d so effectually give the frigate the slip. Back to your
sweeps, children! we will never yield until we are obliged."

Again the crew manned the sweeps, and again--animated by another
judicious reminder from Courtenay of the treasure awaiting them in the
Conconil lagoons--they bent their backs and lashed the water into foam
as they gathered way upon the felucca; and once more Carera went forward
to con the craft through the dangerous channel we were now fast
approaching. Meanwhile the two boats--a gig and a cutter--were tearing
after us, going two feet to our one, and evidently quite alive to the
fact that, unless they kept ahead of the breeze and reached us before
it, we still stood a fair chance of escape.

Presently a narrow opening revealed itself in the shore about a quarter
of a mile away, among the trees which clustered close to the water's
edge; and Carera, directing my attention to it, informed me that was the
channel. The surf was breaking heavily all along the shore, and to
attempt a passage through it seemed, from the point of observation we
then occupied, to be simply courting destruction. I said nothing,
however, trusting in Carera's assertion that he knew the place, and
presently a narrow band of unbroken water appeared in the midst of the
foam, toward which a minute later the felucca was headed.

The boats were now closing with us fast, the gig, which was leading,
being within about three cables' length of us, whilst the cutter was not
more than fifty feet astern of her. Three or four minutes at most would
suffice to bring them alongside of us, fast as we were moving through
the water, unless the breeze came to our aid. The sea was ruffled all
astern of them, and a cat's-paw now and then would come stealing along
the glassy surface between us and them, but so far they had managed to
keep ahead of the breeze. The measured roll of the oars in their
rowlocks could now be distinctly heard and the sound reaching the ears
of the Spaniards made them strain and tug at the sweeps more desperately
than ever, Courtenay not only cheering them on but now actually tailing
on to a sweep which the lad Francisco was manfully tugging away at with
the best of them. The perspiration was pouring off the poor fellows'
faces and bare arms in streams, but they still worked away, looking
eagerly at me every time I shot a hasty glance astern, as if anxious to
gather from my expressive countenance what hopes of escape sti