arms. Mr Tarwig and the master taking
charge of them, as soon as all were ready they shoved off, and pulled as
fast as the men could lay their backs to the oars towards the stranger.
As they got from under the shelter of some of the higher reefs, which
had at first concealed them, they must have been seen from her deck, as
the British ensign was run up at her peak.

"Hurrah! after all, she must have beaten off the pirate!" exclaimed
Gerald.

"I am not quite so sure of that," answered Mr Foley. "If she is a
prize to the pirates, they would hoist the flag to deceive us, and as
they see only three boats, they may hope to beat us off. Don't let us
be quite sure that yonder vessel is not in the hands of the pirates," he
shouted out to Mr Tarwig, whose boat was astern of the pinnace.

"I agree with you," was the answer. "We will be on our guard."

The first lieutenant, as the senior officer, now took the lead, and the
other two boats followed a little more than an oar's length apart. Mr
Tarwig's boat carried an ensign, and as he approached the stranger he
unshipped the flagstaff and waved it so that it might clearly be seen.
The boats had now got within hail of the merchant vessel. The British
colours were still hoisted at her peak.

"Who are you?" shouted a man who just then appeared on the poop of the
merchant vessel. "Keep off, or we shall fire at you."

"We are British--the officers and men lately belonging to his Majesty's
sloop of war _Champion_," answered Mr Foley. "If you are English we
are your friends, and we intend to come on board."

"You may be, or you may be buccaneering rascals, and we don't intend to
trust you; so stand off, or we shall fire and sink all your boats,"
shouted the man who had before spoken.

"I repeat that we are British, and you fire at your own risk," answered
Mr Tarwig.

"There is no doubt that the pirates have possession of the vessel,"
observed Mr Foley to Gerald.

The first lieutenant seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion.
"Pull ahead, lads!" he cried out; and the men again gave way, the
pinnace dashing up on the quarter, and the other two boats on either
side.

As they approached the stranger opened her broadsides, and firelocks and
swivels were discharged at them; but they were already so close that the
shot flew over their heads, and the next instant the British seamen were
scrambling up the sides of the stranger, in spite of the opposition
offered them fro