sailing master issued these orders Dick signed to the helmsman,
who thereupon thrust the ponderous tiller hard down, and the
_Adventure_, answering her helm perfectly, swept round in a short curve
and went gliding up on the starboard side of the galleon.

"Now, gunners all, let fly your ordnance!" roared Bascomb, drawing his
sword. And as the bright blade flashed in the air the English
artillery, loaded with round, bar, and chain shot, musket balls, spike
nails, and every kind of missile that the men had been able to lay hands
upon, were discharged when the two vessels were scarcely a fathom apart,
and the Spanish ship's upper deck instantly became a shambles, scarcely
a man remaining uninjured upon it.

"Throw your grapnels," shouted Bascomb, "and then let every man follow
me aboard the Spaniard." As he spoke the _Adventure_ crashed alongside
the galleon, there was a sound of ripping and rending timber, and a
heavy rebound; and then, as the two ships rolled toward each other after
the rebound the English crew went swarming over their own bulwarks and
down upon the Spanish deck, where they found scarcely half a dozen men
to oppose them. But at the head of them stood a very magnificent
looking personage in full armour, whom Bascomb took to be the captain of
the ship.

"Do you surrender, senor?" demanded Bascomb, speaking in English for the
very good reason that he "had" no Spanish.

It is probable that the Spaniard was as destitute of English as Master
William Bascomb was of Spanish; but there is a language of intonation
and gesture as well as of words, and doubtless that of the Englishman
was intelligible enough, for the Spaniard, by way of reply, grasped his
sword by the point and offered it to the sturdy Devonshire seaman who
confronted him, and who accepted it with a very fair imitation of the
bow with which the Spaniard had tendered it.

"That's well, so far," commented Bascomb. "Now"--looking about him and
noticing Dick standing near, grasping his iron bar--"that ends the
trouble up here. But what about down below, Mr Chichester? You had
better take a dozen men and this gentleman down with you; and perhaps he
will explain to those of his people who are on the main deck that he has
surrendered. If they will lay down their arms, well and good; if they
won't--well, you will just have to make 'em, that's all. Now go; and
report to me here when you've gained complete possession of the ship."

Dick took hi