Page:Intrepid & daring adventures of sixteen British seamen.pdf/9

9 guns, and lying, as the vessel did, within musket shot of a strong battery, she had received on board, in addition to a numerous crew, upwards of 250 Spanish soldiers, for the especial purpose of protecting her from any piratical or prcdal attack. These were difficulties which, to the ordinary run of mortals, would have been considered as absolutely insurmountable; but, by the handful of famishing tars, they were viewed in no such light. The crew of the Minerva did not enter into their calculation at all; for once on board, with cutlass in hand, they would speedily be overcome; and thcthe [sic] fort, though strong enough to blow thcmthem [sic] out of the water in five minutcsminutes [sic], would not surclysurely [sic] (so they reasoned among themsclvesthemselves [sic]) be so regardless of Spanish lifclife [sic] and Spanish property, as to sink the Minerva in order to destroy a few impcrtinentimpertinent [sic] maurauders already on board of her. The formidable guard of soldiers, could not, however, be so conveniently disposed of. To attempt a fair stand-up-fight with a force numerically so far superior, would be to court certain destruction. It thereforctherefore [sic] appearcdappeared [sic] to them that the only means by which the difficulty might, by possibility, be obviated, was to board the vessel by surpriscsurprise [sic] at midnight, and to secure her hatches—a plan sufficiently simplcsimple [sic] in itself, and effectual too, provided it could bcbe [sic] promptly accomplished. A council of war, consisting of all hands, having been held, the scheme underwent solemn, but by no means deliberate discussion, and was pronounced quite practicable! This point finally settlcdsettled [sic] to every one’s entire satisfaction, and cveningevening [sic] coming on, they stole