led the other craft, but got no answer. Then I hailed her again and
again, but still received no reply.

The next minute she, being open to the first puffs of the breeze by a
valley, filled and bore away, followed by the Ostender, who had also set
her sails, leaving me becalmed where I was.

"My God!" cried Mr. Langely, "do they mean to desert us? Look, sir, here
come the pirates!"

I had just then been so intent upon the other vessels that I had not
thought of observing what our enemies were about, not thinking that they
would take such immediate action. But, no doubt, seeing us set our
sails, and fearing that we might get away, slipped their own cables;
for they were now coming down upon us with the freshening wind, having
already entered the channel as boldly as though there were none to
oppose them, the sloop leading the others by a quarter of a mile or so.
Indeed the _Greenwich_ and the Ostender bearing away had left the
passage entirely open to them, with no one but ourselves to oppose them.

In this extremity I hailed the _Greenwich_ for a third time, and getting
no answer, ordered the gunner to fire across her bows, but in spite of
this she did not heave to, whereupon we gave her a round shot, but
whether to her harm or no I am not able to say.

And now nothing remained for us but to fight what appeared a hopeless
battle against heavy odds.

* * * * *

The main ship-channel leading from the offing to the bay or harbor
wherein the _Cassandra_, the _Greenwich_, and the Ostender had been
riding for these days past, lead almost easterly and westerly, but so
shaped by the sand-bars to the south and those shoals that ran out from
the northern cape as to take the form of a very crooked letter S.
Nowhere was this channel over half or three-quarters of a mile wide, and
in some places it was hardly more than a quarter of a mile wide.

From the position which the _Cassandra_ occupied this entrance to the
harbor was so well defended that any vessel entering thereat must be
twice raked by our broadside fire, once in rounding the northern, and
once the southern angle of the channel. Hence it was that I determined
to hold our present position as long as I was able.

But the pirates did not both attack us by way of the main ship-channel
as we had expected, for when they had rounded the northern angle the
sloop, fearing perhaps that we would try to get away upon the wind,
instead of keepi