oposed that he and Raby should carry the wounded officer
there at once, with the aid of Ada and Marianna. This they accomplished
without much difficulty, by means of a cloak found at the bottom of the
boat, and then, urged by Paolo and Raby, Ada tore herself away from him,
and with Marianna, endeavoured to find her way up the ravine, while Jack
remained to keep watch over his commander.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

Lieutenant Saltwell, on whom, in his captain's absence, had devolved the
command of the _Ione_, walked her quarterdeck on the night on which the
events we have been describing took place, with a mind very ill at ease.

He had been during the whole afternoon endeavouring, by every possible
means in his power, to get the brig up to the spot agreed on, off the
island of Lissa, so that he might dispatch the boats at dark to wait
still closer in for the coming of Fleetwood and his companions. The
breeze with which they had started had failed them soon afterwards, so
the sweeps had been got out, and the boats had towed ahead, till he was
fearful of knocking up their crews and unfitting them for the work they
had still to perform; and yet, do all they could, he was obliged to
dispatch them, under the orders of the several lieutenants, with a pull
of some eighteen or twenty miles before them.

"For heaven's sake, make the best speed you can," said Saltwell, as he
bade his brother officers good bye. "Our captain will make the attempt
to-night, depend on it, and it will be sad work if he cannot find the
boats."

"Never fear, we shall not miss him, I hope," exclaimed Linton, as he
leaped into his boat. "Shove off and give way, my merry men."

The boat's crew did their best; but the event was another convincing
proof of the misfortunes which may arise from being a little too late.
Had they been ten minutes sooner, they would, perhaps, have been in time
to prevent their captain and his companions from falling again into the
hands of the pirates. Linton felt this when he found that they were
recaptured, and, stung with regret, although he was in no manner to
blame, he agreed on the pursuit with a zeal which very nearly led to the
destruction of himself and his followers.

We left him severely, if not mortally, wounded, off the mouth of the
pirate's harbour. The command, therefore, devolved on Tompion, who
immediately ordered the boats to separate as much as possible, keeping
within sight of each other, to cause t