y guns,
might do good service, could they get near enough to the enemy to use
them.

Thus the night passed slowly away. Dawn at length returned and as the
first rays of the rising sun glanced across the ocean they fell on the
sails of the stranger, about three miles off, broad on the beam of the
_Supplejack_, whose commander at once resolved to bring her to action,
while she on her part showed no disinclination for the fight.

"She must have plenty of hands on board, and pretty heavy metal, or she
would long ago have been off," observed Needham; "however, we will see
what Long Tom can do."

"We will give him every opportunity of showing his qualities," said
Jack, "and not let the slaver get too near us till we have knocked away
some of his spars."

The stranger now kept edging down towards the "brig-of-war," which stood
on under her topsails, mainsail, and headsails.

Jack calculated that he should have time to throw three or four shots
into her from Long Tom, and then by making more sail, give her a raking
fire from his carronades. He hailed the schooners, and ordered Norris
and the master not to expose themselves more than necessary, and only to
fire when they had a good opportunity, while by all means they were to
avoid allowing the slaver brig to run aboard them.

The stranger, which had again hauled her wind, was still far beyond the
range of Long Tom.

"I don't think, sir, that they have got much stomach for the fight,
after all," observed Needham.

"Perhaps not," answered Jack; "but I suspected from the fellow's
manoeuvres that he still hopes to cut off our prizes, and is only
waiting the opportunity for doing so. We must also look out, not to let
him run us aboard, for if he has plenty of men that is what he will try
to do, and it will be his best chance too, though I doubt not that we
shall beat them off, no matter how many there are."

"No doubt about that, sir, whether they are Americans, Spaniards, or
Negroes," answered Needham, in a confident tone.

Nearly half an hour passed, and the relative positions of the vessels
were not changed. At length the slaver's crew, mustering up courage,
more sail was made on her, and she came edging down boldly towards the
"brig-of-war."

"Now see what Long Tom can do," cried Jack.

He had not miscalculated the distance this time. Needham pulled the
trigger, and the shot was seen to strike the stranger's bulwarks. She
fired in return, but without effect