Pennant to the men, who fell upon
Flanger the moment he lighted in the bottom of the cutter.
The prisoner was disposed to make further resistance, but two men fell
upon him and made him fast to one of the thwarts. The leader of the
party, as he appeared to be from the first, could do no further
mischief, and the lieutenant gave his attention to the others on board
of the sloop. The dignified gentleman, who was dressed in black clothes,
though they had suffered not a little from contact with grease and tar,
had seated himself in the standing room. He looked like a man of many
sorrows, and his expression indicated that he was suffering from some
cause not apparent.
There were nine men left in the standing room, including the gentleman
in black; they were coarse and rough-looking persons, and not one of
them appeared to be the social peer of him who had condemned the firing
upon the boat. The skipper remained at the tiller of the boat, and he
looked as though he might have negro blood in his veins, though he was
not black, and probably was an octoroon. He said nothing and did
nothing, and had not used a musket when the others fired. He behaved as
though he intended to be entirely neutral. A few drops of negro blood in
his veins was enough to condemn him to inferiority with the rude fellows
on board of the sloop, though his complexion was lighter than that of
any of his companions.
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