watch his enemies at the same time. We ought to
say that Tom was again master of the Sweepstakes. His illness passed
away with the storm, and he was now so far recovered that he was able to
do full justice to the crackers and cheese.

The crew of the Storm King fared as well as if they had been at the
academy. During the previous day, they spoke the principal's tug, which
supplied them with an abundance of cooked rations. Part of them, too,
were in better trim than the Crusoe men; for, when the storm began to
abate, about three o'clock, the starboard watch had gone below, and
enjoyed two hours refreshing sleep. When the crew had eaten breakfast,
and the mess-tables had been cleared away, the port watch were ordered
to stand by their hammocks. They obeyed, and went below, but did not
stay there long. They were too excited to sleep. They returned to the
deck again, one after the other, and the captain raised no objections to
it. He was a boy himself; and he knew that he would not turn in, while
the pirates were in plain sight, for any body.

All that forenoon the chase continued. The yacht sailed better in a
heavy sea than the schooner, and the Crusoe men could not shake her off.
She followed them like an avenging spirit; but, as the waves began to
subside, the Sweepstakes gradually drew away from her, and might again
have succeeded in effecting her escape, had not two tugs, loaded with
students, suddenly come into view from behind one of the neighboring
islands, where they had been snugly sheltered during the storm. A cheer,
which came faintly to the ears of the Storm King's crew, arose from the
tugs, as they changed their course and steamed toward the pirate. The
young tars growled lustily, and looked toward the captain, who stood
with his hands behind his back, dividing his attention between the tugs
and the schooner. The army and navy were now fairly matched, and Tom
Newcombe was to determine the winning party. If he kept on out to sea,
the military would bear off the honors; but if he ran toward the nearest
island, which was scarcely a quarter of a mile distant, he would be
captured by the navy. If he had never been cornered before, he was now.
There was not the smallest chance for escape.

Captain Steele leveled his glass at the schooner, and could see that
there was great excitement among her crew. They were gathered about the
wheel, flourishing their arms wildly, some apparently advising one
thing, and some ano