e harbour, lay a squadron of nine stout ships.
While the bombardment was taking place the admiral called Captain Stokes
to his side.

"Now is the time to carry out your plan," he said.

"You, Bracewell and Kerridge, may accompany Captain Stokes," he added.
Each ship had before received an order, at a certain time to send her
long-boat with a picked crew, bringing torches, hand-grenades, and other
combustibles.

They now arrived. We took our places in the long-boat of the _Saint
George_, and Captain Stokes at once led the way towards the pirate
squadron.

For some time we were concealed by the clouds of smoke from the sight of
our enemies, and only such shot as passed over the ships came near us,
but as we got farther up the harbour we were perceived and assailed by
showers of bullets and round shot, fired at us from the corsairs. We
pulled on, however, until we were alongside them. The torches were then
lighted, and without a moment's delay we began to heave them into the
ports of the pirate vessels.

So unexpected was the proceeding, that every ship was set on fire fore
and aft, before the crew on deck had perceived what had occurred, and in
a few moments the flames were bursting through the hatchways and ports,
and encircling the masts and spars. In vain the pirates made the most
frantic efforts to extinguish the fire, wherever they were seen
labouring with buckets, the broadsides of the frigates which came up to
our assistance drove them away and compelled them to leap overboard.
Now every one of the ships was burning furiously, the flames forming
huge pyramids of fire.

Leaving them to their fate, which all the efforts of the pirates could
not avert, protected by the frigates, we pulled back to the _Saint
George_ to report that the whole of the corsair squadron of nine large
ships was utterly destroyed; and as we rowed away, first one and then
two or three together blew up with a tremendous explosion, scattering
their fragments far and wide, while their keels sank to the bottom of
the harbour.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

THE CAPTIVES RESCUED--BLAKE'S EXPLOITS AND DEATH.

Lancelot and I had formed a plan with Lieutenant Aylett, by which we
deemed that it would be possible, though no more than possible, to
recover our two sisters, Mr Kerridge, and Margaret. We had asked
permission of the admiral to undertake it. He pointed out the the
dangers we must encounter.

"Far be it from me ever to refuse my sanct