ray--racketing, clawing the restless
sea, chugging, hissing with shouts of vengeance hurtling from their
decks, First ploughed the flag-ship _El Toro_, next _El Teuera_, and
last the "battleship" _El Manuel_, sitting almost on her stern,
plugging along doggedly in a Herculean effort to be first in at the
death of the presumptuous kidnappers.

It was alarming, too, and the young people, trembling behind their
shelter, gave a great sigh of relief as the last avenger passed, and
the head of the _Tampico_ swung slowly around in the direction of the
harbor. Virginia again turned her eyes to the bridge. The young
Captain was standing like a statue, with his hands on the engine-room
indicator, jumping the _Tampico_ across the waves under full headway.
He was looking back over his shoulder, and the girl, following his
gaze, saw to her great trepidation that the flag-ship, _El Toro_, had
ceased headway and was lying motionless, as if those aboard her had
divined the trick and were pausing a moment for fresh bearings.

Suddenly came a crash of heavy glass; a girl screamed. One of the
saloon dead-lights had crashed out, the thick glass rattling down the
steel hull to the sea. There was another crash and a yellow glow
flared into a bright blaze, illuminating the hull of the shrouded
vessel.

"Now they've done it!" cried Oddington. "They have soaked a
table-cloth with kerosene; it's all off now! So much for Captain
Merrithew's scheme. I--" A voice rang from the bridge.

"Everybody down, quick!" The warning was none too soon, for a second
later a rain of lead from the _El Toro_ swept through the top of the
funnel. Then with straining engines the gunboat made a swinging
detour, with the intention, plain to every one, of heading off the
freighter.

The firing was incessant now, and every one of the Howland party, as
well as the crew, grovelled flat on the deck and heard lead whistling
above. Virginia, glancing at the bridge in an agony of terror, saw the
Captain crouching just a trifle, but still at his post. One man, a
quarter-master, knelt at the wheel. But she missed her father, and a
great dread filled her mind. It was but momentary, however, for Mr.
Howland joined the party behind the deck-house.

"Oh father!" cried the girl, "I feared you were hurt. Why doesn't
Captain Merrithew stop the boat and leave the bridge? Surely his life
and those of his men there are of more value than your interests in
Blanco!"