nd true in the strong breeze.

"God! A sloop of war!" exclaimed the captain. "About, Carlos! Put her
about!"

But the sloop yawed quickly, her portholes opened, bronze muzzles
appeared, tampions fell away, and a tremendous voice shouted:

"Fire!"

Robert saw a sheet of flame spring from the side of the sloop, there was
a terrific crash, a dizzying column of smoke and the schooner seemed
fairly to leap from the water, as the broadside swept her decks and tore
her timbers. The surly mate was cut squarely in two by a round shot, men
screaming in rage and pain went down and the captain staggered, but
recovered himself. Then he shouted to the steersman to put the schooner
about and rushing among the sailors he ordered them to another task than
that of boarding.

"It was a trick, and it trapped us most damnably!" he cried. "A fool I
was! Fools we must all have been to have been caught by it! They lured
us on! But now, you rascals, to your work, and it's for your lives! We
escape together or we hang together!"

The night had darkened much, clouds trailing before the moon and stars,
but Robert clearly saw the slaver's face. It was transformed by chagrin
and wrath, though it expressed fierce energy, too. Blood was running
from his shoulder down his left arm, but drawing his sword he fairly
herded the men to the sails; that is, to those that were left. The
helmsman put the shattered schooner about and she drove rapidly on a new
course. But the sloop of war, tacking, let go her other broadside.

Robert anticipated the second discharge, and by impulse rather than
reason threw himself flat upon the deck, where he heard the heavy shot
whistling over his head and the cries of those who were struck down.
Spars and rigging, too, came clattering to the deck, but the masts stood
and the schooner, though hit hard, still made way.

"Steady! Keep her steady, my boys!" shouted the captain. "We've still a
clean pair of heels, and with a little luck we'll lose the sloop in the
darkness!"

He was a superb seaman and the rising wind helped him. The wounded
schooner had gained so much that the third broadside did but little
damage and killed only one man. Robert stood up again and looked back at
the pursuing vessel, her decks covered with men in uniform, the gunners
loading rapidly while over the sloop the flag of England that was then
the flag of his own country too, streamed straight out in the wind,
proud and defiant.

He felt a th