dsides, and sink them."

"It sounds horrid, sir," I said. "Then they'll never have a chance to
fight us?"

"Not if we can help it, my lad. But, as you say, it does sound horrid,
and rather cowardly; but what would you do with a poisonous snake? You
would not give it a chance to strike at you first, if you met it and had
a loaded gun in your hands?"

"Of course not, sir," I said quickly.

"Well, these wretches are as dangerous as venomous serpents, and, after
what you saw on board that barque, you do not think we need be squeamish
about ridding the earth of such monsters?"

"No, sir, not a bit," I said quickly.

"Neither do I, Herrick. I should like to aim the gun that sends a shot
through them between wind and water."

"Light on the port bow!" announced the look-out forward; and, upon using
his night-glass, Mr Brooke made out the vessel, which showed the light
to be a large junk, with her enormous matting-sails spread, and gliding
along faster than we were, and in the same direction.

As we watched the light, it gradually grew fainter, and finally
disappeared, while all through our watch the screw kept on its slow
motion, just sending the gunboat onward.

Toward what? I asked myself several times; and, in spite of my
determination to acquit myself manfully if we did go into action, I
could not help hoping that the next night would find us all as safe as
we were then. But all the same the thoughts of our preparations were
well in my mind, and never once did I hope that we should not encounter
the enemy.

All the same, though, when my watch was at an end and I went below,
perhaps it was owing to its being so hot, as Ching said, for it was a
long time before I could get off to sleep.

CHAPTER TEN.

THE ENEMY.

"Oh, I say, do wake up and come on deck. It's such a lark."

"What is?" I said, rolling out of the berth, with my head feeling all
confused and strange, to stare at Barkins.

"Why, everything. You never saw such a miserable old rag-bag of a ship
in your life."

I hurriedly dressed and went on deck, to find the preparations complete,
and I could not help thinking that, if the pirates mistook the _Teaser_
for a man-of-war now, they must be clever indeed.

For on the previous day I had only seen the alterations in bits, so to
speak, but now everything was done, even to having a quantity of coal on
deck, and the clean white planks besmirched with the same black fuel.
The paint-pots had