"Say?" moaned Sir Benjamin. "I say if fight we must, with a wannion,—fight we will, ay, and with a will, the closer the better! For I'd liefer die person of affluence aboardship than perish a pauper ashore."
"And pray," enquired John Fenn, his eyes bright and eager, "how near shall you let 'em come afore we fire, Captain Adam?"
"About pistol-shot, John. I shall take care to keep them bows on, then, before they can bear up to give us their broadside, we shall rake 'em fore and aft with ours."
"Why then," quoth John, rising as he spoke, "at such close range our weight o' shot should do their business very surely."
Their method of battle thus agreed, forth they went on deck to watch the approach of this ship that Adam was hoping might indeed prove to be the Joyous Lark.
"She comes apace!" said Sir George.
"Ay, and with freshening wind!" nodded John. "A sweet fighting wind if this lubberly, old Santa of ours was a bit livelier; she goes surprising heavy! I knew she was not speedy, but——"
"Speedy?" exclaimed Sir Benjamin, stamping and snorting with impatience as he rolled fiery eye up at their great spread of straining canvas. "She's speedy as a snail! Why, dog-bite me—she crawls! Ha, smite me blind and speechless but she creeps like a slug, a very louse!"
"Indeed," said Adam, his steady gaze to windward. "She is perhaps something slow, but——"
"Slow?" groaned Sir Benjamin. "She's a worm! 'Tis pestilent lousy ship shall be our destruction yet or I'm a dog! See how yon devil's craft gains on us, she grows with every minute."
"Ay, Ben, she sails three feet to our one," said Adam, glass at eye. "She'll be at us with her fore-chase very soon."
"And we to make no reply, Captain?"
"Not a gun, John, till I give word. And ... ah yes," said Adam, steadying his glass, "it is as I expected ... she is—— But look for yourself and tell me," and he gave the glass to John who, after some focusing, answered cheerily:
"Ay, she's the Lark sure enough! And a powerful ship, sir."
"Yes, she's sufficiently formidable, forty guns or thereabouts, eh, John?"
"And fairish heavy pieces, sir. Now if she has chance to luff and bring her broadside to bear——"
"She never shall, John, trust me for this."
The Joyous Lark was now so near they could see her plainly for a fine, stout ship heavily sparred and armed, though not so high built as the towering Santissima Trinidad. Now as they watched her coming against them in her prideful might, Adam drew the long rapier he wore and with its glittering point gestured where from her lofty mainmast broke and fluttered a great flag that showed a black skeleton on yellow ground, this blazon of merciless piracy that was lately become the plague and terror of these seas.
"See now yonder!" said he. "She flaunts her defiance and black shame, 'tis flag of infamy,—and this one, at least, God aiding, shall affront His seas no longer. And now, sirs, I suggest you go muster your men to their stations,—nay, first bid Martin pipe the crew aft for word from me."
So presently Adam, coming to the quarterdeck rail, looked down where the men were ranked, men who scowled, muttered, stared in wonder or grinned to see him in this splendour of Spanish armour. Suddenly he lifted sword as if in salute, and with blade thus upraised and glance that swept each watching face, waited until all muttering ceased and, in that moment, spoke them loud and clear:
"Ye that were slaves are now men, and being men are all children o' the Lord that, being our merciful Father is also the God of Battles to strengthen us for victory ever and always so long as our cause be just. Well now, yonder against us come sons o' the Devil, joying in iniquity, to be our death. So to-day we fight for our lives 'gainst wickedness and cruelty, and therefore to the glory of the Lord. And so, my Dreadnoughts all, taking God with us into the fight, we cannot fail, let come what may. Remember this and fight your hardest, doing your duty like men. And now to your posts!"
And thus it was that Adam began to fight the first of his many battles, though he gives very brief account of it in his Journal, and indeed it seems to have been a short but decisive action; and what he writes of himself is this:
About three o'clock the Joyous Lark began firing at us with their fore-chase and no man aboard the galleon more inly perturbed than myself, insomuch that my knees shook as I mounted the poop ladder while my poor body shivered within my splendour of steel, like the craven that I truly am, and yet conceal for very shame. For being of singular cautious nature, with a mind quick to apprehend and overly imagine dangers, I see these perils all so greatly magnified I should never dare them but for my so great and constant desire to be worthy my father that lived and died unfearing. And so thus in this first hour of battle, foreseeing what horrors might be, I felt myself all aquake with a nauseous swimming in my bowels, so great was my dread. But bethinking me how the fate of this great ship and all on board lay in my care, I nerved myself for what was to do, crying within me on the Lord (yet again) for strength and wisdom thereto.
So with this prayer in his heart, up to the poop went Adam and there, his armour flashing back the sun and scarlet plume dancing in the breeze, paraded in solitary state like a proud noble of mighty Spain. And for such indeed it seemed these pirates mistook him, for at sight of his splendid, lonely figure, they raised a shout inarticulate as yet, though fiercely derisive, and opened a brisk fire with their two fore-chase guns.
It was as Ned came up the steep poop ladder that a shot struck the bulwark hard by, filling the air with splinters and Adam was hurled to the deck, whereat rose a howl of jubilation from the Joyous Lark; but as Ned ran to lift him, Adam scrambled to his feet and laughed.
"Eh, you're not hurt, sir?"
"Nay ... this armour ... saved me!" Adam gasped. "But they're marring our paint and finery sadly."
"Ay, sir, but no more, for yon ball h'an't so much as pierced our timbers! She's stout built is our Santy." Even as he spoke, another shot whizzed through the bonaventure sail above them, followed a little later by yet another, and so near that Adam flinched in spite of himself while Ned ducked, saying:
"'Tis getting pretty hot yereabouts, sir!"
"It is!" nodded Adam.
"Why then, sir, seeing as how, don't ee think 'twould be as well to take cover in lee o' the mizzen, say, or lay low out o' sight?"
"Ay, I do indeed, so down with thee, Ned."
"Why then, you first, sir."
"No, no! I wear this armour to show like a Spanish grandee, Ned, and who ever heard o' proud Don so far forgetting his dignity as to crouch to mere cannon ball? So, down with thee, ha take cover, man, this is an order!" So while Ned squatted obediently in shelter of the high bulwark, Adam paced to and fro, glancing, now at the decks below, where men lay so very still and watchful, grasping cocked muskets and waiting his command, and now at their threatening foe astern whence now, with their great shot, came musket balls to whine and hiss about him.