under the guns of the batteries."

"They are not above a mile ahead of her," the first mate said. "If
we could knock away a spar, with our long eighteen, we might get
one of them."

"We shouldn't make much prize money, if we did, Joe; for the
frigate would share and, as she has five or six times as many men
and officers as we have got, it is not much we should get out of
it.

"Hallo!" he broke out, as a shot came ricochetting along the water,
"she is trying a shot at us. I forgot we had the Spanish colours
up.

"Get that flag down, and run up the Union Jack, Joe."

"One moment, captain," Bob said.

"Well, what is it, Bob?"

"Well, it seems to me, sir, that if we keep the Spanish flag up--"

"We may be sunk," the captain broke in.

"We might, sir, but it is very unlikely, especially if we run in
more to the shore; but you see, if we are fired at by the frigate,
it will never enter the minds of the Spaniards that we are anything
but what we seem and, if we like, we can anchor right under their
batteries, in the middle of their craft. It will be dark by the
time we get in, and we might take our pick of them."

"That is a splendid idea, Bob!

"This boy is getting too sharp for us, altogether, Joe. He is as
full of ideas as a ship's biscuit is of weevils.

"Keep her off, helmsman. That will do."

Again and again the frigate fired, but she was two miles away and,
though the shot went skipping over the water near the brig, none of
them struck her. The men, unable to understand why they were
running the gauntlet of the frigate's fire, looked inquiringly
towards the poop.

"It is all right, lads," the captain said. "There is not much fear
of the frigate hitting us, and it is worth risking it. The
Spaniards on shore will never dream that we are English, and we can
bring up in the thick of them."

There was a good deal of laughing and amusement, among the men, as
they understood the captain's motive in allowing the brig to be
made a target of. As she drew in towards shore the frigate's fire
ceased, and her course was changed off shore.

"No nearer," the captain said to the helmsman. "Keep her a little
farther off shore.

"There is not much water here, Joe," for a man had been heaving the
lead, ever since they had changed their course. "We have not got a
fathom under her keel. You see, the frigate did not like to come
any closer. She would have cut us off, if there had been deep water
right up."

An hour