A shell rubbed against the side of the Jackdaw and fell into the water, splashing a stream of water, but unfortunately it did not cause any substantial damage to the target.
The gunner on the Miranda patted the bow gun angrily. This was his fifth consecutive miss, which had never happened before. On the contrary, the Jackdaw in front not only avoided all shells, and hit the Miranda once with the ship's stern gun.
Ford could feel that the opponent in front of him became more difficult than when he met before, as slippery as a loach.
Should it be said that it really deserves to be the famous big pirate group in Nassau? Sure enough, they both have two brushes, even under such circumstances, they are still so tenacious.
However, some things cannot be resolved with courage, such as the ever-shrinking distance between the Jackdaw and the Miranda.
When the Miranda really catches up and sticks to the Jackdaw, it's time for the broadsides to start firing.
At that time, the Jackdaw will have nowhere to escape.
Therefore, Ford didn't show too much anxiety when the bow guns missed the chance to hit the opponent one after another.
At this time, the spirits of other people on the boat gradually relaxed. Coral Island and Parrot Island are different. They are small in size and do not have a natural harbor like Parrot Island. The deputy has also been able to confirm that there are indeed no ambushes nearby.
From this point of view, the opponent should have been driven to a dead end by them, so he had to choose to take the risk of sailing into the reef area to fight for his life.
But as Ford said, as long as their sides bite each other hard and don't try other routes, there will be no danger.
There are many old seamen on the Miranda, and they have experienced many battles with pirates before. Among them are some insidious and cunning guys. The pirate hunters who can continue to win and become famous in this sea area are not ordinary people. He also has a keen sense of danger.
So far, they have not noticed any abnormalities, and victory has never been so close to them like this moment.
Ford was still immersed in the joy of being about to take down the Jackdaw, but he didn't expect that there was a sudden shock under his feet, and many people on the ship who were not standing still fell to the ground one after another.
Ford's expression changed, "What's going on?"
"Captain, I'm afraid we've hit the rocks." The first mate said anxiously.
"Nonsense, of course I know we've hit the rocks. You don't need to tell me this kind of thing. I'm asking how is this possible?" Ford was startled and angry, no longer the demeanor of the past, and growled angrily.
He pointed to the Jackdaw not far away, "They sailed past here just before, why are they fine?!"
"This..." The first officer was also at a loss when he heard this.
While the two were talking, seawater had already started pouring into the cabin, and the big hole pierced by the reef couldn't be plugged at all. Soon the Miranda's hull began to tilt, and it didn't stop until it reached an angle of thirty degrees.
However, before the people on board could breathe a sigh of relief, the roar of artillery came from their ears again. The gunners left by Zhang Heng on the island were impatient. The grounding of the Miranda was the signal for them to launch a general attack.
Ford's luck today was indeed not very good. In the first round of attack, at least one-third of the shells hit the target accurately.
The first mate shouted under the artillery fire, wanting to summon the gunners to organize a counterattack. However, given the current angle of the Miranda's hull, the muzzle of the artillery could only reach the beach at most, and could not attack the enemies hiding in the woods at all.
At this time, Ford was also loudly ordering the sailors on the ship to adjust the sails, hoping to get out of the stranded state, but to no avail. His eyes widened, and the veins on his neck bulged, but no matter how hoarse he roared, he couldn't stop Miranda. The fate of annihilation.
Until the first mate hugged his body and cried in his ear, "Captain, it's too bad, just abandon the ship."
Ford was still unwilling to accept what was happening in front of him. He couldn't understand why the Miranda was winning just a few minutes ago, but in the blink of an eye, the situation changed drastically. The two sides fought for the second time, and the Jackdaw At an absolute disadvantage, the result was even more unbelievable than the first time.
If it was said that the opponent escaped out of caution in the first battle, then this battle is enough to be called a shame.
They couldn't even get the stern decoration of the Jackdaw off, and the Miranda was about to sink completely.
Why can the Jackdaw in front pass the reef unharmed? Where did the artillery fire on the shore come from? Who is it that cooperates with the Jackdaw to ambush them? None of these questions could be answered by Ford.
His defeat in this battle was inexplicable, and there were frightened and frustrated faces everywhere he looked. The sailors couldn't stand such a one-sided beating anymore, and jumped into the sea.
Ford couldn't remember how he was dragged off the boat by the first officer and dragged all the way to the beach. When he came back to his senses, he saw muskets pointed at them.
The survivors on the Miranda huddled together on the beach, as if they wanted to get some comfort from each other in this way. They lowered their heads, like a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, waiting for the judgment of fate .
When the battle was over, Zhang Heng also rowed a boat to Coral Island.
Billy went up to meet him at the first time, couldn't hide the joy in his eyes, and said from a long distance, "We won a big victory this time, except for a sailor who was slightly scratched when he gathered the captives, there were no casualties. , but the consumption of ammunition is relatively high. I asked those guys to control the strength of the attack, but it seems that they have been suffocated for the past two days. Fortunately, they stopped in time, and the ship was not completely sunk , I have sent people to the ship to count and collect supplies.”
"Very good." Zhang Heng glanced at Ford who was dejected at the side. He was not surprised by this result. When he took the bait from the Miranda and bit it tightly behind the Jackdaw, its fate was already doomed. This battle The process is not complicated, the difficulty is the previous arrangement.
After this war, the Jackdaw could also solve the imminent food and fresh water problems, but Zhang Heng did not expect that this time he would successfully capture the captain and first mate of the opponent.
In this way, he may be able to know the specific arrangements of the other commander's pursuit operation, how many ships the other party has sent, which direction they are going, and where to meet, etc., which can also provide the Jackdaw with a smooth return. More protection.
So Zhang Heng said to Billy, "Find me a quiet place, I want to interrogate them."
"learn."