Page:Wonderful adventures of sixteen British seamen.pdf/11

 "quis work," and mounting the swinging-boom, was instantly on board. He was speedily followed by several of his shipmates, who, without uttering a word, commenced an almost unresisted attack on the astonished Spaniards. Meanwhile the drugger had been swung round by the swell, till she came right alongside of the Minerva, and tho remainder of the assailants easily scrambled on deck. The conflict was bloody, but of brief duration, for so instantaneous had been thothe [sic] assault, and panic struck as the Spaniards were by its temerity, they made little or no resistance; and their unexpeetedunexpected [sic] visitors experienced little difficulty in driving those who had escaped with life down the hatehwayhatchway [sic]. The only man amongst them, indeed, who defended himself with true eouragecourage [sic], was the Minerva's boatswain. This brave fellow, who eneounteredencountered [sic] MaekayMackay [sic], placed his back against the bulwarks, and defended himself nobly, but having refused to ask for quarter, his antagonist was reluctantly compelled to eutcut [sic] him down.

The hatches were now secured upon the multitude below, the captivoscaptives [sic] of the sixteen dare-devils above; and the elosingclosing [sic] of the hateheshatches [sic] was aceompaniedaccompanied [sic] by an information, that the slightest attempt to alarm the fort or to reeapturerecapture [sic] the ship, would be followed by an immediate discharge of grape-shot through the deeksdecks [sic].

Here, then, was thothe [sic] Minerva, and her guards and crew, fairly in thothe [sic] hands of our heroes, but they had yet much to do before being absolutely seeuresecure [sic] of their prize. On looking around them, they diseovereddiscovered [sic] that not only were her topmasts struck, but that all her sails were unbent, and her foreyard lying across the forecastle--horher [sic] deekdeck [sic] being, at the same time, "lumbered up" with goods