re I hope so," said Adair, who did not quite understand the
thoughts which were pressing through his messmate's head. "We will
fight away as long as we have hands to fight with and an ounce of
gunpowder for our muskets. It was a craft like that brigantine out
there captured poor Hanbury, and murdered him and his boat's crew. I
only wish that we had a few more guns and men, and if that is the very
pirate, we might avenge his death."

"No, no, do not talk of vengeance, Adair," said Murray gravely;
"vengeance does not belong to man. It would be our duty, if we had the
power, to take the miscreants and to bring them to justice; as it is, I
trust that, though with infinitely inferior force, we may beat them off.
But we must not, as Christians, allow ourselves for a moment to indulge
in the idea that we are avenging the death or the wrongs of even the
dearest of our relations or friends."

"I had not seen the matter in that light," answered Adair.

"Then, my dear fellow, try and do so. It is the true light depend on
that."

Who would have supposed, when looking at the two vessels, that those on
board the little half-crippled schooner could for a moment have
contemplated with confidence a conflict with the well-found, powerful
brigantine? But there was just this difference. The midshipmen felt
that they were, to the very best of their means, performing their duty,
and they felt a perfect confidence in Heaven's protecting power, while
they knew that the slaver was engaged in the most nefarious of callings,
and that the most abandoned miscreants composed her crew. On she came,
as though triumphing in her strength. Hitherto the little wind blowing
had been to the northward and east. As Adair was looking out to the
northward, he observed a dark blue line coming rapidly along over the
water. He pointed it out to Murray. "Trim sails," was the order
promptly given. In another minute the little schooner, close hauled
with her sails like boards, was standing away to the westward, while the
brigantine lay dead to leeward at the distance of at least two miles and
a half. Some minutes passed even before she felt the breeze, and when
she did it was pretty evident that it would take her many a weary hour
to catch up the schooner. The midshipmen agreed that with the
opportunity thus afforded them of getting away from the slaver, it would
be the height of rashness to wait and encounter her. They felt grateful
for having be