query; "he knows every bale of the cargo too, and he'll
not forget our friend or his craft."

The mate of the merchantman, Mr Dobbin, came on board, and the frigate
continued her course. From the account given of him, Captain Lascelles
had little doubt that the pirate was the very man he was in search of,
and whose stronghold he had been directed to attack. Among the numerous
isles of Greece there are several of small size, with but little room on
their summits for cultivation, which have for ages past, from their
inaccessible character, afforded a secure retreat to the somewhat
piratically disposed inhabitants. The _Racer_ was now in search of one
of these respectable little strongholds of piracy.

"Will the Greeks show fight, I wonder?" said Jack. "I should like just
to have a sniff of gunpowder."

"It may blacken your face more than you expect, youngster," answered old
Hemming, who sat at the end of the berth; "however, we have not yet
found out where the fellows are hid."

"I hear that the captain has discovered their retreat, and that, if the
breeze holds, we are likely to be not far off them this very evening,"
said Murray, who had just come below. "It is said we are to attack them
in the boats."

"Hurrah! that will be fun!" exclaimed Adair. "I suppose the captain
will let some of us go."

"Be sure of that, youngsters; the expedition would never succeed without
you," said old Hemming in a sarcastic tone.

Murray's information proved to be right. The frigate stood on for an
hour after dark, and then dropped her anchors in a bay to leeward of a
rocky island, at no great distance from the one to be attacked. Captain
Lascelles' object was to take the pirates by surprise. The boats had,
therefore, a long way to pull. They were to proceed in two divisions.
One was to land a body of bluejackets and marines, so as to attack the
fort in the rear; the other was to approach it on the sea side, and to
endeavour to scale the heights. The second lieutenant and old Hemming
had charge of the two divisions; they had each a midshipman with them,
and a mate and a midshipman went into each of the other boats. Adair
was with the land party. The division to which Jack and Murray belonged
was to attack the fort in front. The men gave a suppressed cheer as
they shoved off, and then away they pulled as eagerly as if they were
going on a party of pleasure. They had a long pull; but many a joke was
cut, and many a su