and away after the brig they pulled. The character of
the brig was soon shown, for no sooner did her crew see that they were
pursued than they began peppering away at the gig, while a gun was run
out at a port on her quarter, which opened a fire of round and
grape-shot. Her low bulwarks afforded no protection to the crew working
the gun, so Jack stood up, and taking deliberate aim, shot one of them
just as he was about to fire.

"Terence, give me your rifle, and reload mine," he exclaimed. Terence
did as he was bid. Another of the gunner's crew fell; a third and a
fourth shared the same fate. The slaver's people could not understand
how this had happened, but terror seized them, and they refused to go to
the gun. This, however, did not save them, for the unerring rifle
picked out several on different parts of the deck. The breeze was
freshening, and the slaver made all sail away from the boat. But as a
thresher pertinaciously pursues a whale till it has destroyed it, so did
the little gig follow the large brig, which looked large enough to
destroy a hundred such pigmy cockle-shells. Jack felt that everything
depended on his coolness and the steadiness of his aim. Aided by
Terence, well did he do his work. The astonished crew of the slaver
must have fancied that they were pursued by evil spirits rather than by
men. Once more they kept away dead before the wind, and, crossing the
bows of the boat, stood towards the coast, it became evident that their
intention was to run the vessel on shore and abandon her. Jack and
Terence had no fancy that they should do that, as they did not wish to
lose their prize. The breeze, however, increased so much that they
could hardly keep way with her. Still they followed, firing as rapidly
as before. At last Jack found that his shots were no longer telling,
and as he was afraid of expending all his ammunition, he ceased firing,
but still followed hard after the slaver. A sandy little bay was ahead,
sheltered somewhat by a reef of rocks from the roll of the Atlantic.
Towards it the slaver was steered. She grounded in smooth water. A
boat was lowered, and into it some of her crew tumbled, while others
appeared to be swimming on shore.

By the time they got up to the brig's quarter and climbed on board, all
the crew had escaped with the exception of two men, one of whom was
dying, the other was dead.

"Oh, Terence," exclaimed Jack, as he looked at them, "this is very
dre