at the peak of the schooner flew out the
often disgraced flag of Spain.

"We'll haul it down, and settle that point afterwards," said Jack,
suiting the action to the word and hauling down the flag. He was but
just in time to save the schooner from a tremendous peppering, which the
frigate, now ranging close up astern, had prepared for her. Jack ran up
the rigging nearest the frigate, and pointed ahead to show that he was
chasing something; indeed, by that time the gig when looked-for must
have been seen clearly from the deck of the frigate.

"I am glad we did not fire into you, my lads," shouted Captain Lascelles
through his speaking-trumpet. "You've done well--very well, but why did
not you haul down the slaver's flag?"

"We'd so much to do, we never saw it, sir," shouted Jack in return.
"There's the slaver's captain--we're after him."

"Stand in as close as you can, but don't get on shore, though," cried
the captain.

"Ay, ay, sir," answered Jack, well pleased to follow the orders given.

The frigate stood on for some distance after the gig, but she had to be
hove-to that the depth of water might be ascertained, and this gave the
Don an advantage of which he did not fail to profit. Though guns were
continually fired at him, the gig was too small an object at that
distance to enable even the best of marksmen to hit her with any
certainty. When the frigate hove-to, the schooner once more passed her.
Nearer and nearer she drew to the shore.

"We must take care not to wreck our well-won prize," observed Jack to
Terence, and a lead and line having been found, he wisely sent a hand
into the chains, to heave it as soon as he had rounded the schooner to.
Well was it that he did so, for in a very few minutes more the schooner
would have been on shore. It was provoking, however, to see the wicked
old Spaniard pulling on triumphantly. They watched the gig as long as
they could with their glasses. She disappeared amid a cloud of foaming
surf, which seems ever, even in the calmest weather, to be breaking on
that shore.

"The old fellow has escaped us now, but we will still have him some time
or other--depend on that," said Jack, shutting up his glass. "However,
we have destroyed his barracoons, and now we've captured his schooner--
that's one consolation. He can't love us, though."

Truly, indeed, did Don Diogo nourish a bitter desire for revenge against
the British generally, and the officers and the crew of