cheer of exultation.

"Hurrah!" he yelled; "bravo, Thompson! well shot--clean through his
topsail, and a near shave of clipping the topmast out of her."

We presently fired again, this time cutting the royal stunsail sheet and
setting the sail violently flapping, with the result that it had to be
taken in before the sheet could be spliced. But we were not to be
allowed to have matters all our own way very much longer, for while we
were reloading the long gun a jet of flame, followed by a puff of white
smoke, like a little wad of white cotton wool, suddenly leaped from the
brigantine's stern port, and a 9-pound shot came whistling overhead,
neatly bringing down our fore topgallant-mast, with all attached, on its
way. We were now in a very pretty pickle, forward, for it was our wings
that were clipped, much more effectually than we had clipped those of
the chase; and now, too, the commodore came romping up to us, hand over
hand. We were, however, not yet beaten, by a long way, and while a good
strong gang was at once sent aloft to clear away the wreck, we on deck
kept up a brisk and persistent fire upon the chase with our long gun.
But whether it was that Thompson's hand had lost its cunning, or that
the flapping and banging of the wreckage overhead disconcerted him and
spoiled his aim, certain it is that we made no more hits just then.

By the time that our wreckage had been cleared away, and everything made
snug aloft once more, the commodore had forged ahead of us, and had
begun to open fire, the brigantine returning his fire briskly from one
stern port while she peppered us from the other. And presently a
further misfortune, and this time a very serious one, overtook us, it
happening that we both fired at the same instant, and while our shot
clipped off the brigantine's topmast-studding-sail boom like a carrot,
close in by the boom-iron, his shot passed through our topsail, so
severely wounding the topmast on its way that, before anything could be
done to save the spar, it snapped short off about half-way up its
length; and there we were again, hampered with a further lot of wreckage
to clear away.

Meanwhile the commodore, profiting by the damage that we had inflicted
upon the brigantine, rapidly overhauled her. The two craft maintained a
brisk fire upon each other until, the _Dona Inez_ having ranged up
alongside the chase, they both took in their studding-sails and went at
it, hammer and tongs, broadside t