which
the battle was raging, and meeting no one, did not stop until she had
nearly reached the bow. Then she stopped, looked about her, and in a
moment was startled by hearing herself called by her name. There was no
one near her; she looked up, she looked around.

Then again she heard her name, "Sophee! Sophee!" Now it seemed to come
from the water, and looking over the low rail she beheld a black head on
the surface of the sea. Its owner was swimming about, endeavoring to
find something on which he could lay hold, and he had seen the white cap
of the maid above the ship's side. Sophia and Mok were very good
friends, for the latter had always been glad to wait upon her in every
way possible, and now she forgot her own danger in her solicitude for
the poor black man.

"Oh, Mok! Mok!" she cried, "can't you get out of the water? Can I help
you?"

Mok shouted out one of his few English words. "Rope! rope!" he said. But
Sophia could see no rope except those which were fast to something, and
in her terror she ran aft to call for assistance.

There was now not so much noise and din. The steam was not escaping from
the boilers of the _Monterey_, for it was needed for the hose, and there
were no more shots fired from the _Vittorio_. The officers of the pirate
ship were running here and there looking for Banker, that they might ask
for orders, while the men were crowding together behind every possible
protection, and rushing below to escape the terrible streams of scalding
steam.

Now that they could work in safety, the _Monterey's_ men got their
handspikes under the grappling-irons, and wrenched them from their
holes, and leaning over the side they cut the ropes which held them to
the pirate ship. The two vessels now swung apart, and Captain Horn was
on the point of giving orders to start the engines and steam ahead, when
the maid, Sophia, seized him by the arm. "Mrs. Horn wants you," she
said, "and Mok's in the water!"

"Mok!" exclaimed the Captain.

"Yes, here! here!" cried Sophia, and running to the side, she pointed to
where Mok's black head and waving arms were still circling about on the
surface of the sea.

When a rope had been cast to Mok, and he had been hauled up the side,
the Captain gave orders to start ahead, and rushed to the cabin where he
had left Edna; but it was not during that brief interval of thankfulness
that he heard how she had recognized the Rackbird, Banker, on the pirate
ship, and how she