atter; you'll do," Leary commented, and cast another look toward
the open water of the bay where were now twenty-five or thirty small
schooners rounding the headland.

Leary now contemplated the anchor chain of his vessel.

"I hate to lose you, 'specially like this, but--" And without further
word he reduced the chain to one turn of the windlass. "And now let all
hands tuck away under the rail, all but one man to go aloft and look out
for a small white sloop." And he took the wheel, where he was needed,
for the squalls, in full force, were now whistling battle-hymns from
deck to truck.

The fleet of jacks were now to be seen coming on rapidly; but presently,
the squall proving too strong for them, they all came fluttering up into
the wind and began to shorten sail.

"No heaving-to for this one, eh, Tim?" yelled Leary; and putting his
wheel up, and feeling the _Ligonier_ beginning to pay off and the anchor
to drag, he gave the word to slip the cable.

Through the hawse-hole the clanking chain tore swiftly, and away came
the _Ligonier_ like a wild thing. Leary patted the wheel and began to
talk to her:

"Crazy to get away, aren't you? Been laying too long to anchor, yes. No
wonder. And I'll not stint you now--take your fill of it, girl." Which
she did, and with Leary giving her plenty of wheel, through the white
swash she scooped a long, wet rail.

Tim Lacy now came aft. "There they are waitin' for us--an' the joke of
it is, Sammie, we c'n go out the North Passage with a fair wind. They
must 'a' forgot that I was born and brought up in this very bay."

"But we're not goin' out the North Passage, Tim."

"No?"

"No."

"But why? An' it's a beat up by them."

"Well, a beat it'll be. Go for'ard now."

"What'll he be at now?" muttered Tim.

But Leary knew. One eye he had for the approaching fleet and one to the
ledge of rocks toward which the _Ligonier_ was winging. "Some of 'em, by
this time, think we're trying to run away. But they'll know better in a
minute. And now do you, Tim, stand by that old cannon."

She was almost into the rocks then, holding in for the last foot of
clear water; but not for too long did he allow her to run on. Just in
time he tacked, and then it was about and away, for the fleet of native
schooners, who, watching her closely and assured now of her course,
spread out to intercept her. Expert seamen themselves, nowhere did they
leave a space wide enough for a rowboat, let alone a nine