ght himself to
consider her, he saw not more than thirty men; and with nearly three
times that number on the other side, it did not look as if it could be
a very hotly contested battle.

As Christy jumped down from the rail, Beeks followed him, and he was not
a little surprised to find that they were alone. But there was no enemy
at hand upon whom he could flesh his cutlass, and he sprang upon the
rail again. He found that his impression had been correct, for the
vessel was moving. She had already left a gap a dozen feet wide between
the Bellevite and herself.

It appeared that the machinery had been repaired, and that it was now
capable of doing all that it had done before. The steamer was the
Killbright, for the lieutenant saw the name painted in several places
about her forward deck. She had suddenly shot ahead very unexpectedly
to the captors, as they supposed they were, alongside of her. A puff
of wind had been favoring her before, and she darted away towards the
northwest. As she began to move, the lock-strings of her port battery
were pulled as rapidly as possible.

It would have been impossible to help hitting the Bellevite, with the
three guns fired into her at so short a distance. But the cloud of smoke
that enveloped both vessels prevented the captain from taking in the
situation. The crew of the Killbright were ordered to reload their guns
instantly. Whatever was to happen in the near or distant future, it
was evident that the dangerous steamer had not yet been captured, and
Christy did not think of her as a prize any more just then.

The Killbright crowded on all the steam she could obtain, and she
rapidly increased the distance between herself and the Bellevite. She
fired her three broadside guns continually, but it was clear to Christy
that the men had not been trained to this business, or they might
perhaps have sunk the naval vessel by this time.

The Bellevite fired her two broadside guns, and they made terrible havoc
in the upper works of the Killbright. But the strangest thing of all to
the young lieutenant, caught on board of the anticipated prize, was that
the Bellevite did not go ahead, and give the boarding parties a chance
to get on the deck of the enemy.

"I don't understand it, Beeks," said Christy as he found himself by the
side of the quartermaster. "Why don't the ship give chase?"

"I think she must be disabled, sir," replied the warrant officer.

"What could have disabled her?"