aying lantern. Close behind and above were the smoky beams and
planking, black with dancing shadows. Yet wild and exciting as it all
was, Jeremy felt sickened. There was no illusion, no play-acting about
it for him. He had seen the awful reality--the murder and the
madness--and he had no admiration left for the jolly buccaneer of story.

On the following morning, and for two days thereafter, the schooner
cruised slowly along a level sea under shortened sail. A double lookout
was kept constantly on duty and as they bore up to the northward, Jeremy
saw that they must be watching for south-bound shipping out of the
Delaware. Bonnet was evidently gambling on the chance that Bob's friends
had given up the idea of pursuit.

Then one hot mid-afternoon the two boys were startled from their places
in the shade of the after-companion by a quick shout from the man at the
masthead. They followed the direction of his pointing arm with their
eyes and as the schooner heaved slowly on a gentle swell, they caught a
glimpse of a low, broad sail on the port bow. The men were all on deck
ready to trim the sails for greater speed, but Herriot, after consulting
with the Captain, ordered the gunners and gun-servers below to prepare
ordnance. Bob and Jeremy were under a tremendous strain of excitement.
The stranger ship might be one of the New Castle fleet which Bob firmly
believed to be searching the seas to recapture him from Bonnet. Should
it prove to be so, their lives were in worse danger than ever, for
neither of the boys doubted that the erratic Captain would kill them at
once if the fight went against him.

However, their minds were soon set at rest on this score. As the pirate
drew up closer and closer, the details of the other ship became visible
to those on deck. She also was schooner-rigged, a trifle larger than the
_Royal James_, but without the latter's height of mast. Her low
free-board indicated that she was heavily cargoed. No gunports could be
seen along her sides.

Bonnet now ordered an extra jib to be broken out, and had the sloop
brought around on the port tack so that her course, instead of running
opposite to the stranger's, would obliquely cross it. The wind, what
little there was, came from the West.

As soon as the other ship perceived this change in direction, she veered
off her course closer to the wind, and almost immediately the boys could
see the white flutter of some extra canvas being spread at her bows. As