Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1830 edition. Excerpt: ...as all the rest of his brother officers in the Marine, not to open his fire on any of these vessels until he had been first fired on himself, the ship was hardly prepared for battle, and the colours were not even hoisted to apprise them to what nation she belonged. The dows approached, threw their long overhanging prows across the Sylph's beam, and, pouring in a shower of stones on her deck, beat down and wounded almost every one who stood on it. They then boarded, and made the ship an easy prize, before more than a single shot had been fired, and, in their usual way, put every one whom they found alive to the sword. Lieut. Graham fell, covered with wounds, down the fore hatchway of his own vessel, where he was dragged by some of the crew into a store-room, in which they had secreted themselves, and barricadoed the door with a crowbar from within; while a Persian passenger, Mahomed Hussein Khan, who was attached to the Mission as a secretary, had crawled into one of the cabin lockers abaft, with the same view. The cruiser was thus completely in the possession of the enemy, who made sail on her, and were bearing her off in triumph to their own port, in company with their boats. Not many hours had elapsed, however, before the Nereid frigate, Captain Corbett, the Commodore of the squadron from which the Sylph had separated, hove in sight, and perceiving this vessel in company with the dows, without any apparent resistance, judged her to be a prize in possession of the pirates. She accordingly gave them all chase, and coming up with the brig, the Arabs took to their boats and abandoned her, when she was taken possession of by the frigate, and secured. The chase was continued after the dows themselves, but without success, owing to the...