from that of the lugger, but paying no heed to the gun.

Both boats gave up now, for the wind had caught the cutter once more,
and she was gliding up to them. There was a short delay as she got both
her boats on board, but she was paying attentions to lugger and schooner
all the time, sending steadily shot after shot at each, till the
schooner tacked out to get round the southern point of the island; and
then, as the cutter crowded on all sail, her bow guns were both trimmed
to bear upon the lugger, and shot after shot came whistling overhead.

It was nervous work at first, but after the first few shots the
excitement took away all sense of fear, and the two boys watched the
effect of the balls, as now and then one tore through the rigging.

The schooner was going at a tremendous rate, and her escape seemed
certain; so the lieutenant in command of the cutter devoted all his
attention to the lugger, which sailed rapidly on, first overtaking Joe
Daygo's boat, which lay half a mile away, and rapidly leaving the cutter
behind.

Twice over the Frenchman had the after guns turned ready for a shot at
his pursuer; but the lugger was going so swiftly that there was no need
to use them to try and cripple the cutter's sails, and so make the
offence deadly by firing upon His Majesty's ship. Hence the hot irons
remained in the fire ready for an emergency, one which was not long in
coming, but which proved too great, even for so reckless a man as
Jacques.

For, as they sailed steadily along, gliding rapidly by the island, and
edging off so that they would soon be leaving it behind, the commander
of the cutter, enraged at the apparently certain escape of the expected
prize, and disappointed by the trifling damage done by the firing upon
the lugger's rigging, suddenly changed his tactics, and a shot struck
the starboard bulwark, splintering it for a dozen feet along, and
sending the pieces flying.

This roused the captain's wrath, and, giving a sharp order, he went to
one of the guns, pointing it himself, while one of the men ran up to the
galley where the boys were standing.

"Now, cookie," he cried--"reg'lar hot 'un!" and he whisked a white-hot
bar from the stove. "Here, youngsters, skipper says you're to go
below."

He ran aft with the bar, scintillating faintly in the sunlight, and
handed it to the captain, who bent down once more to take aim,
when--_crash_!--a shot struck the stern between wind and water, after
ricoc