n immediately afterwards a second boat
followed, and men crowded into both and pulled away for the shore.
They came full into the moon's rays, I saw them land, cross the
beach, and disappear.

My first thought was that the vessel was delivered into our hands.
I reckoned that the boats had carried close on forty men; those who
were left would be no match for my tars; it seemed that my task was
made miraculously easy. But then, reflecting that the buccaneers
must have some errand on shore, it flashed upon me that their
destination was Penolver, and their object to plunder the house and
estate. There could be no other explanation of their quitting their
vessel at this dead time of night.

And here I felt a conflict between duty and inclination. The latter
prompted me to make off at once after the landing party and do what
might be done to save Lucy's property. But my orders were to deal
with the buccaneers, and I felt that I should not be justified in
interfering on behalf of a private person, however dear to me,
until my first duty was fulfilled.

It was a question then whether I should first attack the ship or
capture the boats on the strand. To accomplish the latter we should
have to overpower the men who had no doubt been left in charge, and
there would certainly be some noise that would alarm the men on
board the vessel, so that although the possession of the boats
would cut off the return of those who had landed, it would also
make the capture of the brig far more difficult. On all grounds it
seemed better to wait until the landing party had gone too far to
return in time to help their comrades, and then cut out the ship.
When that was in our hands I should be free to go ashore and set
off in pursuit of the ruffians who, I was convinced, were marching
for Lucy's house.

Ordering my men to put me alongside Punchard's boat, I arranged
with him the manner of our attack. I would make for the larboard,
he for the starboard side, and we would board as nearly as possible
at the same moment. This being settled I whispered the word to go,
and the two boats crept along the shore in shadow as silently as we
could until we came directly opposite the enemy's vessel. Then I,
having the tiller of the leading boat, brought her round and
steered her straight for the ship. 'Twas scarce to be hoped, in
spite of our muffled oars, that our approach should be wholly
unheard; and we were no more than ten fathoms distant when the
ala