age he had received from its guns.
Having destroyed the vessel he had chased, he might without any
discredit haul off, considering the immense superiority of the force
opposed to him; but Jack Rogers was not a man to haul down his flag, or
get out of a fight, as long as he had a stick standing; and his spirit
animating his officers and crew, the _Tornado_ kept blazing away,
throwing shells into the fort, and firing shot, as he could bring his
guns to bear at the three steamers. They had now, however, drawn
considerably nearer than they had hitherto ventured to approach, and
there seemed considerable likelihood of Dicky Duffs apprehensions being
fulfilled.

Jack now looked at the three vessels, now at the fort. "It might be
done," he said, turning to Higson, "if the fort were stormed, and its
guns turned against the steamers."

"I would undertake it," said Higson; "but with its own garrison and the
crew of the vessel which has just been burnt, it would be a hard job."

"I would ask no one to lead it but myself," said Jack; "I will leave you
to fight the vessel in the meantime; should I be killed, I give you
orders to retire, for with a diminished crew you would have little
prospect of doing more than has already been accomplished."

"I do not advise you to command the expedition," said Higson; "you know
me, and that I am not likely to be stopped by any ordinary hazard."

Jack, without answering, still kept eyeing the shore, looking out for a
place where his boats might land.

"There's a steamer in the offing, sir, standing in for the bay," said
Archie, coming up to him.

"Another enemy," exclaimed Higson; "we shall have enough of them."

"We'll tackle them, notwithstanding," answered Jack; "they show no
inclination, however, to come to close quarters."

Another shot from the enemy struck the _Tornado_.

"The commander is just a little o'er brave," observed Dicky Duff to
Billy Blueblazes; "we've got terrible odds against us."

"He knows what he is about, and he'll manage to lick them all, one after
another, depend on that," said Billy.

"I don't exactly see how he's going to do that," said Dicky. "If we
could but tackle one at a time it would be fairer, and we should have a
better chance of licking them."

"That's just what they don't want to give us," said Billy.

"Another steamer coming in from the southward, sir," said Archie, who
had been looking out.

"Friend or foe?" observed Jack to Higson; "if