irl, speak?" cried Fleetwood, with feelings
which no words can in any degree express.

"Oh! I don't know, signor," answered the Maltese girl, weeping with
fright and agitation, increased by the tone of his voice. "Down through
the door, signor, she and Signora Nina."

"But, my girl, did they neither speak nor say where they were going?"
asked Fleetwood.

"Oh! yes, yes. They said the _Sea Hawk_,--the _Sea Hawk_. They will
escape. Oh, Mother of Heaven! have mercy on us," replied Marianna,
through her tears.

"Enough. Down the ravine, my men. Follow me," shouted Fleetwood, as he
rushed down the steps. "Colonel, do you remain at this tower, and
prevent the pirates entering, if any rally."

At the bottom he fortunately met Dawson, the first lieutenant of the
_Vesta_, and second in command.

"Dawson," he exclaimed, "take charge of the high ground with half our
men, and clear the point there of those fellows firing down on the
harbour. The first division follow me: on, my men!"

Uttering these words, he led the way to the path winding down the
ravine, followed eagerly by seventy or eighty of the blue jackets. As
may be supposed, he flew rather than ran, and even Tommy Small could
scarcely keep up with him. He had too good a cause to know the path,
every turning of which he had noted with the greatest care, so he had no
fear of missing his way. As he went on, he found the wind blowing
strongly down the ravine; and this circumstance showed him, to his
sorrow, that the _Sea Hawk_ would have no difficulty in running out of
the harbour, if the _Ypsilante_ did not prevent her. Still the pirate
could only have had a short start of him. All he could do was to shout,
"On, on," and to wish, though in vain, that he could move faster.

He might yet reach the shore, even before the boats could shove off, and
Ada might be rescued. This thought supported him. The wind rapidly
increased, and its howl was heard even above the shouts of his
followers. At length he reached the shores of the bay; he rushed to the
edge; he could distinguish some boats floating on the surface of the
water, and further on, there was a sound as if men were engaged in
shoving others into it; yet he dared not allow any one to fire, for he
could not tell what boat might contain his Ada. He led on his party in
that direction. The pirates had seen him, and defended themselves
bravely. Some sacrificed themselves while their comrades were escapi