as to
concentrate their fire on a point at about fifty yards' distance."

At this moment our Long Tom spoke again, and the next instant a loud
cheer broke from our lads, for the shot had taken the brig's fore-
topmast just below the sheave of the topsail-tye, and away went the
fore-topsail, topgallant-sail, and royal over to leeward, while the
flying and standing jibs and the fore-topmast staysail collapsed and
drooped into the water under her forefoot, with the result that she
instantly shot up into the wind.

"Well done, Thompson!" I cried. "That will do with the long gun. Now
stand by the starboard battery, and, as we pass under her stern, slap
the whole broadside into her."

The pirates, if such indeed they were, for the brig showed no colours,
proved themselves to be a remarkably smart crew, for the wreckage had
scarcely fallen when her fore-rigging and jib-boom were alive with men
laying out and aloft to clear away the wreck. The Indiaman was now
safe, for she would be away out of sight long before the brig could
repair damages sufficiently to resume the pursuit, and if the skipper of
the ship were as smart as he ought to be it would be his own fault if he
allowed the brig to find him again. But I wished to make assurance
doubly sure, and therefore, as we swept close past the disabled craft,
at the imminent risk of being dismasted by her broadside, which,
however, her people were too busy to fire, we slapped our starboard
broadside right into her stern, with the extremely satisfactory result
that a moment later her mainmast tottered and, with all attached, fell
over the side, while the screams of the wounded rent the air. We must
have punished her very severely indeed, for all that we got in reply was
one solitary gun fired out of her stern port, which did no damage; and a
quarter of an hour later we were out of her reach and not a ropeyarn the
worse for our encounter. But I took very particular notice of the brig
while we were near her, and although she was differently painted, having
nothing now in the way of colour to relieve her jet-black sides save a
narrow scarlet ribbon, I could almost have sworn that she was the
identical brig that had destroyed the _Dolores_.

We made the island of Barbados shortly before noon on the following day,
and passed its southern extremity, soon after four bells in the
afternoon watch, at the distance of about a mile, getting a peep into
Carlisle Bay as we swept past