"You understand, Burgess?" said the former sternly. "You will keep a
sharp eye on us, and I'll keep one on you. It must be a case of the one
helping the other who is pressed."

The mate grunted, and the skipper spoke out to his men.

"Look here, my lads," he said; "we are not at war, and I want no
bloodshed. Use your capstan-bars as hard as you like, and tumble them
back into their boats, or overboard. No cutlass, edge or point, unless
I give the word."

The answer was a cheer, and then all eyes were directed to the boats,
which were coming faster through the water now, till, at a command from
the foremost stern-sheets, the men slackened and waited for their
consort to come up abreast.

Another command was given, when the oars dipped faster all together, the
boats dividing so as to take the schooner starboard and port.

"Not going to summon us to surrender?" said the skipper sharply. "Very
well; but I think we shall make them speak."

The two boys stood together in the stern, close to the wheel, seeing the
boats divide and pass them on either hand; and then with hearts
throbbing they waited for what was to come--and not for long.

Matters moved quickly now, till the boats bumped and grazed against the
schooner's sides, two sharp orders rang out as their coxswains hooked
on, and then with a strange snarling roar their crews began to scramble
up to the bulwarks, and with very bad success. They had not far to go,
for the schooner's bulwarks were very low for a sea-going vessel, but
here was the main defence, the nets fully ten feet high and very
strong--a defence suggestive of the old gladiatorial fight between the
Retiarius, or net and trident-bearer, and the Secutor, or sword and
shield-carrying man-at-arms.

There was no firing then; the Spaniards seized the net and began to
climb, some becoming entangled, as in their hurry a leg or an arm
slipped through, while the defenders dashed at them and brought their
capstan-bars into use, crack and thud resounding, sending some back upon
their companions, others into the boats, while three or four splashes
announced the fall of unfortunates into the water.

Loud shouts came from the boats as the officers urged the men on, and
from each an officer in uniform began to climb now and lead, followed by
quite a crowd on either side, some of them hacking at the stout cord
with their cutlasses, but doing little mischief, crippled as they were
by the sharp blows which we