as close as she could venture, when
they returned for the other three. They looked in as they arrived at
the drunken garrison, who were still fast asleep and unconscious of what
was taking place. The remaining guns were then removed as the first had
been.

"Faith, those Russian fellows will be astonished when they wake
to-morrow morning and find themselves minus their guns," exclaimed
Gerald, laughing.

"I only hope that they won't be shot in consequence," said Tom. "I
think we ought to have left a notice of the way we surprised the fort,
with a request that the brave garrison may not be punished."

On returning to the ship, they received due commendation from their
commander for the way in which their exploit had been performed. The
next day Adair himself determined to undertake a still more hazardous
expedition, very similar to that in which Tom and Desmond had been
captured. He had to proceed north, two miles from the coast, to the
banks of a river, where he burned a large number of stacks. On his
return he was chased by a body of Cossacks; he fortunately got within
fire of his men in the boats just as the Cossacks were up to him. He
acknowledged on getting on board that he had never had a harder run in
his life.

Thoroughly knocked up, he turned in, leaving orders that the ship should
be kept along the coast, so as to draw off their attention from other
places which were to be attacked. Adair was in a deeper sleep than a
commander under such circumstances generally ventures to enjoy, when
suddenly he was startled by a shock, accompanied by an ominous grating
sound, the meaning of which he too painfully knew.

"The ship's on shore!" he exclaimed to himself, starting up and with the
practised rapidity of a seaman putting on his clothes. An officer
entering his cabin, he found his worst apprehensions realised. The
_Flash_ had struck on a reef, not a quarter of a mile from the beach.
He was on deck in a moment; the hands were turned up, and the boats
immediately lowered to lay out an anchor astern to haul her off. The
day was just breaking, and as the light increased rocks were seen inside
of the ship, with a sandy beach and a wide extent of level country.

In vain the officers and crew exerted themselves; the tide had been
falling, and every instant made the task of getting the ship off more
difficult. Adair had once before lost his ship under circumstances when
the best of seamanship could not have