o purpose; there it stuck, with the squall
rushing down upon them like a race-horse.

"Cast off the tack, Tom, and let the sail fly!" shouted George, and the
lad had scarcely time to obey the order when the squall burst furiously
upon them. The sail streamed out in the wind like a great banner from
the top of the mast, lashing furiously, and shaking the boat to her
keel. The crazy craft careened gunwale-to, notwithstanding that George
had put his helm promptly up, and in another moment she would
undoubtedly have gone over with them; but just as the water was
beginning to pour in over the gunwale, _crack_! went the mast and the
thwart with it over the side. The boat was nearly half full of water,
and in their anxiety to free her, and get her before the wind, the mast
and sail parted company from the boat, and they never saw them again.

The squall lasted about five minutes, and then passed off, leaving only
a gentle breeze behind it. As soon as this was the case, they had a
look round for the strange sail, and made her out--a topsail-schooner--
about a mile and a half distant. George saw that there was still a
chance for them, so they out oars and pulled vigorously. All was going
well, when, to their intense surprise, the craft, after approaching to
within little more than a quarter of a mile of them, suddenly put up her
helm, and, wearing round, stood away upon a south-westerly course. With
one accord George and Tom started to their feet and shouted lustily and
repeatedly, "Ship ahoy! _Ship ahoy_! Ship ahoy!" until their throats
were so strained that their voices failed them, and they became unable
to utter another sound. It was all to no purpose; their cries attracted
not the slightest notice; the schooner ran rapidly away from them and at
last George in despair laid in his oar, flung himself down in the
sternsheets, and covered his eyes with his hands, to shut out the
tantalising sight.

Half an hour afterwards the reason for this extraordinary conduct on the
part of the schooner became apparent, the upper canvas of a large ship
under a heavy press of sail appearing in the south-east quarter. That
this ship was a man-o'-war was evident at a glance, from the cut of her
sails; and the course which she was steering, together with her large
spread of canvas, showed that she was in pursuit of the schooner.

The first impulse of those in the boat was to out oars and pull toward
her, but five minutes' work suff