that
gathered forward, Wilkinson and the gunner that aft. Nine men were told
off for the capture of the boats, for, as Edgar pointed out, when the
pirates found that they were caught in a trap, a good many of them might
leap overboard and try to get into the boats, and it might need fully
three men to keep them off.

"Now, lads, you understand," Wilkinson said, as the parties were about
to take up their places, "you must crouch down and keep yourselves
perfectly quiet until the word is given; it is important to get them all
on board. When they see no one on deck they will think that the one or
two men who might be on the watch have run below. You can use your
pistols freely when the fighting once begins. When the fellows find that
they are trapped, they are likely enough to fight hard, and I don't want
to lose any men. Keep your cutlasses in readiness, but trust principally
to your boarding-pikes."

The boats were but four or five hundred yards away when the crew of the
_Tigress_ took up their position. A minute later one of the men in the
bow shouted suddenly:

"There are boats coming!--quick, on deck!--pirates! pirates!"

Then four or five men down in the forecastle also shouted, ran up on
deck, and then, with cries of alarm, ran below again, and then, but
quietly this time, joined their comrades, who were crouching as closely
together as possible forward of the bitts. There was a roar of voices
from the boats. They could hear the oars plied desperately; then closely
following this came three bumps against the side of the brig, and,
clambering up the chains, the pirates poured tumultuously upon the deck,
breaking into a shout of triumph as they met with no resistance. There
was a pause of astonishment as the guns were seen; then their leader
shouted that these could be but dummies, intended to run out and
frighten people in the daytime.

"Down below, men!" one shouted; "finish with them first; it will be time
to talk afterwards."

One of the Turks, who spoke a little French, crouching by the side of
Wilkinson, translated his words. Some of the pirates rushed towards the
forecastle, others aft to the cabins, where they would find the
officers. Then some figures crawled out from below the tarpaulins that
were loosely thrown over the guns, looked over the rail, and then sprang
down into the boats, which were entirely deserted. As they did so there
was a shout from Wilkinson; it was answered by Edgar, and then
fi