hat of the
wind passing through the dried leaves of a forest, in autumn.

"You are right, Johnson, there is something going on out at sea,
beyond the mouth of the bay. I will call the captain, at once."

Captain Thompson, on being aroused, also went down to the waterside to
listen; and at once ordered the whole party to get under arms. He
requested Mr. Barlow, the young lieutenant in charge of the troops, to
place half his men across each end of the plateau. The back was
defended by a cliff, which rose almost perpendicularly from it to a
height of some hundred feet; the plateau being some thirty yards, in
depth, from the sea face to its foot. The male passengers were
requested to divide themselves into two parties, and to join the
soldiers in defending the position against flank attacks. The guns
were all loaded, and the sailors then set to work dragging up bales of
goods from below, and placing them so as to form a sort of breastwork
before the guns along the sea face.

The noise at sea had, by this time, greatly increased; and although it
was still too dark to see what was passing, Captain Thompson said that
he had no doubt, whatever, that the boats had one or more large ships
in tow.

"Had it not been for that," he said, "they would long ago have been
here. I expect that they hoped to catch us napping, but the wind fell
and delayed them. They little dream how well we are prepared. Did they
know of our fort here, I question whether they would have ventured
upon attacking us at all, but would have waited till we were well at
sea, and then our chance would have been a slight one.

"Well, gentlemen, you will allow that the two days were not wasted. I
think, now, the pirates are well inside the bay. In half an hour we
shall have light enough to see them.

"There, listen! There's the splash of their anchors. There, again! I
fancy there are two ships moored broadside on, stem and stern."

All this time, the work on shore had been conducted in absolute
silence, and the pirates could have had no intimation that their
presence was discovered. Presently, against the faintly dawning light
in the east, the masts of two vessels could be seen. One was a large
ship, the other a brig. Almost at the same time the rough sound of
boats' keels grounding on the shore could be heard.

"Just as I thought," the captain whispered. "They have guessed that
some of us will be ashore, and will make a rush upon us here, when the
ships op