he shots of the enemy to become
less effective, by being scattered over a wider range.

"Pull away, my lads," exclaimed the mate; "we shall soon be out of this,
and we shall have an opportunity before long of paying them off."

The men needed no inducement to pull hard, for it was excessively hot
work, and they had no fancy to be exposed to the showers of bullets
which came whizzing round them, especially when they were compelled to
run away from the enemy.

The frowning and lofty cliffs, fringed with tiny glances of vivid light,
and the bright flashes of the _Sea Hawk's_ guns, which were reflected on
the calm water, formed, doubtlessly, an exceedingly picturesque
spectacle, which those who were pulling at the oars had full opportunity
to contemplate, but not the less disagreeable to them on that account,
especially as it would have been a very useless amusement to fire
against the cliffs in return. Fortunately, no further casualties
occurred, and every instant, as their distance from the shore increased,
there was less chance of a shot hitting them. At length, Tompion,
seeing that they were free from danger, hailed the other boats, to order
the crews to rest on their oars to recover breath, before they shaped
their course to return to their ship. The hail was answered by another
from the westernmost boat, commanded by Jemmy Duff; he sung out--

"Did you see the mistico get into the harbour, with the rest of the
rascals?"

"No," said Tompion. "Did any one on board see her?" he asked of the
crew.

"No, sir," was the general answer.

"No one saw her go in," he answered.

"Then, by Jove, there she is, on our starboard beam," sung out Duff in
return. "She is pretty nearly becalmed, it seems. She has got out
there, I suspect, to watch us, and to try to cut us off. What shall we
do?"

"I and the gig will close you, and we'll see what is to be done," said
Tompion, ordering the other boat to follow him, and all the boats were
soon alongside each other.

There, sure enough, Tompion perceived the mistico, about a quarter of a
mile off, with her head to the southward, evidently watching their
movements. It might seem surprising that she had not attacked them when
under the cliffs; but, in the first place, she could not then get up to
them, and had she been able to do so, it would have prevented the
pirates on shore from firing on them.

The wind had at this juncture almost failed her, but she had her sweeps