bo'snn's berth. This done, three of them seeks me and the second mate, and drives us with levelled pistols right forrards, where they thrusts us into the berth along with the Captain and mate. There's a fellow bristling with arms stationed at the forescuttle; there's another a-bristling just the same at the door where the Captain and t'others lies locked up, and a third's up there," said he, pointing to the companion, "and he threatens to blow the blistered brains out of the bloody head of the first person who attempts to look out."