Your ships sail away, but each hour, as you record the progress in your captain's log, the sails of the pursuing ship grow larger and larger on the horizon. By the end of the next watch your lookout reports that the ship is close enough to identify.
You rush from your cabin out onto the deck. Raising your spyglass to your eye you can see the skull and crossbones flying from the top of the main mast. Just below it are the colours of the pirate, Colonel Jim Tilghman, your arch enemy.
Most seamen knew him as Beheader because of what was rumoured to be the fate of those captives who refused to join his pirate band. Needless to say, his company of brigands grew larger after every successful attack. As you retire for the evening, you realize that by dawn the ship will be close enough to fire upon. "We'll just see who beheads whom in the morning," you think as you fall into an uneasy sleep.
Dawn comes early but you are already up shouting orders to your wide-eyed crew. They know of Beheader's reputation and are anxious to avoid becoming his next victims.
"Load cannons and await my order to fire!" you yell to your crew. The wind is rising and keeping the boat steady for a good broadside will be difficult.
Suddenly
you give the command, "FIRE!". A mighty roar comes from the starboard
side of your ship as two hundred pounds of red hot metal scream
toward the pirate ship. But your broadside does not go unchallenged.
Nearly as soon as you fire, you hear the reports of the cannon on The Peril, Tilghman's ship, returning fire. Neither ship has inflicted much damage on the other, but they continue to come closer, close enough, in fact to board.
You turn to your first mate, Andrew, and give the command. . .
"Bring her about, Andrew, we're going to make a run for open sea!"
"Bring her about, Andrew, we're going to give The Peril more of our cannon balls for cargo!"