e glanced aloft, and there, to his great surprise,
was a light shining at the mizentop-gallantmasthead!

"'What light is that?' shouted he; 'who has dared to disobey the orders?
Jump up there, one of you boys, and douse it. Rogers, there's a traitor
on board.'

"'Then Jose is the man, sir!'

"The Delight had lost a few hands in harbour, by fever; and, a few days
before she sailed, a Portuguese seaman had been shipped to supply the
place of one of them. He was an active, able-bodied fellow, and produced
excellent certificates from former ships; but there was something
extremely forbidding and repulsive in his countenance, and the mate was
very unwilling to obey Captain Forbes's order to receive him on board.
He was a man of few words; but his eyes were constantly wandering, with
a furtive glance, round the ship; and, when he did speak, it was
generally to express his fear of pirates, and to inquire into the means
of defence of the Delight. On the evening before the ship sailed, he
went on shore as one of the boat's crew, but did not make his appearance
again till next morning. For this breach of duty he made some plausible
excuse, which was unfortunately accepted. It was afterwards proved that
he was one of the crew of the pirate, and had been employed to gain all
the information in his power, as to our guns, time of sailing, &c., and
to make private signals, if necessary.

"The brig kept hovering about till daylight, and then bore down upon us,
and, when within range, fired a shot across our bows, to make us heave
to. To this salutation no answer was returned, but we stood steadily on,
as before, reserving our fire for closer quarters. Shot after shot was
dropped into us, but still not a hand was moved on board. At last the
pirate came within hail, and swore with the most horrid oaths that he
would sink us, if we did not immediately heave to.

"'Now, my lads, stand by!' The men were on their feet in a moment.
'Starboard a little! Fire!' Again our grape rattled into her, and we
could judge, by the bustle on her decks, and by the loud cries and
execrations that reached our ears, that our fire had been a destructive
one. Two of our men were killed by his discharge, and our boat amidships
smashed to pieces; but he again sheered off, and, shaking his sails in
the wind, dropped slowly astern. Again our hopes revived, but only to be
miserably disappointed. When he was beyond the range of our short
carronades, he kept drop