ong familiar to my eyes
were shining forth in the clear sky. Had we known our position, even
though we had no compass, we might have shaped a course for the
Mauritius. We calculated that we had been driven two hundred miles away
from it in the direction of the equator. Should we steer south we were
as likely to miss as to find it. We proposed, therefore, to steer to
the west, knowing that we must thus reach some part of the coast of
Madagascar, where the English had at that time a fort and a garrison.
"But we must have our craft rigged before we talk of the course we'll
steer," observed O'Carroll, who at that moment awoke from a long sleep.
With the morning light we set to work to fit a mainmast, and to rig the
boat as best we could. There was a light breeze, but as it was from the
west we lay without any canvas set.

While all hands were busily employed fitting the rigging, I looked up
and saw a brig under all sail approaching us at no great distance.
Beyond her was another vessel, a ship--I pointed her out. O'Carroll
took the telescope.

"She's an English vessel chased by an enemy," he observed. "She'll not
stop to help us, so the closer we lie the better." He kept after this
continually taking up the glass for some time, when suddenly he
exclaimed, "As I'm an Irishman, it's that villain La Roche again!"

His countenance fell as he spoke. He handed me the glass--I took a
steady look at the ship, and had little doubt that it was our old
antagonist the _Mignonne_ in sight.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

"BREAKERS AHEAD!"

Our chief hope of escaping an unpleasant examination by the pirate
existed in the possibility that we had not been observed from her deck.
Had we had any sail set we could not fail to have been so. Not, we
knew, that so small a craft as ours would be considered worth
overhauling; but in case we might give information of the pirate's
whereabouts, it might be thought expedient to put us out of the way. So
we feared. We therefore watched the progress of the _Mignonne_ and the
brig with intense interest, earnestly hoping that the latter would lead
the pirate a long chase before she was captured, if she could not escape
altogether, which of course we hoped she would. La Roche had certainly
managed to inspire O'Carroll with an extraordinary dread and hatred of
him, for brave and calm in danger as our friend had lately shown himself
to be, he was now completely unnerved, and I saw him crouching down