ove_ was able to keep up with
us, but now we left her far astern. Before we parted company, however,
the captain signalised her where to meet him. I forgot to say that for
some time we did not know the name of the pirate chief, but at last we
heard him called Captain Bruno. Though this name had a foreign sound,
he was, as I have before said, either an Englishman or an American. The
schooner was called the _Hawk_, and she was not ill named.

As we drew near the ship we ran up English colours, while in return, up
went at her peak the stars and stripes of the United States. On we
stood. The ship, so Jerry and I concluded, did not suspect the
character of the schooner, for she made no attempt to escape us, but
appeared as if those on board expected a friendly greeting. I observed
Captain Bruno very frequently turn his telescope towards the stranger,
and examine her narrowly. The officers, too, began to talk to each
other, and look suspiciously at her. I asked Mr McRitchie, who was
near us, whether he thought the pirates would attack the ship and murder
the crew, as we believed they had done that of the brig.

"I dread something terrible, but I have very little apprehension for the
fate of the people on board the ship," he answered, in a low tone. "In
my opinion, the pirates will find that they have caught a tartar. Mark
me--yonder craft is no merchantman, but a ship of war, either American
or English, or perhaps Chilian. I should not be surprised to find that
she is on the watch for our friends here. Scarcely do I know what to
wish. If they fight at all, they will fight desperately, and we shall
run as great a chance of being killed as they will--though, if they are
captured, we may regain our liberty. If, on the other hand, they
escape, our captivity will be prolonged."

"But if yonder ship prove to be what you suppose, and the schooner is
captured, perhaps we may be hung as pirates," said Jerry. "How can we
prove that we are honest people?"

"There will be but little difficulty about that," answered Mr
McRitchie. "The pirates themselves will acknowledge that we have been
brought on board against our will, and the account we can give of
ourselves is too circumstantial not to gain credit. At all events, we
must hope for the best. But see, Captain Bruno at last suspects that
something is wrong."

We had by this time got almost within the ordinary range of a ship's
guns. Suddenly the captain sprang to