rass
gun to draw our attention. Don't fire again, Mr Black, it is not
necessary, and will disturb Mr Linton, but burn a blue light--it will
prevent their going out of their course, for it will be some time before
they will otherwise be able to distinguish us."

The gunner had the blue light already, expecting to be called on to use
it, and the next instant a lurid glare illumined the whole ship; the
sails, the spars, and the countenances of the people, all assumed a
sepulchral hue, which gave her the appearance of some phantom bark, such
as has appeared to the excited imagination of many a seaman in his
wandering through those distant and torrid climes, whose pestilential
vapours, rising from the overteeming earth, fever his blood and cut
short his span of life.

It had scarcely done burning before another gun was fired; but whether
as a signal, or for any other reason, it was, at first, impossible to
say, till several others followed in rapid succession.

"It must be a summons to us," observed the first lieutenant to the
master. "Fill the fore-topsail, and let fall the fore-sail--we will, at
all events, stand on as close as we can to them."

The breeze, which sent the _Ione_ along, was very light, so that some
time elapsed before she neared the spot whence the firing had been
supposed to proceed. Saltwell was on the point of ordering another blue
light to be burned, when a loud hail was heard, and, directly
afterwards, the boats were seen approaching as fast as the weary crews
could send them through the water.

"Has Mr Linton got back alive?" were the first words heard spoken by
Tompion.

"Yes--yes, all right," was the answer.

"Thank Heaven for that!" he exclaimed; and, as soon as the cutter ran
alongside, he jumped on deck and went aft to report himself as come on
board.

"I hope you do not think that I have done wrong, sir," he said, when he
had finished his account of what had occurred. "I fully thought we
should capture the mistico, and I could not tell but what some of our
friends had been taken on board her."

"No, Mr Tompion, I have no reason to find fault with your behaviour.
As far as I can judge, you showed judgment and gallantry, which, in an
officer, it is all important should always be combined. And, at all
events, you have got clear out of the scrape, though you certainly ran a
great risk of being captured."

"Well, sir, I am very glad you approve of what I have done," answered
Tompio