And then suddenly he stood erect, facing Clif.

The cadet took one glance at him and gave a gasp of horror.

It was a Spanish officer!

And he held in one hand a revolver and was aiming it straight at Clif's
head.

CHAPTER VI.

REPELLING BOARDERS.

That had been a cleverly managed stroke, and it left the young officer
simply paralyzed. All he could do was to stare into the muzzle of that
weapon.

He realized of course in a flash how he had been duped. And he was in a
trap!

Half dazed he looked and saw a Spanish sailor in the act of lifting
himself up to the deck to join his superior. And Clif had no doubt there
were half a dozen others following.

There was of course nothing that Clif could do; a movement on his part
would have been sheer suicide.

He thought the case was hopeless; he had let himself be caught napping.

But the cadet had forgotten that there were other Americans on that
vessel besides himself. And there were no revolvers threatening the
others.

The rage of the Yankee tars at what seemed to them a cowardly and
sneaking way to capture the ship was too great for them to control.
Prudence would have directed surrender, for the Maria had not a gun on
board and the Spaniard might blow her out of the water.

But nobody thought of that; the same instant the Spanish officer
presented his weapon and disclosed his real nationality, there were two
sharp cracks in instant succession from the bow of the imperiled ship.

And the officer staggered back with a gasp. He dropped his weapon to the
deck, reeled for an instant and then vanished over the side in the
darkness.

There was a moment of horror, and then Clif heard him strike with a thud
on the small boat below.

At the same time there was a bright flash just in front of Clif, and a
bullet whistled past his ear.

The Spanish sailor, who had only half reached the deck, had fired at
him.

By that time there was no longer any hesitation as to what course to
pursue. The sailors had decided it by their fatal shots. It was
resistance to the death.

And Clif whipped out his own weapons and sent the sailor tumbling
backward to follow his officer.

Then he drew his sword and with two slashing strokes severed the ladder.
From the yells and confusion that followed there must have been quite a
number clinging to the rope.

But where they were or what their fate was nobody had any time to learn.
Everything was moving like lightning on t