command, and every one was acting for himself. There
must have been a couple of officers besides the captain; but no one
exerted his authority. The other boat was soon in the water, and all
who had not found a place in the first one crowded into her, some of
them jumping overboard in their haste to save themselves.

The first boat shoved off from the side of the Fatime, and all the
people of the Maud watched it, some of the firing party seizing their
rifles, and preparing to use them, to ascertain what the pirates
intended to do. It contained ten men, as Morris counted them. The four
men at the oars gave way as soon as it was clear of the vessel, but the
head of the boat was directed to the shore.

"Those villains have had fighting enough, and I don't believe they will
give us any more trouble," said Captain Scott, when the boat was fairly
in motion for the shore. It was evident enough that they could do
nothing to save the steamer, and they had abandoned her. The other boat
presently came out from the farther side of the vessel, and it contained
only seven persons, from which it appeared that the Fatime's ship's
company consisted of only seventeen men, unless some of them had been
killed or wounded, and left on board.

"This looks like the end of the Fatime, and I don't believe she will
give us any further trouble in our voyage, wherever we may go," said
Captain Scott, while all hands were watching the passage of the two
boats to the shore.

"But why don't she sink?" asked Louis.

"Though that is a big hole in her side, the most of it was above water
in the first of it, and the brine did not flow in very rapidly; but she
is settling very fast now, and it is a question of only a few minutes
with her now," replied the captain, as he rang three bells upon the gong
in the engine-room to back her. "We are rather too near her if she makes
much of a stir-about when she goes down."

"Help! Help! Save me! Save me!" came in rather feeble tones from the
wreck of the Fatime.

At the same time the form of a man was seen staggering to the end of the
bridge.

"That's Captain Mazagan!" shouted Felix from the forecastle.

"Mazagan!" exclaimed Louis.

"Shall we do anything for that man, Captain Scott?" asked Don, coming to
the front windows of the pilot-house. "If we do, it must be done in a
hurry, for that craft is going to the bottom in less than two minutes."

"Of course we shall save him," replied the captain, looking