and catching the sails one after another._]

The ship was now one mass of fire from her bows to her mainmast; a
volume of flame poured from her main hold, rising higher than her lower
masts, and ending in a huge mass of smoke carried by the wind ahead of
her; the quarter-deck was still free from fire, but the heat on it was
so intense that those on board were all collected at the taffrail; and
there they remained, some violent, others in mute despair; for the
_Avenger's_ people, in their barbarity, had cut away and destroyed all
the boats to prevent their escape. From the light thrown round the
vessel those on board had perceived the approach of Francisco to their
rescue, and immediately that it was under the counter, and the sail
lowered, almost all of them had descended by ropes, or the stern ladder,
and gained a place in her. In a few minutes, without scarcely an
exchange of a word, they were all out of the brig, and Francisco pushed
off just as the flames burst from the cabin windows, darting out in a
horizontal line like the tongues of fiery serpents. The raft, now
encumbered with twelve more persons, was then steered to the northward;
and as soon as those who had been saved had been supplied with some
water, which they so much needed, Francisco obtained the intelligence
which he desired. The ship was from Carthagena, South America; had
sailed from thence to Lisbon with a Don Cumanos, who had large property
up the Magdalen river. He had wished to visit a part of his family at
Lisbon, and from thence had sailed to the Canary Isles, where he also
had property. In their way from Lisbon to South America they had been
beaten by stress of weather to the southward, and afterwards had been
chased by the _Avenger_; being a very fast sailer she had run down
several degrees before she had been captured. When the pirate took
possession, and found that she had little or no cargo of value to them,
for her hold was chiefly filled with furniture and other articles for
the use of Don Cumanos, angry at their disappointment, they had first
destroyed all their boats and then set fire to the vessel, taking care
not to leave her until all chance of the fire being put out was
hopeless. And thus had these miscreants left innocent and unfortunate
people to perish.

Francisco heard the narrative of Don Cumanos, and then informed him in
what manner he had left the schooner, and his subsequent adventures.
Francisco was now very anxious to ma