els of
various rigs. In a short time many more came in sight, till we could
count upwards of one hundred. These appeared not to be all. The larger
number had lateen sails and long tapering yards.

"What can they be about?" asked Tom.

"That's more than I can say," said Nettleship; "but I suspect they are
bound upon some expedition or other,--perhaps to attack the Algerines."

As we got near enough to make out their flags, we distinguished four to
be Spanish ships, two had Maltese flags flying; there were two
Portuguese, and one Sicilian.

"Then I have no doubt about it," said Nettleship, "for the Dons and
Portingales have the chief trade up the Levant, and are likely to suffer
most from those rascally corsairs. Since Blake gave them a good
drubbing they have generally been pretty careful how they interfere with
English vessels; but we have strong proof in this unfortunate craft that
they want another thrashing to keep them in order."

As we had not as yet got up our jury-masts, we were unable to move out
of their way, and there appeared to be some risk of our being run down.
Every now and then Jack Patchett hailed with his stentorian voice, and
warned the vessels approaching us that they might pass ahead or astern,
as the case might be. At last a Spanish man-of-war, carrying an
admiral's flag, was sailing quite close to us, when a voice asked from
her deck in English--

"Can we render you any assistance?"

"The best assistance you can give us, is to take us in tow, and carry us
to Gibraltar," answered Nettleship.

He said this without the slightest expectation of its being done.

"We'll heave to and send a tow-rope on board," was the answer; and
presently the line-of-battle ship, shortening sail, hove-to under our
lee. A couple of boats being lowered, came rowing towards us. Their
object, we found, was to tow us close enough to receive a hawser on
board.

As one of them came alongside, an officer stepped on to our deck, and,
advancing towards Nettleship, said--

"I am an Englishman, and have joined an expedition to attack Algiers,
for my hatred and detestation of the cruelty the Algerians inflict on
the unfortunate Europeans they capture. An English vessel in which I
sailed lately up the Levant was attacked, and not until we had lost
several men did we succeed in beating off the Algerines."

Nettleship explained that the _Daisy_ had also been plundered and her
people murdered.

"That is a good r