"Here, lad," sang out Job, as he put the single iron shot in at the
muzzle, "take one o' the wet blankets out o' yon tub an' stand by to
fight sparks." Jeremy did as he was bid, then got out of the way as the
ports were flung open and the guns run forward, with their evil bronze
noses thrust out into the sunlight.

The sloop, running swiftly with the wind abeam, had now drawn abreast of
her unwieldy adversary. The merchant captain, apparently, finding
himself out-speeded and being unable to spare his gun crews to trim
sails, had put the head of his ship into the wind, where she stood, with
canvas flapping, her bows offering a steady mark to the pirate.

"Ready a port broadside!" came Bonnet's ringing order, and then--"Fire!"
Job Howland's blazing match went to the touch-hole at the word and his
six-pounder, roaring merrily, jumped back two good feet against the
straining ropes of the tackle. Instantly the next gun spoke and the next
and so on, all five in a space of a bare ten seconds. Had they been
fired simultaneously they might have shaken the ship to pieces. Jeremy
was half-deafened, and his whole body was jarred. Thick black smoke hung
in the alleyway, for the ports had been closed in order to reload in
greater safety. The boy felt the deck heel to starboard under him and
thought at first that a shot had caught them under the waterline, but
when he was sent above to find out whether the broadside had taken
effect, he found that the sloop had come about and was already driving
north still to windward of the enemy. Bonnet was giving his gunners more
time to load by running back and forth and using his batteries
alternately. Herriot had the tiller and in response to Jeremy's question
he pointed to the fluttering rags of the brig's foresail and the smoke
that issued from a splintered hole under her bow chains.

Below in the gun deck the buccaneers, sweating by their pieces, heard
the news with cheers. The sloop shook to the jarring report of the
starboard battery a moment later, and hardly had it ceased when she came
about on the other tack. "Hurrah," cried Job's mates, "we'll show him
this time! Wind an' water--wind an' water!"

The open traps showed the green seas swirling past close below, and off
across the swells the tall side of the merchantman swaying in the trough
of the waves. "Ready!" came the order and every gunner jumped to the
breach, match in hand. Before the command came to fire there was a crash
of s