ed, and the ship closehauled was
headed up towards the coast. How far off we were I could not tell, but
Tubbs told me he should not consider that we were less than a hundred
miles, perhaps more.

"So far that's satisfactory. It is possible that the `Rover' may
overtake us," I observed.

"If she finds out the course we have steered, sir; but we had run
seventy or eighty miles at least before she was likely to discover the
trick the pirates played her. Besides, to tell you the truth, I'd
rather she didn't overtake us. The fellows on board would fight with
ropes round their necks, and they would not give in as long as a plank
held together, and then we should have to go down with them. I would
rather run the chance of getting on shore and making our escape
afterwards."

I at once agreed with him, and we made up our minds that it would be
well for us to get out of the ship without the risk of another battle.
The mate, I observed, remained on deck, issuing all the necessary
orders; the boatswain of the "Vulture" and one of the man-of-war's men,
with one of the mutineers, acting as his subordinates. He ordered Harry
and me about, treating us like the common seamen, and if we were not as
smart as he wished us to be, he sent the boatswain or the mutineer from
the "Rover" with a rope's end to start us. Tubbs at once fell into his
ordinary duty of boatswain. The mate, it appeared to me, wished to win
him over, and always spoke civilly to him, although he was not very
particular in regard to his language when he addressed us. The evening
was drawing in, we had been on deck all day. I was, of course, very
anxious to know how it fared with poor Charley, who was kept a prisoner
below. Whenever Harry or I attempted to leave the deck, the mate called
us back and told us to attend to our duty. We got some food, however,
for the cook, a good-natured black fellow, gave us some at the caboose,
or we should have starved. Still, it was much better than being shut up
in the dark hold, and, of course, we wished to avoid being sent below to
our former place of confinement. I saw some messes of soup and porridge
being cooked and carried into the cabin, and I concluded, therefore,
that Lieutenant Hallton and Charley would be fed. Harry and I agreed
that it would be wiser for us to obey the orders of the mate as long as
he thought fit to issue them.

"I shall go and lie down in the cabin," said Harry to me. "I can but be
sent