of Francisco
they could not be far from the land, when, on the fifteenth day, they
perceived two sails to the northward.

Francisco's heart bounded with joy and gratitude to Heaven; he had no
telescope to examine them, but he steered directly for them, and, about
dark, he made them out to be a ship and a schooner, hove to.

As Francisco scanned them, surmising what they might be, the sun set
behind the two vessels, and after it had sunk below the horizon their
forms were, for a few minutes, delineated with remarkable precision and
clearness. There could be no mistake. Francisco felt convinced that
the schooner was the _Avenger_; and his first impulse was to run to the
sweep with which they were steered, and put the head of the raft again
to the northward. A moment's reflection determined him to act
otherwise; he lowered down his sail that he might escape observation,
and watched the motions of the vessels during the few minutes of light
which remained. That the ship had been captured, and that her capture
had been attended with the usual scene of outrage and violence, he had
no doubt. He was now about four miles from them, and just as they were
vanishing from his straining eyes he perceived that the schooner had
made all sail to the westward. Francisco, feeling that he was then
secure from being picked up by her, again hoisted his sail with the hope
of reaching the ship, which, if not scuttled, he intended to remove on
board of, and then make sail for the first port on the coast. But
hardly had the raft regained her way when the horizon was lighted up,
and he perceived that the pirates had set fire to the vessel. Then it
was useless to proceed towards her; and Francisco again thought of
putting the head of the raft to the northward, when the idea struck him,
knowing the character and cruelty of the pirates, that there might be
some unfortunate people left on board to perish in the flames. He
therefore continued his course, watching the burning vessel; the flames
increased in violence, mounting up to the masts and catching the sails
one after another. The wind blew fresh, and the vessel was kept before
the wind--a circumstance that assured Francisco that there were people
on board. At first she appeared to leave the raft, but as her sails,
one after another, were consumed by the element, so did she decrease her
speed, and Francisco, in about an hour, was close to her and under her
counter.

The ship was no