l than for boat duty.

"Thank you, Mr Courtenay," answered the skipper, with a smile,
evidently reading my unspoken thoughts. "No, I am afraid it would not
do. In the first place, I question whether we really _have_ sufficient
men to justify such an attempt; and, in the next place, if we had, it
would still be desirable, in my opinion, to defer the attempt until we
are much nearer. At present nobody can tell what we are. The schooner
is such a small affair that I am in hopes the brigantine will take no
notice of us until we are within striking distance of her; while, if I
were to send the boats away, she would probably make off at once. No;
it is rather trying to the patience to remain idly aboard here, drifting
along at this snail's pace, but I am convinced that it is the correct
thing to do. Perhaps, if we show only a few men about the decks, the
brigantine may be tempted to tackle us."

"Ah! if only she would, sir!" I ejaculated, with such intensity of
feeling that the captain laughed.

"Why, I declare you are developing into a regular fire-eater!" he
exclaimed.

"Think of the passengers, sir, some of them women, most likely!" I
said.

"I _am_ thinking of them, sir!" answered the captain through his
clenched teeth, and with a sudden glitter in his eye that foreboded evil
to the brigantine's people, should we be fortunate enough to get within
striking distance of them.

I turned away and walked forward to where I saw Black Peter, the whilom
servant of the midshipmen's mess aboard the _Althea_. He was one of
those whom we had found still alive in the launch, and he had picked up
wonderfully since then, having become almost his old self again. He was
lounging on the forecastle near the port cat-head, with his bare, brawny
arms crossed on the rail as he gazed ahead at the two craft, with which
we were slowly closing.

"Peter," said I, "get the grindstone ready. And Green, get the
cutlasses up on deck and give them a thorough good sharpening. We may
want them by and by."

"Ay, ay, sir," answered Green, with a grin, as he shambled away to get
the weapon, while Peter bestirred himself with alacrity to prepare the
grindstone for its work by drawing a bucket of water and pouring it into
the trough. A few minutes later Peter, his eyes gleaming with
excitement and every one of his ivories bared in a broad grin of
delight, was whirling the handle round at a furious speed, as Green and
another hand stood o