her!"

From the prisoners he learned, also, that she not only carried sixteen
guns, full as heavy as those of the _Rover_, but a crew of not less than
a hundred and fifty men. The ship and brig having prize crews put on
board them, were sent back to Jamaica, and the _Rover_ continued her
chase of the schooner. She kept her in sight, running to the southward,
till Sir Henry felt satisfied that the vessels he had recaptured were
safe, and then, night coming on, she was hid from sight.

When morning broke not a sail was to be seen. Soon after noon, however,
land was discovered ahead, and in an hour afterwards a schooner hove in
sight. As the _Rover_ drew near, she hoisted Spanish colours, and,
evidently soon suspecting the brig's character, put up her helm, and ran
before the wind towards the coast.

It was soon seen that she was not the privateer they were in search of.
On she went, till she ran right on shore. The _Rover_ on this,
shortening sail, hauled her wind, and two boats being lowered, under
command of Mr Nott, True Blue having charge of one of them, pulled in
to ascertain whether she could be got off. The Spaniards, as they
approached, fired a volley at them, and then, abandoning the vessel,
pulled through the surf on shore. The schooner was immediately boarded,
set on fire in every direction; and the English, driving the Spaniards
from the boat, waited till she burned to the water's edge, and the sea,
breaking over her, extinguished the flames.

This necessary though unsatisfactory work having been accomplished, the
_Rover_ made sail along the coast.

Two days afterwards, as she lay becalmed under the land, a schooner,
having long sweeps at work, and three gunboats, were seen making for the
_Rover_. The schooner was large, full of men, and carried a number of
guns, and with the aid of the gunboats, should the calm continue, would,
it was very evident, prove a formidable opponent to the English brig.
Still, as usual, her crew were eager for battle; and as they went to
their guns, they laughed and cut their jokes as heartily as ever. Of
course, Gipples came in for his ordinary share of quizzing. Fid was the
chief quizzer; but he had got several others to join him in making a
butt of Gregory.

"I say, mates, did you ever hear what the savages on that shore out
there do when they take any prisoners?" he began, winking to some of his
shipmates. "They cuts them up just like sheep, and eats them. I'