can't stand this any
longer," he cried, as the boats of Pipe and True sank before the Ram's
stroke. "To the rescue, my lads! Charge!"

[Illustration: FIG. 91.--Signal Flags: B, Red; F, Blue, White Circle; L,
Blue and Gold (Yellow); T, Red, White, Blue; D, Red, White Circle. Can
you read the Order?]

Without waiting to see whether or no he was followed by his battalion,
he mounted his bee pony and rode at full speed toward the Ram. His
troopers followed, muttering loudly against their leader's folly, but
unwilling to disobey. The Pixies saw him plunging through the air, and
greeted him with loud yells of mockery.

"What is Lawe about?" asked Rodney.

"It looks as though he were minded to charge upon the sea monster,"
answered the mate.

"What folly! Why, look there! the madcap is charging almost alone upon
the very front of the Ram! He is gone daft! Are you sure that is Ensign
Lawe? I never knew him to do such an insane act. He is one of the
coolest heads we have. It's too bad--too bad! The fellow is throwing
away his life; and we've lost too many valuable officers already."
Rodney sighed, and thought of his lost boatswain, the very right arm of
his fleet.

The Ram was steadily pursuing the Nattie ships now in full retreat. The
wind blew up the channel. It would be a stern chase, which is always a
long chase. Half the Pixie navy followed with the Ram; the other half
had tacked across the lake toward the foot of the island, with the
intention of sailing up the opposite channel, and thus heading off the
Natties ere they reached the inlet. They had bold plans afoot, and
thought to destroy the whole Brownie fleet.

This manoeuvre had turned attention from the daring ride of Ensign
Lawe. Yet the Ensign was not such a madcap as his countrymen declared
him, nor such a fool as his foes supposed. He had seen at once that the
masts and rigging usual to sailing vessels were wanting from this new
craft; he could therefore approach a-horseback with comparative safety.
That there must be some assailable point, some port-hole, some door,
something penetrable he felt sure.

"I will find my way to it," he said in his heart; "or at least find out
where it is. I will uncover the secret power that works this
destruction, or find out the monster's weak points and give knowledge of
it to the Commodore."

He had now reached the Ram. He swept above the prow. No opening there!
He hovered over the deck. All hard and smooth there! He