ark.

"And now, let's see what we can do," cried Jack; "starboard the helm--
steady--now, fire!" The _Tornado's_ shot struck the Russian's counter,
apparently committing a considerable amount of damage. This first
specimen of the power of his pursuer's guns seemed to satisfy him that
he had better not engage at close quarters. The dense volumes of smoke
which issued from his funnel proved that he was endeavouring to get more
steam, in the hopes of still keeping ahead. As the _Tornado_ could not
be made to move faster than she was then going, Jack had to content
himself with the prospect of the chase's getting on shore, running short
of coal, or of some accident happening to her machinery. Another shot
was tried, but it fell short, showing that she had again drawn ahead.
Some miles more had been run, when Green brought the chart on deck, and
pointed out a fort situated on the shores of a bay a short distance off.

"The chase has evidently been making for that, and thinks that she will
be secure under its guns," he observed.

"We'll stand on, and attack both ship and fort together," said Jack;
"we'll sink the ship first, and then knock the fort to pieces."

In about ten minutes more the chase rounded a point, when a bay opened
out, on the farther side of which appeared a strong-looking fort,
guarding the mouth of a river which ran into the bay.

"She may escape us after all if she runs up that river," observed
Higson, "unless we can first silence the guns of the fort, and then
follow her."

"We must just do that same then; and if we can't knock the fort to
pieces with our guns, we must land and storm it," said Jack.

His remark was received with universal satisfaction, as no one thought
of the superior number of the garrison likely to oppose them. The chase
was now more eagerly watched than ever, it being fully expected that she
would run up the river to escape them; instead, however, of doing so, as
she drew near the fort she let off her steam, and came to an anchor
close under its guns.

"Now we've got her," cried Jack exultingly.

The _Tornado_ stood on to within half a mile of the fort, when she
opened fire on it, and now on the ship, which fired with some spirit in
return; but as the _Tornado_ kept moving about, their shot invariably
missed her. She had been thus engaged for a quarter of an hour or more,
her guns having told with considerable effect on the Russian vessel,
when a column of smoke was s