ith
the greatest energy to get ready to fight. He knew that when the tide
rose there would be two armed sloops afloat, and that there would be a
regular naval battle on the quiet waters of Cape Fear River. All night
his men worked to clear the decks and get everything in order for the
coming combat, and all night Mr. Rhett and his crews kept a sharp watch
for any unexpected move of the enemy, while they loaded their guns,
their pistols, and their cannon, and put everything in order for action.

Very early in the morning the wide-awake crews of the South Carolina
vessels, which were now afloat and at anchor, saw that the topmasts of
the pirate craft were beginning to move above the distant headland, and
very soon Bonnet's ship came out into view, under full sail, and as she
veered around they saw that she was coming toward them. Up went the
anchors and up went the sails of the _Henry_ and the _Sea-Nymph_, and
the naval battle between the retired army officer who had almost learned
to be a sailor, and the private gentleman from South Carolina, who knew
nothing whatever about managing ships, was about to begin.

It was plain to the South Carolinians that the great object of the
pirate captain was to get out to sea just as soon as he could, and that
he was coming down the river, not because he wished to make an
immediate attack upon them, but because he hoped to slip by them and
get away. Of course they could follow him upon the ocean and fight him
if their vessels were fast enough, but once out of the river with plenty
of sea-room, he would have twenty chances of escape where now he had
one.

But Mr. Rhett did not intend that the pirates should play him this
little trick; he wanted to fight the dastardly wretches in the river,
where they could not get away, and he had no idea of letting them sneak
out to sea. Consequently as the _Royal James_, under full sail, was
making her way down the river, keeping as far as possible from her two
enemies, Mr. Rhett ordered his ships to bear down upon her so as to cut
off her retreat and force her toward the opposite shore of the river.
This manoeuvre was performed with great success. The two Charles Town
sloops sailed so boldly and swiftly toward the _Royal James_ that the
latter was obliged to hug the shore, and the first thing the pirates
knew they were stuck fast and tight upon a sand bar. Three minutes
afterward the _Henry_ ran upon a sand bar, and there being enough of
these ob