her sails as they could carry were set
on them.

By this time the stranger had approached too near to escape the notice
of any one on deck. Of course her character was suspected.

"You see her," cried Owen. "Now, my lads, I hope you will stick by me;
and if she proves to be an enemy, of which I have no doubt, we will try
and beat her off."

Several of the crew answered with a hearty "Ay, ay, sir!" but others
were silent; among them were the men who had lately come on board in
Kingston harbour.

The wind was light, and the _Ouzel Galley_ made but little way through
the water. The stranger was now seen to be a ship of her own size, if
not larger. Owen ordered the colours to be hoisted, but none were shown
in return by the stranger. Again and again he took a glance at her
through his telescope, and at last he called his first mate.

"Have you ever seen that ship before?" he asked.

"I have been thinking that I have, sir, and, if I mistake not, she is
the very craft which so nearly captured us on our passage out."

"I am afraid so," said Owen. "The more reason we should try to beat her
off; and, please Heaven, we will do so."

"I will stand by you, sir; and so, I hope, will most of the men,"
answered the mate; "but I don't like the looks of some of the new hands,
and least of all of that man Routh."

As he spoke, he caught sight of Routh ascending to the mast-head, from
which he was seen to wave a flag, supposing, apparently, that he was not
perceived from the deck.

"We must seize that fellow," cried Owen. "He did not make that signal
without a cause."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered the mate. "I will soon learn his object;" and,
calling Dan Connor and Pompey, he went forward to secure Routh as he
descended on deck.

Just then Owen observed a smaller flag hoisted at the mast-head of the
stranger; then Routh, instead of at once coming on deck, ran out to the
end of the fore-yardarm, from whence he dropped something into the
water, apparently the very flag he had just waved. He then deliberately
returned to the foretop, and after stopping there for some seconds, and
looking at the stranger, he slowly descended the fore-rigging. As he
did so, he caught sight of the mate, with Dan and Pompey, waiting for
him, when, suspecting their object, he sprang up again, and shouted to
several men who were standing forward. They were those of whom the mate
had just before spoken as likely to become traitors. With threa