His call fetched up Captain Wilcox, who ran aft and hailed, but got no
reply. And so she came on, until, sheering close up under the _Hand and
Glove's_ port quarter, she was able to heave a grapnel on board and
throw twenty well-armed Johnnies into the old brig. The Englishmen--
seven in all, and taken unprepared--were soon driven below and shut
down--four in the cabin, two in the steerage, and one in the forecastle,
this last being Abe Cummins. After a while the sentry over the hatchway
called for him to come up and show where the leading ropes were, which
he did at the point of a cutlass. And precious soon the Johnnies had
altered the brig's course and stood away for the coast of France, the
lugger keeping her company all night.
Early next morning the two vessels were close off Dieppe Harbour; and
there, when the tide suited, they were taken inside, and the prisoners
put ashore at nightfall and lodged for three days in a filthy round
tower, swarming with vermin. On April 1--Easter Sunday, I've heard it
was--they were told to get ready for marching, and handed over, making
twenty-five in all, with the crews of two other vessels, both brigs--the
_Lisbon Packet_, bound from London to Falmouth with a general cargo, and
the _Margaret_, letter of marque of London, bound from Zante, laden with
currants--to a lieutenant and a guard of foot soldiers. Not a man of
them knew where they were bound.
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