l show 'em all!
Blackbeard and all the rest! He, he, he!" and his voice trailed off in
crazy laughter. The men of the crew stood about him on the brig's deck
dumbfounded by his words. Jeremy could hardly breathe in his surprise.
Suddenly he gave a start and would have cried out but that Job Howland's
hand closed his mouth. A swiftly widening lane of water separated the
sloop from her late enemy.

CHAPTER IX

As she cleared the side of the waterlogged merchantman, the _Royal
James_ began to move. Her sails which had been left flapping during the
close fighting, now filled with a bang and she went away smartly on the
starboard tack. Job had dragged Jeremy aft and the two were huddled at
the tiller, partially screened by the mainsail, when a howl of
consternation broke out aboard the brig. Few if any of the firearms were
still loaded, or they might have been shot to death, out of hand. As it
was, the sloop had drawn away to a distance of nearly a quarter of a
mile before any effort was made to stop her.

Then a single cannon roared and a round shot whizzed by along the tops
of the waves. When the next report came, Jeremy could see the splash
fall far astern. They were out of range.

The two runaways now felt comparatively safe. It was certain that the
brig was too badly damaged to give chase even if she could keep afloat.
Jeremy felt a momentary pang at the thought of leaving even that
graceless crowd in such jeopardy, but he remembered that they had the
brig's boats in which to leave the hulk, and his own present danger
soon gave him enough to occupy him.

Job lashed the tiller and going to the lanyard at the mainmast, hauled
down the black flag. Then they both set to work cleaning up the deck.
The three dead men were given sea burial--slipped overboard without
other ceremony than the short prayer for each which Jeremy repeated. The
gunner who lay in agony in his berth had his wound bound up and was
given a sip of brandy. Then the lank New Englander went below to get a
meal, while Jeremy sluiced the gun decks with sea water.

Night was falling when Job reappeared on deck with biscuit and beans and
some preserves out of the Captain's locker. There was little appetite in
Jeremy after what he had witnessed that day, but his tall friend ate his
supper with a relish and seemed quite elated at the prospect of the
voyage to shore. He filled a clay pipe after the meal and smoked
meditatively awhile, then addressed