hink he still sleeps; you must have
imagined it, Alvarez."

The glitter came again into the eyes of the latter, as he replied: "de
Soto, my imagination is not--" when suddenly the roar of cannonading
again commenced, drowning the remainder of the sentence. Then came a
shock that made the stately vessel reel throughout the whole of her
massive fabric. There was a rending and grinding of timber, and a
frightful crash on deck announced that one of the masts had come down.

Roger heard distant cheers, and knew that his prognostication that the
end had not yet come was correct. Evidently the English had repeated
the manoeuvre that they had so successfully practised earlier in the
day, and laid their ships alongside once more. Musketry, pistol-shots,
shouts, groans, the clash of steel, a perfect medley of sound floated
down from the deck above and through the open cabin-door.

"Quick, Alvarez, on deck!" roared de Soto, plunging out of the cabin;
"the English have laid us aboard, and will have the ship if we are not
careful!"

Alvarez was in nowise behindhand. Snatching his sword from its sheath,
and clutching a pistol from the table as he went, he followed de Soto on
deck.

Roger attempted to get out of his bunk, with the idea of joining his
friends on deck and taking part in the fight, but he fell back on his
mattress, weak and giddy from the attempt. What would he not give to be
able to go on deck at this moment! but he could not stir for the reeling
giddiness of his head; he felt that to attempt to rise would but result
in his falling insensible to the floor of the cabin; and he could but
lie still and listen to the turmoil raging above his head.

The din was terrific; now came triumphant shouts in English, and Roger
could picture to himself the bravo fellows rushing the Spaniards
pell-mell across their own decks and into the water, or below; and again
the tide of battle seemed to turn, and the English to be getting the
worst of it.

Oh, maddening thought, that he was helplessly imprisoned here, unable to
take part in the brave doings that were being wrought above! Little by
little the shouts and fierce cries died away. "Who had won?"
conjectured Roger to himself.

There was a clatter of running feet in the passage leading to the cabin,
and the man Alvarez, with a hunted look of terror in his face, clashed
into the apartment. He burrowed hastily among the papers in the open
drawer that Roger had noticed