and paddled desperately for the channel,
with the catamaran in full chase.

The canoe--a big, wholesome-looking craft, propelled by ten paddles--
reached the channel first, with a lead of about three-quarters of a
mile, and at once, upon fairly reaching the open sea, headed away to the
south-east, or dead to windward, her occupants having already apparently
grasped the fact that the catamaran could only progress in the same
direction by following a zigzag course. It was Leslie's intention to
turn them, if possible, and drive them round the southern extremity of
the reef, and so to leeward, reckoning upon the fact that they must
already be considerably exhausted by their long paddle of something over
one hundred miles to windward, and believing that if he could drive them
far enough beyond the lee of the island to get them fairly into the full
run of the sea and the full strength of the trade wind on that side,
they would be in no mood or condition to paddle up to windward again; he
therefore made a long board to the eastward on clearing the channel,
hoping that on the next tack he would be able to near them sufficiently
to execute the desired manoeuvre. But, to his disgust, upon getting
into their wake, he found that he had gained upon them little or
nothing, while they continued to paddle with a vigour that spoke well
for their endurance.

Leslie now tacked again to the eastward, standing on until he could only
see the canoe when she and the catamaran topped the back of a swell
together, when he again hove about. Twenty minutes later he once more
crossed the wake of the canoe, and now found that he had done much
better, having neared her to within about eight hundred yards. He now
lashed the catamaran's helm for a moment, leaving her to steer herself,
and, picking up one of the rifles, took careful aim with it at the
flying canoe, hoping to send a bullet near enough to her to spur her
crew to renewed exertions, so tiring them out and compelling them to
take the direction in which he desired them to go. He waited a
favourable opportunity, and presently, when the canoe was hove up into
plain view, brought both sights dead on her, and pulled the trigger. A
moment later she sank into the trough and disappeared, but as she was on
the point of vanishing he distinctly saw one of her occupants leap up,
with a wild flourish of his paddle, and sink back into the bottom of the
boat. Then he tacked once more to the eastwar