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