ady to respond to the proposal. The two other boats
boarded on the starboard side, amid a hot fire of langrage of all sorts
poured down upon them. Hemming pulled up on the port bow, sprang up the
side, and soon fought his way upon deck. Jack and Adair were climbing
in at one of the ports when the pirates fired the gun through it
directly over their heads.

"Come on, Paddy, come on," Jack sang out; but Adair had been knocked
over into the bottom of the boat.

Happily, however, he was only kilt, as the Irish say; so he clambered up
again, and quickly followed his friend, accompanied by Dick Needham, who
had joined the _Ranger_, and another seaman.

Fortunate it was for the midshipmen that they had so stout and true a
seaman as Dick Needham as their companion; for they encountered a
desperate resistance from the pirates, and were instantly engaged in
furious hand-to-hand combats. Meantime, so surrounded were they by
their enemies, that they could not tell what had become of the rest of
their shipmates. More than once they were nearly driven back through
the port by which they had entered. Jack saved Adair from an ugly cut
on the head, and Adair in return saved Jack from being run through the
body, by cutting down the pirate who was making the attempt to do it.
Both of them, as well as Dick Needham, were nearly exhausted, and poor
Tom Bowles, their companion, had received a wound which brought him to
the deck, when Hemming's voice was heard above their heads, and he
leaped down from the forecastle, off which he had driven the enemy.
With loud cheers he led on his men; the pirates gave way before them.
Then Lieutenant Collard and Randall were seen fighting their way from
aft. The pirates looked about them, and seeing enemies on every side,
gave way, some leaping below, and some throwing themselves overboard.
Fully a dozen pirates were killed, and a still greater number were
wounded. Many did not even ask for quarter. Others threw themselves on
their knees, as their captors followed them below, and entreated that
their lives might be spared. The victory was not gained without loss.
A marine and two seamen were killed and five were wounded, a large
proportion out of the number composing the expedition. No sooner were
the decks cleared than a terrific howl was heard from below. Mr
Hemming rushed to the hold; just at that moment a whole host of negroes
were seen emerging from it. He was barely in time to drive the