t, the corsair still came up with her hand over hand.
Bowse watched till he thought she had come within range of his guns, and
he then ordered one to be brought up, and pointed at her over the
taffrail.

As soon as Colonel Gauntlett, who was on deck, heard the order given, he
exclaimed that he and Mitchell would assist in working the guns, while
the crew continued bending the sails.

The gun was accordingly trained aft, but part of the taffrail had to be
cut away to work it.

"Try to knock away some of his spars, sir," cried Bowse, as the colonel
prepared to fire. "Everything depends on that."

The colonel fired, but the shot fell short. The gun was instantly again
loaded, but before they had time to fire, the pirate yawed and let fly a
bow chaser, the shot from which flew through the main-topsail, though
without doing further damage. The colonel again fired, but again the
shot fell short, to his no slight rage.

"I see how it is, sir," observed Bowse, "that fellow has a long nine in
his bows, while our gun is only a carronade. He will be doing us
mischief, I am afraid."

"Let him get a little nearer though, and we will give him two to one,"
returned the colonel.

Scarcely had he spoken, when another shot came, which cut away the
topmast starboard shrouds. Hands were immediately sent aloft to secure
the rigging, but this again delayed the progress of the work on the
foremast. Notwithstanding the occasional yaw the pirate was obliged to
make in order to fire, he still gained on the _Zodiac_. At last he got
within range of her carronades, to the great satisfaction of Colonel
Gauntlett, who forthwith commenced firing his gun as fast as Mitchell
could sponge and load it. The shot, however, told with little or no
effect; a few holes were made through his head-sails, but no ropes of
importance were cut away on board the _Sea Hawk_. The countenances of
the pirates could now clearly be seen. They had exchanged the Austrian
uniforms for their proper Greek dresses, which added considerably to the
ferocity of their appearance.

Finding that the carronade frequently sent its shot on board, they
hauled up a point, so as to bring their vessel on the starboard quarter
of the _Zodiac_, and at the same time to keep beyond the range of her
guns, while they could still send the shot from their long bow chaser on
board her.

The brave master groaned when he saw the manoeuvre, for he felt how
completely he was at the m