CHAPTER VII.

A DESPERATE CHASE.

That was a heroic resolution those five brave men had made. But it was
inevitable, for they did not mean that either they or that valuable ship
should fall into the hands of the enemy.

And apparently the enemy knew they did not mean to. For they kept
battering away at the big hulk that loomed up in the darkness, running
close alongside and firing viciously.

Every shot made a deafening crash as it struck home.

But the Americans did not mind it especially. When a man has made up his
mind to die he is not afraid of anything.

And the men on deck paced up and down serenely, and Clif tugged at the
wheel with a positively light-hearted recklessness.

It would have been a cold sort of a person whose spirit did not rise to
such an occasion as that. The wild night and the furious cannonading,
but above all the prospect of taking that huge ship and driving her
forward at full speed until she smashed upon the rocks, was a rather
inspiring one.

The reader may have heard about the man out West who drew an enormous
crowd by advertising an exhibition railroad wreck, two empty trains
crashing into each other at full speed. This was a similar case; it does
not often happened that a man has occasion to drive a ship aground on
purpose.

The resolution to which the Americans had come must have been plain to
the unfortunate Spaniards who were tied up on board the Maria. Their
fright was a terrible one, anyhow.

Clif glanced out at them several times; their presence was the only
thing that made him hesitate to do what he had resolved.

"For they haven't done anything, poor devils," he thought to himself, "I
wish I knew what to do with them."

But there was only one thing that could be done; that was to put them
off in a small boat, and that would be practically murdering them.

"They'll have to stay and take chances with us," muttered Clif.

As if there were not noise enough about that time those men began to
raise a terrific outcry, yelling and shrieking in terror. But nobody
paid any attention to them--except that the sailors took the trouble to
examine their bonds once more.

It would have been dangerous to let those desperate fellows get loose
then. For the Americans had enemies enough to cope with as it was.

All this while the Spanish gunboat had been firing away with all her
might and main. She would cut across the vessel's stern, and send her
shots tearing through the