but as a vigilant watch
was always kept they beat off their assailants with heavy loss. The rig
of the brig was frequently altered. Sometimes she was turned into a
schooner with yards on her foremast, sometimes into a fore-and-aft
craft; and as the time went on and captures became fewer and fewer, it
was evident that she had established a thorough scare throughout the
archipelago, and that for the time the pirates had taken to peaceful
avocations, and were indeed completely crippled by the loss of so large
a number of their craft.

The _Tigress_ had but one awkward incident during the voyage. The day
was bright and clear. The two Turks had been, as was their custom,
squatting together on the deck, smoking their pipes. Wilkinson and Edgar
were pacing together up and down, when the latter said:

"Look at these two native craft; they have both let their lateen sails
run down. I am sure I don't know why; there is not a cloud in the sky,
except that little white one over there."

They were passing the Turks at the moment, and Edgar said to one of
them:

"The two craft over there have just let their sails run down. What can
that mean?"

The Turk leapt to his feet with a quickness very unusual to him.

"It is a white squall!" he shouted. "Down with every stitch of canvas,
sir. Quick, for your lives! the squall will be upon us in five minutes."

It was Wilkinson's first experience of the terribly sudden squall of the
Levant, but he had heard of them and knew their danger, and he shouted
at the top of his voice:

"All hands take in sail! Quick, lads, for your lives!"

The boatswain's whistle rang loudly in the air, and he repeated the
order at the top of his voice. The men on deck, who had been engaged on
various small jobs since they came up from dinner, looked astounded at
the order, but without hesitation ran up the ratlines at the top of
their speed, while the watch below looked equally surprised as they
glanced upwards and around at the deep blue of the sky.

"Quick, quick!" the Turk exclaimed. "Let go all sheets and halliards!"

Wilkinson shouted, "Do the sails up anyhow, men."

Although the sky was unchanged they could see the light cloud Edgar had
noticed advancing towards them at an extraordinary rate of speed, while
a white line on the sea kept pace with it.

"Hard up with the helm--hard up!" Wilkinson shouted. "Hold on a moment
with those head sails; that will do, that will do. Let go the halliards;
do