co. As yet, no missionaries
having ventured among them, they were in the same savage state in which
they had for centuries existed.

In the evening, those who had been allowed to come on board were turned
out of the ship, and a bright look-out was kept against any treacherous
trick they might have attempted to play. The fires had been let out, as
Jack intended to remain during the day for the purpose of obtaining
water. Early the next morning, a schooner was seen passing close in
with the land. As the wind was light, Jack despatched two boats to
overhaul her; one was commanded by Green, who was accompanied by
Archie--the other by Tom, who had Billy Blueblazes as his companion.
They pulled away, hoping soon to overtake the stranger. When, however,
they were about half a mile from her, a breeze sprang up; but, as the
boats had their sails, the masts were stepped, and they stood on after
the chase. She took no notice of the musket which Green fired as a
signal for her to heave-to, but, instead of doing so, she set more sail
and stood on. This making him more suspicious than ever of her
character, he determined to persevere; Tom and his companion being
equally ready to continue the pursuit.

"Perhaps she is a pirate," observed Billy, "and when she finds that she
cannot get off she will try to defend herself, and we shall have some
fighting--something to vary the monotony of the voyage."

"As to that, I doubt whether such craft are to be found in these seas at
the present day," answered Tom; "and I rather think, if we can manage to
get up to her, that she will strike without firing a shot."

The question was, however, whether the boats would come up with her; the
breeze was freshening, and she was walking away from them. Still Green
kept on, hoping that the wind might head her, or that it might fall
calm, when they would soon be alongside. She was steering towards a
lofty conical island, which rose sheer out of the sea, with a thick
cloud of smoke rising above its summit, which showed it to be an active
volcano. The day was drawing on, but the schooner did not gain
sufficiently on the boats to make Green abandon all hopes of overtaking
her. Her persevering efforts to escape convinced him that something was
wrong, and made him the more eager to overhaul her. At length, her
sails were seen to flap against her masts, and, though the boats still
had the breeze, it was very evident that she was becalmed. The sky h