ercy of the enemy. The colonel,
notwithstanding, still continued working his gun, till with rage he saw
that his shot again fell short of the enemy. The _Zodiac_, it must be
understood, bearing chiefly after sail, could not venture to haul up so
much as to bring the enemy again astern, or he would have tried to do
so. His gun was worked quickly, and with great precision; shot after
shot told with fearful effect on the spars and rigging. The men had
perseveringly laboured the whole time in spite of the shot flying about
them, but just as they had bent the fore-topsail, and were swaying away
on the yard, a shot struck the fore-yard, and cut it completely in two.
The men saw that their efforts were all in vain, and letting go the
halyards, rushed of their own accord to the guns.

"It's no use running, sir," they exclaimed, with one voice. "Let's
fight it out while we can."

The pirate's shot continued their work of destruction. The main topmast
next received a wound, and in a minute afterwards, the breeze
freshening, down it came on board, hampering up the deck.

"Clear away the wreck of the topmast, my lads," exclaimed the master.
"And then I hope those scoundrels will give us a a chance of punishing
them."

The order was obeyed, and the gun, which had been trained aft, was
replaced, and the other two guns were got over to the starboard side.
The brave crew then gave forth a cheer of defiance at the enemy,
expecting that they were about to run them on board; the pirates were
waiting, though, till their guns had produced more effect; a shot at
last came, and carried away the peak halyards, and deprived her of all
power of manoeuvring. The _Zodiac_ was now at their mercy; and they
bore down upon her; but instead of running her aboard on the starboard
side, they luffed up when just under her stern, and poured in the whole
of their starboard guns; then, keeping away again, they hauled up on the
other tack joining their larboard battery, and then once more, as if
content with their work, they kept away, and ran her on board on the
starboard side.

Three of the _Zodiac's_ crew had been disabled, and Bowse himself was
badly wounded; but the remainder fought their guns to the last. The
pirates, as the sides of the two vessels ground together, threw their
grapnels on board, and crowded the rigging to leap on the deck of the
_Zodiac_.

The master, and Colonel Gauntlett, led on the English crew to oppose the
enemy--n