Two or three of the rockets were brought on deck, and the Warwick's mate, Mr. Townley, directed how the firing-tube should be placed. I should explain that these rockets were fired from tubes to which they were specially fitted, and by which they were directed on their course.
A CONGREVE ROCKET AMONG ALGERINE PIRATES.--ARRIVAL AT GIBRALTAR.--ARRESTED AND IN PRISON.
Two or three minutes elapsed after the order was given, and as all on board the Washington had heard it, we were anxiously awaiting the result. Suddenly there was a loud hissing and a swish through the air, and we saw something which left a trail of smoke behind it taking a curving course from the Warwick to the Algerine vessel. It was well aimed, as it went aboard the Algerine just over her stern and seemed to rake her from one end to the other.
Exactly what those Algerines thought I don't know, and even if I did know I wouldn't understand it, as I've no knowledge of their language. We couldn't see that anybody was hurt by the rocket, but everybody on board that craft must have been badly scared. They yelled and ran hither and yon, and about twenty of them jumped overboard, thinking perhaps that if they got drowned in the ocean they might be saved from death by the terrible missile which had just been thrown upon them.
While they were in a very lively state of excitement another rocket went on board, and this added to the confusion which was certainly bad enough before. Captain Dawson signaled to Mr. Johnson to stop firing, and no more rockets were thrown.
From a remark that the captain made afterwards I think he was sorry he didn't follow up his advantage and completely destroy the Algerine corsair. He might have done so, possibly, but on the other hand he would have received considerable damage from his adversary. My belief is that he did just right in sailing away and holding his course for Gibraltar, closely followed by the Warwick.
We had no further trouble after meeting this fellow, though we saw two or three of his kindred at a distance before we reached the straits. We learned afterwards that a good many of them were out cruising on the Atlantic in search of prizes, but they were scattered considerably in order to cover as much ground as possible. We went through the straits at a lucky moment it turned out, as there were nearly always two or three of the corsairs hanging about that region, and rarely going more than twenty or thirty miles away from the entrance to the Mediterranean.