ance the slave-schooner may give her."

Soon after Dicky Popo had made his appearance on deck, night came on.
Notwithstanding the preparations the pirates had been making for their
defence, the commander expressed his opinion that they might try to slip
by us and get out to sea during the darkness, rather than wait our
attack in the river. A sharp look-out was therefore kept, the anchor
was hove short, and the watch below lay down on deck, so as to be ready
to make sail at a moment's notice. A boat was also sent some way ahead
to row guard, and bring us early information should either of the
vessels be seen coming down. We knew, of course, that the pirates were
aware of our exact position, but they could not tell that a boat was
also watching for them.

The greater part of the night passed by quietly. The middle watch had
nearly come to an end when the boat's oars were heard, and she shortly
after dashed up alongside. "The ship is coming down, and will be
abreast of us in a few minutes," said the officer in command. "She was
shortening sail when we caught sight of her, and she hopes to escape
being seen by dropping past us under bare poles."

On hearing this, the captain gave the order to make sail; and slipping
our cable with a buoy to it, so that we might easily pick it up, we
stood towards the centre of the river. In another minute we caught
sight of the tall masts of the pirate, gliding down with the current,
not many cable-lengths off. It was impossible for her to return; and
should she bring up, we might sail round her and fire at her at our
leisure. On discovering us (which she must have done some time before,
as we, being under sail, must have been seen before we could make her
out), she had begun to set her canvas. That availed her but little,
however, as we now had her within range of our guns; which, the captain
giving the order, began firing away as rapidly as they could be run in
and loaded. She immediately fired in return from her foremost guns, the
only ones which for some minutes could be brought to bear on us, as we
were, it will be understood, standing across the river directly ahead of
her. Her sails being let fall, she soon got abreast of us; when we went
about, and passing directly under her stern, so closely that I thought
we were going to run her aboard, fired the whole of our broadside into
her; we during the operation having received only two or three shots,
which did no material d