with the
flames of the quick reports, and the sound was continuous.

"They aren't doing as well as I did," Clif said. "But still, they'll
manage to do the work."

And so it seemed, for shot after shot crashed through the hull of the
already battered vessel. The Spaniards were mad, evidently. There was no
hail this time and proposal to surrender. But only a calm setting to
work to finish that reckless ship.

The sailors came on deck and Clif, when he saw them, turned and pointed
to the Spaniard.

"There she is, men," he said. "Look her over."

For a moment nobody said anything; the little group stood motionless on
the deck. They were in no great danger for the firing was all directed
at the hull.

Then suddenly Clif began again.

"I guess this vessel is about done for," he said. "She will be either
sunk or captured. The only question is about us--what's to become of us.
I leave it to you."

None of the men spoke for a moment.

"I suppose," Clif said, "that we can manage to let her know we surrender
if we choose. We can scuttle the ship before we do it. But you know what
we may expect; after our shooting those two men they'll probably murder
us, or do things that are a thousand times worse."

Clif stopped for a moment and then he turned.

"Think, for instance," he said, "of being at the mercy of that man."

He was pointing toward Ignacio, who lay near them, glowering in his
hate, and the sailors looked and understood.

"It's better to drown, sir," said one.

And the rest thought so, too, and declared it promptly.

"Very well, then," was the cadet's quiet answer, "we will stay on board.
We have faced death before."

That resolution made there was little else left to be determined.

"We can sink the ship, or wait and let them sink it," the cadet said.
"Or else--there's one thing more. We are headed in the right direction.
We can smash her upon the rocks of the Cuban coast."

And the sailors stared at him for a moment eagerly.

"And stand a chance of getting ashore in safety!" they cried.

At which the cadet smiled.

"I'm afraid there's very little chance," he said. "But it's as good as
anything else. We'll try it."

"Yes, sir."

"You two go down to the engine room again, and keep things moving. And
the others stay on deck and make sure those Spaniards don't try to board
us again. I can handle the wheel myself."

And with that the brave cadet turned away and sprang toward the pilot
house.