eloped in a cloud of acrid smoke which, hanging motionless in the
stagnant air, effectually cloaked the approach of the attacking force,
and as effectually prevented anything like accurate shooting.

Nor were the enemy one whit behindhand in availing themselves of the
assistance afforded by the light of the portfires; indeed, they had
rather the best of it, for although the hull of the yacht was speedily
enveloped in smoke, the portfire brilliantly illuminated our canvas, and
thus afforded them an excellent guide in aiming. And now the round shot
began to fly thick and fast, while bullets and slugs hummed and sang
about our ears like a swarm of angry hornets. Luckily for us, the aim
of the pirates was atrociously bad--probably the fire of our Maxim
disconcerted them--and although we afterward found that five round shot
had passed through our sails, only one struck our hull, while, by what
seemed like a miracle, the bullets all missed our bodies, though in many
cases by only the merest hair's-breadth. For perhaps half a minute the
fire of the pirates was maintained with the utmost fury, and then all in
a moment it died away to a few desultory shots, which presently ceased.

Putting my whistle to my lips, I blew a shrill blast upon it, which I
followed up with the order:

"Main-deck guns, cease firing!" And as I uttered the words I thought I
felt a faint draught of air upon my face. I was not mistaken, for at
the same moment the heavy pall of smoke which enveloped us began lazily
to shape itself into fantastic wreaths that slowly swept away to the
westward, while our lighter canvas rustled gently, and then filled to a
small air from the eastward. As it happened, our sails were correctly
trimmed, so that all that was needed was just to allow the ship to come
up to her proper course when she gathered way.

Meanwhile, with the dispersion of the smoke, we were able once more to
get a glimpse of the enemy, and that glimpse revealed them to be in full
flight. They must have suffered frightfully from our fire before their
courage gave way, for of the ten craft which constituted the original
attacking force only six were now visible, while every one of these
appeared to be more or less in difficulties--three of them, indeed, very
much more than less. I perceived that only one of the half-dozen
appeared to be working her full complement of sweeps, while another was
hobbling off under the impulse of but a single pair. Sh