oadside if the schooner was not here.'

In an hour after dark the _Avenger_ was close to the frigate, having
steered directly for her. She shortened sail gradually, as if she had
few hands on board; and, keeping his men out of sight, Cain ran under
the stern of the frigate.

'Schooner ahoy! What schooner is that?'

'_Eliza_ of Baltimore, from Carthagena,' replied Cain, rounding to under
the lee of the man-of-war, and then continuing: 'That vessel in chase is
a pirate. Shall I send a boat on board?'

'No; keep company with us.'

'Ay, ay, sir,' replied Cain.

'Hands about ship!' now resounded with the boatswain's whistle on board
of the frigate, and in a minute they were on the other tack. The
_Avenger_ also tacked and kept close under the frigate's counter.

In the meantime Edward Templemore and those on board of the
_Enterprise_, who, by the course steered, had gradually neared them,
perceiving the motions of the two other vessels, were quite puzzled. At
one time they thought they had made a mistake, and that it was not the
pirate vessel; at another they surmised that the crew had mutinied and
surrendered to the frigate. Edward hauled his wind, and steered directly
for them, to ascertain what the real facts were. The captain of the
frigate, who had never lost sight of either vessel, was equally
astonished at the boldness of the supposed pirate.

'Surely the rascal does not intend to board us?' said he to the first
lieutenant.

'There is no saying, sir; you know what a character he has; and some
say there are three hundred men on board, which is equal to our ship's
company. Or perhaps, sir, he will pass to windward of us, and give us a
broadside, and be off in the wind's eye again.'

'At all events we will have a broadside ready for him,' replied the
captain. 'Clear away the starboard guns, and take out the tompions. Pipe
starboard watch to quarters.'

The _Enterprise_ closed with the frigate to windward, intending to run
round her stern and bring to on the same tack.

'He does not shorten sail yet, sir,' said the first lieutenant, as the
schooner appeared skimming along about a cable's length on their weather
bow.

'And she is full of men, sir,' said the master, looking at her through
the night-glass.

'Fire a gun at her!' said the captain.

Bang! The smoke cleared away, and the schooner's foretopsail, which she
was in the act of clewing up, lay over her side. The shot had struck the
foremast of the