."

"What has happened on board of her?" asked Christy.

"Nothing; but the Bellevite is coming into her full tilt, and they know
that the shock will knock all those men overboard; and I think they
don't want to have to stop to pick them up," answered the captain.

At this moment several sharp orders were given on board of the Dauphine,
and her head began to swing around to the northward.

"That's what's the matter!" exclaimed the captain. "They think they
won't wait for the rap the Bellevite is ready to give them."

The helm of the enemy's steamer had been put hard-a-port; and as she
promptly came about, the sharp bow of the Bellevite shot past her
quarter, and she barely escaped the blow. It look as though those on
board of either vessel could have leaped to the deck of the other.

"What is the reason she don't fire upon the Bellevite?" asked Christy,
when he felt that the crisis was past.

"I don't believe she has any guns on board yet, though I don't know,"
replied the captain.

"What is she going to do now, I wonder."

"I think she will come about and try to board the Bellevite now. It
seems to me that if she had any guns on board, she would have opened
fire before this time."

"We must look out, or the Bellevite will run into us," added Christy, as
he went forward to the pilot-house.

"That steamer has come about," said Percy, as he joined him.

"If she had not come about, the Bellevite would have cut through her
starboard quarter," replied Christy. "But we are all right now, and I
think the excitement is about over."

By this time the Bellevite was abreast of the Leopard, and not half a
cable's length from her; but there was no demonstration at all of any
sort on board of her. Her high bulwarks concealed the whole ship's
company; and no one could be seen but the lookouts forward, and a couple
of officers in the rigging of the mainmast.

"Now we will get a little nearer to her," said Christy, as he threw the
wheel over. "She is coming about."

The Bellevite was blowing off steam, and she had reduced her speed as
soon as she went clear of the Dauphine. In a minute more, when she had
come a little nearer to the Leopard, she stopped her screw.

"Tug, ahoy!" shouted some one, in whose voice Christy recognized that of
Captain Breaker.

"On board the Bellevite!" responded Christy.

"Come alongside!" added the commander of the steamer.

"That's just what I was going to do," added Christy to his comp