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unning steamers, and if so--well, her career as a gun-runner will close somewhat abruptly, I think.--Masthead ahoy, what is it now?" he continued aloud, as the seaman aloft gave an excited yell, which he immediately suppressed. "Why, sir," the fellow answered, "I have just sighted a second set of lights, almost dead astern of the first lot; we have just this moment opened them. There are certainly _two_ steamers approaching, sir; and-- ah! one of them has just sent up a rocket--I expect it is because she has sighted us." "Then, by jingo!" soliloquised the Englishman, "they will be the gun- runners, and no mistake about it. How I wish I knew what lights it has been arranged for the _Union_ to show as a signal to them. However, I don't; so that cannot be helped." Aloud, he went on, addressing the excited Chilian at the masthead, "Keep your eye on those ships, Pedro; and report any change to me at once." "Ay, ay, sir!" replied the man, "they are still coming this way." Then Jim called up his lieutenant, a young fellow named Manuel, and instructed him to get the ship immediately cleared for action, and to douse every single one of the lights on board at once. He then went back to the bridge, and, as soon as every light on board had been extinguished, ordered the quartermaster at the wheel to turn the ship's head eight points to starboard; thus, a few minutes later, the _Angamos_ was running at full speed, on a course at right angles to her previous one, and was leaving the gun-runners on her port quarter. Douglas still continued to watch their lights intently, and soon perceived that his failure to give them a signal of some sort had occasioned quick suspicion to their skippers, for they gradually slowed up; and presently the lights drew close together, by which Jim could guess that the steamers had run alongside each other to permit of a conference between the two captains. A few minutes later Jim turned the _Angamos_ eight points to port, bringing her back to her old course, but at a distance of about four miles from the supposed gun-runners. He held on in this direction until he was well astern of them, and then circled right round and headed straight after them, immediately in their wake, at full speed. After a pause of about a quarter of an hour the Peruvian skippers again went ahead on their old course, doubtless much perturbed in their minds at the sudden and extraordinary disappearance of the craft
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