ry junk which carried off the ladies."

"If it's not her, it's as like as one pea is to another," observed the
American skipper. She appeared to be full of men, and numbers came
scrambling up from below. It was evident that the boats were unexpected
visitors. A few shots were fired at the boats. On this Mr Cherry
ordered the sails to be lowered, and the oars being got out, away they
dashed towards the junk, getting ready to fire as they approached.
Scarcely had one discharge been given, than the pirates were seen to be
making their escape from the junk. Some were lowering themselves into
the boats which hung alongside, and others were leaping into the water
to swim on shore. The nearer the British drew, the more violent were
the attempts the pirates made to escape. By the time the boats had got
within fifty yards or so of the junk, the greater number had made their
escape, and most of them were seen climbing up the hill, or hiding
themselves among the rocks. At that moment half a dozen people were
seen on the deck, and it appeared to Mr Cherry that they were about to
discharge some of their guns before they made their escape. He was just
giving the order to fire, when Jack shouted out, "Stop in, stop! They
are not pirates. They are Madame Dubois and Miss Cecile, though they
are dressed up like Chinamen; and Hudson and Hoddidoddi, and the rest."

The crews of Adair's and Murray's boats were, however, in so great a
hurry that they fired before Mr Cherry could countermand his order, and
then on they dashed. Jack was dreadfully afraid that the ladies might
be hurt, and this made him also eager to get alongside to ascertain.
This anxiety was, however, speedily relieved, by the appearance of Miss
Cecile on the upper deck of the junk, waving a petticoat, which she had
made do duty as a flag of truce. The whole party were soon alongside.
Jack was the first on deck. He very nearly burst out laughing when he
caught sight of poor Madame Dubois rigged out in a Chinaman's costume,
with her hair twisted into a pigtail, and a little round Chinese hat on
her head. Miss Cecile had on the same sort of dress, which Jack did not
think particularly became her; indeed, she appeared to him to be very
different to what she had before seemed when she was instructing him in
French. All this time the pirates were scrambling away up the rocks as
fast as they could go. So great had been the panic that they had not
even taken their