hing more was seen, or rather heard, of the pirate junks. Yet Murray
and Mr Cherry, and all the officers who had been on deck, were so
certain that they had not been deceived, that it was concluded that the
pirates had been really close to them, but finding the frigate afloat,
had thought better of the matter and hauled off.

Jack and Adair at last went below. Jack did not turn in, but lay down
on one of the lockers in the midshipmen's berth, with a writing-desk for
a pillow, and a boat-cloak for a mattress. The instant he put his head
on the desk he was fast asleep. It appeared to him but a moment
afterwards that he heard the cry, "All hands on deck." Immediately
afterwards several shots were fired from the frigate. He was up in a
moment. On looking out he saw the dark shadowy forms of numerous large
war-junks gliding round the ship, and the next instant a shower of
jingall balls and round shot came rattling on deck. The salute was
returned by a broadside from the frigate, which, if it did not send
several of the pirate's junks to the bottom, must have severely crippled
a number of them. They must have thought that the frigate was still
ashore, or that she had hove her guns overboard to get off, or they
would not have ventured so near.

Still the unseen enemy showed more courage than might have been
expected, and from every direction, on each beam and ahead, and astern,
a shower of missiles came crashing in which could not fail to do a
considerable amount of damage. The cries of several poor fellows showed
that they were badly wounded, while one seaman, standing close to Jack
Rogers, fell heavily to the deck. Jack stooped to raise him, but the
man did not speak, and from the inert weight of the body, he feared too
truly that he was killed. The worst part of the business was that, from
the excessive darkness of the night and the thick mist which hung over
the water, it was only from the flashes of the enemy's guns that the
frigate's crew were able to see how to point theirs. By the cries and
shrieks which arose every now and then in the distance they had reason
to believe that their shot had told with dire effect. Still the
pirate's shot was doing them a great deal of mischief, and,
notwithstanding all their courage and power, all they could do in return
was blindly to blaze away. Still there could be no doubt that the
pirates would ultimately get the worst of it, and haul off long before
morning. Of co