atch
detached itself from the darkness, and appeared to be following them;
and soon they made it out to be the sail of a vessel very similar to the
one they had so unceremoniously captured. She was a much larger craft,
and after a while there could be no doubt that she was overhauling them.
But they were now drawing well out toward the English vessel, although
the latter had not yet sighted them, and the issue, so far, hung on the
race between the two feluccas. The pursuing vessel crept up closer and
ever closer, and Roger and Mathews began to picture themselves as
adorning that bonfire in the plaza after all.

But now the English ship seemed to awake to what was going forward, and
to take in the situation at once. That one felucca was flying and the
other pursuing they could see at a glance. There was a puff of white
smoke from her side, and a shot flew screaming over their heads and
plunged into the water just in front of the pursuing felucca. Still she
held on, gaining remorselessly. Her crew began to fire at the
fugitives, compelling them to steer in a crouching position below the
bulwarks. By an occasional backward glance Roger saw her gradually
creeping up, and wondered why the English ship did not fire again; then
he discovered that his own vessel was in the line of fire. The
Spaniards had cleverly managed to get exactly behind him, so that the
English could not fire without hitting the foremost vessel. Therefore
Roger risked his life and liberty in a desperate manoeuvre. With a
sweep of the tiller he put the helm hard over, and the little vessel
bounded away on the opposite tack, leaving her pursuer without shelter.
The English ship--the crew of which were evidently waiting for something
of the sort to happen--took immediate advantage of her opportunity, and
let fly her whole broadside, luckily bringing down the pursuer's mast.
After that the fugitives were safe, and half an hour later were on board
the old _Elizabeth_, Roger talking to the captain and his
fellow-officers, and Mathews below, relating marvellous adventures to
his former mess-mates. Roger gave a full and graphic account of all
that had happened to himself and Harry, and told of his poor friend's
death.

Luckily it turned out that the _Elizabeth_ was on her way from the
Indies to England, and had only anchored during the night in the hope of
sighting one more prize; so it was by the merest chance that Roger
escaped after all. The capt