lent again.

"Hillo!" ejaculated the skipper, turning hastily to the binnacle, as the
first sounds were heard, and taking the bearing of them, as nearly as
possible; "there's something wrong with the Indiaman; it sounds very
much as though one of the rascally, prowling, French lugger privateers
had run him aboard and--"

"D'ye hear that rumpus away out on the larboard quarter, sir?" hailed
one of the men on the forecastle.

"Ay, ay, my lad, we hear it; we're not asleep at this end of the ship!"
answered Winter. "Depend upon it, George," he continued to me, "the
_Hoogly_ has been boarded and carried by a Frenchman. There!" as the
sounds ceased, "it is all over, whatever it is. We will haul up a bit,
and see if we can discover what has happened. Starboard, my man!" to
the man at the wheel; "starboard, and let her come up to full and by.
Hands to the sheets and braces, Mr Bowen. Brace sharp up on the
larboard tack; and then let the men cast loose the guns and load them.
Call all hands quietly, and let them go to quarters."

The skipper peered into the binnacle again.

"Nor'-east, half east!" he continued, referring to the direction in
which the schooner was now heading: "If we are in luck we ought to come
athwart the Indiaman again in about twenty minutes--that is to say, if
they have hove her to in order to transfer the prisoners."

He pulled out his watch, noted the time, and replaced the watch in his
pocket. "Just slip for'ard, Mr Bowen, and caution the hands to be as
quiet as possible over their work," said he. "And give the look-out men
a hint to keep their eyes skinned. The French have undoubtedly taken
the Indiaman by surprise; now we must see if we cannot give the
Frenchmen a surprise in turn."

I went forward to execute my orders; and upon my return found the
skipper, watch in hand, talking to the chief mate, who, with the rest of
the watch below, had been called. Meanwhile the crew were at quarters,
and, having cast loose the guns, were busily loading them, the work
being carried on as quietly as possible. As I rejoined the skipper, the
arms-chest was brought on deck; and in a few minutes each man was armed
with a cutlass and a brace of pistols.

By the time that these preparations were completed, the twenty minutes
allowed us by Captain Winter to reach the scene of the recent
disturbance had elapsed, and our topsail was laid to the mast, the word
being passed along the deck for absolute silenc