snooze, but you wanted it,
lad, I'm sure. There's some breakfast for you; it will do you good
after all you have gone through."

I thanked my kind friend, and swallowed the cocoa and biscuit which he
brought me with no little relish.

"What! have we so soon got back to Jamaica?" said I, looking over the
side, and seeing the blue ranges of hills I have spoken of.

"Jamaica! no, lad--I wish it was," he replied. "That's the island of
Cuba; and from what I know of it, I wish that we were further off than
we are. Some ugly customers inhabit it! There has been a
suspicious-looking craft for the last hour or so standing out from the
land towards us, and as she has long sweeps, she is making good way. I
suspect the captain don't admire her looks, for I have never seen him in
such a way before from the moment he came on deck and caught sight of
her. If we were in the brig we need not have been afraid of her, but in
this little cockle-shell we cannot do much to help ourselves."

"We can fight, surely!" said I. "We have arms, have we not?"

"What can eight or ten men do against forty or fifty cut-throats, which
probably that craft out there has on board?" answered Peter. "We'll do
our best, however."

The approaching vessel was lateen-rigged, with two masts, and of great
beam; and though low in the water, and at a distance looking small,
capable of carrying a considerable number of men. Certainly she had a
very dishonest appearance. I saw the captain often anxiously looking
out on the weather-side, as if for a sign of more wind; but the gentle
breeze just filled our sails, and gave the craft little more than
steerage-way. All hands kept whistling away most energetically for a
stronger wind, but it would not come. The felucca, however, sailed very
fast. As we could not get out of her way, the captain hailed, and very
politely asked her to get out of ours, or rather to steer clear of us.
Instead of replying, or acting according to his request, some forty ugly
fellows or more, of every hue, from jet-black to white, and in every
style of costume, sprung up on her decks from below, and directly
afterwards she ranged up alongside of us. The captain, on this, ordered
her to sheer off; but instead of so doing, grappling-irons were thrown
aboard us, and her fierce-looking crew made a rush to leap on our deck.
They were met, however, by our captain, Mr Gale, Peter, and the rest of
our people, who, with pistol and cutlass