high.

"Confound the fellow's impudence!" exclaimed Sir Reginald. "Does the
rascal think that he is going to make a prize of _us_? A fine rich
prize we should make, too, did he but know it!"

"It is not that," explained Mildmay. "It is the white ensign that he
doesn't like the look of. He probably takes us for some new-fangled
sort of British gun-boat, bent upon interfering with his little game;
and he wants to disable us. He is one of those pestilently persistent
fellows who won't take a hint and sheer off; he is as full of obstinacy
as was the mammoth that chased me over yonder,"--with a jerk of his
thumb toward the north--"on our first trip, and must be treated as we
treated that mammoth. For if we don't kill him, he will kill us--if he
can. You see? Here comes another shot!"

It was a very close shave that time, the missile passing so close
athwart the front of the pilot-house that its wind actually came, in a
sudden, violent gust, in through the pilot-house window.

"We must put a stop to this at once, or the fellow will do us a
mischief," exclaimed Mildmay. "Kindly take the helm for a moment, Sir
Reginald, if you please."

Sir Reginald at once stepped to the tiller and laid his hand on it.
"Where am I to steer for?" he asked.

"Head for the liner, in the first instance," answered Mildmay, as he
threw the self-steering apparatus out of gear; "and then bring the
ship's head very gradually round until you are pointing for the pirate's
stern."

And, so saying, he stepped to the fore midship window of the
pilot-house, laid his finger lightly upon the firing-button that
controlled the discharge of the torpedo-shells from the tube in the
extremity of the ship's sharp snout, and so placed his eye that he
brought the jack-staff forward in a direct line with a very small notch
in the window-frame. He stood thus, rigid and tense, while Sir Reginald
did his part of the work; and presently he saw the jack-staff swinging
slowly round toward the pirate cruiser. He waited thus until his two
sights pointed something less than an eighth of a length ahead of the
cruiser, and then he pressed the button hard. As he did so, something
flashed like a sudden gleam of sunlight from the _Flying Fish's_ stem, a
sheet of water some four or five yards in length leaped into the air
from under the bows, and some six seconds later a blinding flash started
out from the side of the cruiser, midway between her stem and her
forem