"Ready!" exclaimed the captain. "Now!"

In a moment a terrifically lurid glare was cast over our decks. Up went
the helmsman's gory head at the end of a boarding-pike, though he
steered as steadily as before, while we all shook ours in our hands, and
at the same moment gave vent to the most unearthly shrieks, and groans,
and cries, our headless helmsman shrieking and shouting louder than any
of us. At this we all again shook our ghastly heads. Peter had given
the necks the appearance of dropping blood, and again we shrieked and
groaned louder than ever.

The effect on board the rover was instantaneous. The crew must have
fully thought that they had got hold of some demon-craft as a punishment
for their crimes. Down went their helm; the tacks and sheets seemed all
to be flying away together; and the topsails came down on their caps.
Ropes were let go, but no one thought of hauling on others, or belaying
them; no one seemed to know what they were about; and many even shrieked
and cried out with terror and dismay. Nothing could have been more
complete than the success of our trick.

We were all eagerly watching its effect, when, just as the vessels were
parting, a figure was seen to spring into the main-rigging of the rover.
We all saw him, and all recognised the person as no other than Walter
Stenning, the late master of the _Dolphin_. On we sailed. The dark
outline of the rover grew less and less distinct, till it was totally
lost in the gloom of night.

CHAPTER TEN.

THE WATER-LOGGED SHIP.

For the remainder of the night we kept anxiously looking over the
taffrail, lest our enemy should have again made sail in chase. More
than once I thought I saw the rover's shadowy form stealing up towards
us through the darkness; but just as I expected to make it out clearly,
to my great relief it dissipated into mist. Voices, also, I thought,
seemed to be shouting after us from out of the gloom; but neither did
they ever assume any distinctness, and fancy, I found, had caused the
creation of them both. Slowly the night passed away, and as soon as the
first bright streaks of dawn appeared in the grey sky, the captain went
himself aloft to take a survey of the horizon.

"There is not a sail in sight in any quarter," he exclaimed to Peter, as
he returned on deck. "To your clever suggestion we owe our own lives
and the safety of the ship; but clever as it was, I would not advise
others to try a similar one. T