was about
two hours after sunrise when those of us who stayed aboard the sloop saw
figures running down the hill. The buccaneers got out boarding-pikes and
picked up cutlasses, but in a moment Daggs reached the side, out of
breath with his haste.

"'There's a ten-gun schooner in the northern cove!' he cried. 'They're
landing a boat now. We haven't any time to lose--the tide's past full
already! Cut those moorings!'

"The hemp lines were slashed through with cutlasses and the men, with
one accord, jumped to the push-holes. The sloop was on an even keel and
just off the bottom. A few strong shoves started her down the creek.

"My hopes of escaping began to go down, for there I was, still chained
to the fore-stick like a cow put out to grass. I looked around me in
desperation, for I wanted to leave you some sign at least of my
whereabouts. Then my eye fell on a little heap of small arms that had
been thrown down near the forehatch. The pistols were useless to me, as
I had no powder, but among them I saw the bright silver mountings of my
own--the one that used to be Stede Bonnet's.

"We were drawing near the creek mouth, and those of the crew who were
not at the poles were busy unfurling the sails. I picked the pistol up
unobserved and waited till we were just hauling clear of the creek. Then
I threw it overside and saw it strike in the mud. Did you find it?"

"Yes," said Jeremy. "That's how we knew for certain that you'd been
captured."

"Well," the Delaware boy went on, "there's not much more to tell. The
pirates made all sail to the southwest, but after we cleared the
islands, there you were, roaring along in our wake. Daggs thought that
the _Revenge_ was a faster sailer than your craft, but he found he
couldn't keep her as close to the wind on this tack. I don't think he
wants to fight if he can help it, but he was getting desperate this
afternoon before the weather began to thicken up. I heard him tell the
mate he'd rather come to broadside grips than risk having you drop a
shot through the black sloop's bottom with that bowchaser. Then the mist
started to come over, and I guess Daggs saw his chance right away. He
called the crew aft and told them what he was going to do, and a moment
later I found myself being lowered in a boat into that wicked sea. I
thought they were trying to drown me out of hand, till they gave me a
piece of white cloth to wave. Then I got an inkling of their idea.

"Sure enough, no sooner