s the night was decidedly bright, Fleetwood did not expect to find the
boats nearer than within the distance he had fixed on, and they had then
a mile and a half at least to sail before they could come up with them;
but he hoped that the firing would have attracted their attention, and
that, suspecting its true cause, they would have pulled closer in. Raby
stood up as he steered, to peer into the darkness, but no sign could be
seen of the wished-for boats.

"May I hail, sir?" he asked. "The pirates will only think that we are
laughing at them, and perhaps some of those with Mr Linton may know my
voice."

"Yes, hail if you like; but we are still too far off for them to hear
you," said Fleetwood.

On this, Jack Raby, putting his hand to his mouth, gave a long shrill
cry, which might have been heard a mile off; and it must have made the
pirates think that one of them was wounded; but no answering hail was
given.

The pirates' boats, though so suddenly manned, were pulled well, and
were decidedly overhauling the fugitives. Fleetwood remarked it, but he
said nothing. He still hoped that as the distance was short between
them, and when they might not only obtain assistance, but retaliate on
the enemy, they might gain it before they were overtaken.

"It's surprising that the pirates in the boats don't fire on us,"
observed Bowse. "They must see us clearly enough to take good aim at
this distance. I suspect they have no fire-arms with them."

"Depend on it, they are not without them," replied Captain Vassilato.
"His rifle was the first thing every man snatched up, as he left his hut
and sprang on deck to jump into his boat. No, no, they make sure of
coming up to us, and anticipate too much satisfaction in cutting our
throats, to throw away a shot on us."

"They would be less chary of their powder if they knew how short a
distance our friends are from us," said Fleetwood.

It occurred to him, also, that probably Zappa himself was on board one
of the boats, and that he would not fire for fear of injuring Ada; for,
judging from his own feelings, he had from the first, thought, and
justly too, that the pirate was influenced to carry her off, more by his
admiration of her than for the sake of her ransom, and this caused him
still more anguish, when he saw the probability of her again falling
into his power.

"I think there is a slight air springing up from the eastward, sir,"
said Jack Raby, as he sat down again to