without holding any
further communication with Commander Allport, pulled on board her.

"Why, Adair, what have you been doing with the _Flash_?" asked Murray,
as he sprang up the side. Terence briefly explained what had happened,
and declared his conviction that the ship might have been saved by the
adoption of proper measures.

"Instead of that, old Allport is expending powder and shot in making a
target of her, for no earthly reason beyond that of showing that he is
my superior officer, though of equal rank. I wish to goodness he had
been laid on the shelf, the only position he is fit for."

"We must try what can be done," said Murray. "Happily, I am _his_
superior officer, which he will find out by looking at the _Navy List_,
if he does not know it already;" and Murray directed a signal to be made
to the _Anaconda_ to "Cease firing." Commander Allport, who still had
not discovered that Murray was his superior, was at first inclined to
pay no attention to the signal; till his first lieutenant, happening to
know the true state of the case, brought him a _Navy List_, and pointed
out to him Murray's date of promotion.

"The old fellow is in the wrong box," whispered Desmond, he having
observed what was taking place; "there's a chance after all for the
little barkey."

"Cease firing," cried Commander Allport. Directly afterwards Murray
sent his second lieutenant to the _Anaconda_, with a request that the
commander would come on board his ship to consult with him as to the
best means of saving Her Majesty's ship _Flash_, now in sight on the
rocks. The request, of course, amounted to an order, which Commander
Allport, however unwillingly, obeyed.

"Save her?" he exclaimed; "surely you mean destroy her as soon as
possible. I have done my best for the last two hours to knock her to
pieces."

"I am very sorry to hear it," answered Murray; "we should never abandon
a vessel while there is the slightest hope of saving her; and the enemy
might easily have been kept at a sufficient distance to prevent them
from interfering with us, when getting her off. I must ask you to stand
in towards the shore, as close as you can venture, and keep the enemy in
check with your guns."

For the first time for some hours Adair's heart began again to beat with
hope, as the two steamers, with the lead going and a bright look-out
kept ahead, stood towards the shore. The artillery were seen to
limber-up and gallop off, while the inf