"You have led me a nice dance, in a vain attempt to redeem you from
bondage, Tom; but I am delighted to see you although I have not had the
credit of being your deliverer--very glad to see you, Tom; but come
along man, come down with me, and let me rig you, not quite a Stultze's
fit, you know, but a jury rig you shall have, as good as Dick Casket's
kit can furnish forth, for really you are in a miserable plight, man."
"Bad enough indeed. Mr Casket--many thanks though--bad enough, as you
say; but I would that your boats crew were in so good a plight."
Mr Gasket looked earnestly at me--"Why, I have my own misgivings,
Cringle; this morning at day--break, the Firebrand in company, we fell
in with an armed felucca. It was dead calm, and she was out of gun shot,
close in with the land. The Firebrand immediately sent the cutter on
board full armed, with instructions to me to man the launch, and arm
her with the boat--gun, and then to send both boats to overhaul the
felucca. I did so, standing in as quickly as the light air would take
me, to support them; the felucca all this while sweeping in shore as
fast as she could pull. But the boats were too nimble for her, and our
launch had already saluted her twice from the six pounder in the bow,
when the sea--breeze came thundering down in a white squall, that reefed
our gaff--topsail in a trice, and blew away a whole lot of light sails,
like so many paper--kites.
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