ng up
in the gig, he ordered the other boats to separate, so that the
Josephine could not capture them all at once. He directed the first
cutter to pull to the north-west, while the gig went to the south-west,
and the second and third cutters were to take intermediate points. The
Josephine was headed to the north-west, with the evident intention of
getting between the boats and the shore. The second cutter would
therefore be her first victim; and Perth hoped that, by the time she
had picked up the other three boats, his own would be in shoal water,
where a schooner of her tonnage could not come.

Little was in command of the first cutter. He obeyed the order of
Perth, though he saw it would be a losing game for his boat. In less
than half an hour the Josephine came up with him. The wind was due
east, which gave the vessel every advantage, and she came about under
the lee of the cutter.

"Hold water! Back her!" shouted Little, who had prepared his plan of
operations, and intended to pull dead to windward of her, so that she
would have to go in stays before she could come up with the boat again.

Peaks spoiled his plan by throwing a boat grapnel into the fore-sheets
of the cutter, and hauling her alongside of the Josephine as her sails
shook in the wind. Cleats dropped into the boat, and, leaping aft,
seized Little by the collar. Gage followed him, and ten of the runaways
were captured. Mr. Fluxion ordered them on board the vessel, and the
two men in the boat expedited their movements by some rather rough
usage.

The vice-principal said nothing to the discomfited crew of the first
cutter, but gave his orders to chase the second cutter. As the
Josephine approached her, Peaks and Gage, with two of the stewards,
were sent off in the first cutter as the vessel lay to. They grappled
the boat, and as no one thought of resisting Peaks, they were readily
captured, and driven upon the deck of the schooner. The third cutter
was taken with no more difficulty. A few moments later, the Josephine
luffed up under the lee of the gig, having towed the first cutter, in
which the four men were seated, to this position. The boat pulled
towards the runaways. Perth was desperate when he saw how easily he was
to be captured.

"Bat them over the head with your oars, fellows!" shouted he. "Don't
let them take you!"

The oarsmen attempted to obey this order, and to beat off their
pursuers. A brief struggle ensued, in which Perth and Philli