otherwise get him to
come--and, when the schooner is close under the muzzles of your guns,
fire, and your shot will go right through her bottom. The pirates will
then be obliged to board, when, with the advantage afforded by the
_Catalina's_ high sides, you ought to have things all your own way."

"Thanks! thanks! I will see what I can do," said Don Luis. "But now,
come this way, and bring your men with you; I will take it upon myself
to arm you, and then, if the worst comes to the worst, I shall look to
you to save ay daughter."

"And I will do it or perish!" I exclaimed fervently, as I beckoned the
_Dolphins_ to follow me and made sail in the wake of Don Luis.

He led us along until we reached the after hatchway, through which we
ascended to the deck above, when we again turned aft until we reached a
bulkhead inclosing a room beneath Don Felix's cabin. Don Luis threw
open a door in this bulkhead, and exclaiming:

"There, help yourselves; I providentially noticed this room as I was
coming down to you just now," rushed away on deck.

The room disclosed by the opening of the door was of some extent,
occupying nearly half the breadth of the vessel; and it had evidently
been fitted up as an armoury when the ship had been doing duty as a man-
of-war, for though sundry unoccupied pegs and pins showed that the
present crew had just been armed from this place, there still remained
weapons enough unappropriated for more than twice our numbers. The
weapons consisted of muskets, pistols, swords, and cutlasses; but, as
there were of course no cartridges lying about, we chose cutlasses only,
and, having secured them, hurried back to our former lurking-place.
Once safely back there, I lost no time in briefly, yet as fully as
possible, explaining the position of affairs to my followers; after
which we sat down and calmly waited the course of events, I employing
the interval in comparing notes with those of the _Dolphin's_ officers
who had been taken off the floating deck.

Meanwhile gun after gun had been fired by the pirates, to which Don
Felix had persistently replied; but after a time the firing ceased
overhead, and I was in hopes that Don Luis had been able to persuade the
skipper to follow my advice.

At length, after a somewhat tedious interval of suspense, a sharp order
or two was given on deck, quickly followed by the simultaneous discharge
of the whole of the _Santa Catalina's_ larboard broadside. A terrible