As for myself, there I sat,
lashed to a spar, utterly unable to help myself, an unwilling witness
of all that followed. I felt the imminent danger of our situation, but
I think I felt the disgrace of having such a surprise occur in my
watch, more even than the personal risks I ran!
In the first place, I was disarmed. Then, the Dipper took a lantern
which stood on the binnacle, lighted it, and showed it, for half a
minute, above the taffrail. His signal must have been instantly
answered, for he soon extinguished the light, and moved about the
deck, in attentive watchfulness to seize any straggler, who might
happen to come on deck. Little fear of that, however, weariness
chaining the men to their berths as closely as if they had been bolted
down with iron. I now expected to see the fellows fill the yawl with
effects, and run away with them, for, as yet, I could not believe that
two men would have the hardihood to attack such a ship's company as
ours.
I reckoned without my host. It might have been ten minutes after I was
seized, that dark-looking figures began to climb the ship's sides,
until more than thirty of them were on her decks. This was done so
noiselessly, too, that the most vigilant attention on my part gave no
notice of their approach, until they stood among us.
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