ure upon the river's bank, the air over their heads
seemed full of shrieking missiles.

"Grape and broken iron," growled Joe Cross. "Take the tiller, Harry
Briggs. Step the mast, my lads, and run up the sail. Don't take no
notice of their shot. It don't do to go mad, even if we do want to
fight. Don't go to sleep over it, boys. We are in the breeze again,
and we must run into shelter and think."

A low growl came from the men as they rapidly obeyed orders, and not a
man seemed to flinch as the long gun of the English schooner sent forth
its heavy missile again, this time to strike the water some distance
ahead and then rise and go crashing amongst the trees, whose leaves
could be seen to come pattering down.

Three more shots came skipping over the river before the boat began to
glide swiftly, under the pressure of her sail, and yells of derision
came ringing from the enemy as they saw the effect of their fire and the
effort being made to escape.

"Ah!" half sighed Rodd. "They've left off."

"Ay, sir," said the coxswain. "They know they can't hit us now we are
flying through the water; and the worst of it is, they think we are
afraid and that we English dogs are running away as hard as we can, with
our tails between our legs. But they aren't, sir; they're a-standing up
stiff and at right angles, as our old man calls it, to our backs; eh,
messmates?"

"Ay, ay, Joe!" came from the crew, with a roar of laughter.

"And as for my teeth--our teeth, I mean--they are about as sharp as
sharp. But we have got the wind with us, gentlemen, and we will just
run up-stream and round the bend yonder, so as to get behind the trees
just somewhere where we can keep watch with that there little spy-glass,
and by and by we will have another try. This go they a'n't played fair,
but next time we'll make 'em."

"How, Joe?" cried Rodd.

"Well, sir, my idea is to tackle 'em man to man when they can't use
their guns. I mean when it's too dark for them to aim; and then we can
drop down upon them, or sail up to them fore or aft or either side, and
them not know where to have us. It won't be shooting then, but cold
steel, as we know how to use. Well, think of that now!" cried the man,
as the boat was now literally skimming over the surface. "Call myself a
leader! Why, as true as I am here, I never once thought of firing a
shot. Why, we might have given them one volley, messmates. I don't
suppose we should have hit, with