some of those rascals for Mr
Linton's too like death, and the trick they played us?"

"All right, sir, never fear. We can give it them yet," exclaimed both
crews, with one voice; and seldom will British seamen be found to make
any other answer.

"Well, then, Jennings, do you steer due west,--right for that tar, that
is your course. When you get about five miles from this, fire a musket,
and continue firing every ten minutes. They will show a blue light as
soon as they hear you, and you can scarcely miss the ship. Take poor
Timmins on board with you--there's no one else hurt, I hope."

"No, sir, no," was the answer.

"I need not tell you to make the best of your way, and I'm sorry, for
your sakes, we can't have you, my men, with us, in the affair on hand."

Having given these orders, most reluctantly they were obeyed by the crew
of the gig, which immediately pulled away in the direction pointed out,
and was soon lost to sight in the gloom. Tompion made the necessary
preparations for the attack on the mistico.

He was not above despising an enemy whom he intended to attack, and as
the fight, in which he was about to engage, would be the first in which
he had held the command, he was doubly anxious that it should be
successful. He ordered his men to see that their pistols, and the
muskets in the boat, were properly loaded and primed, and a small brass
swivel, mounted in the bows, he had loaded with musket balls, almost up
to the muzzle, to fire as they ran past the enemy's quarter.

"Duff," he exclaimed, "you board on the starboard side, I will grapple
her on the larboard, as I want to be a few seconds before you, to give
her a taste of my gun, and if she stands in as she now does, I shall get
there quickest. Now, my men, give way, and let the scoundrels have a
taste of your cutlasses when you get at them. Huzza for old England!"

As he uttered these words, the men repeated the cheer till the night air
rung again, and bending to their oars, made the water fly from under the
bows of the boats, while their heads turned in the direction of the
piratical mistico.

The loud cheer and the suddenness of the movement completely took the
pirates by surprise, it appeared; and instead of tacking and standing
boldly towards the English to meet them, as they expected, her helm was
put up, the sheets eased off, her long sweeps run out, and away she went
dead before the wind, at a rate which Tompion saw would give his me