l settle you at last!"

Meanwhile, the skipper, who had gone up to join Mr Fosset on the bridge
after leaving us below so suddenly, was making his way aft again; and on
the colonel turning round from the rail he found him at his back,
looking over his shoulder at the ship we were approaching.

The skipper was all agog with excitement.

"By George!" he exclaimed. "We're closing on her fast now, colonel!"

"How soon, Senor Applegarth, do you think we'll be before we're
alongside her?"

"In about half an hour at the outside, sir, unless something gives way.
We would have been up to her before if she had been lying-to; but she's
going ahead too, like ourselves, and not making bad way either,
considering the state she's in aloft, and her yawing this way and that.
It is wonderful how she keeps on!"

"Oh dear! oh dear! she's possessed, as your companion here said just now
to the young Senor Haldane."

"Oh, you mustn't mind what the bo'sun says," observed the skipper.
"He's chock full of the old superstitions of the sea, and makes
mountains out of molehills."

"The deuce! he's not far wrong about the _Saint Pierre_, though, for if
ever a ship had the devil aboard, I'm sure she has, in the shape of that
villainous black `marquis'!"

"Then the sooner the better for us to see about `Scotching' your de'il,"
cried the skipper with a laugh that meant business, I knew. "I'm now
going to call the hands aft and prepare for the fight, and they shall
have it hot, I can tell you," said he.

"Have you got arms enough for them, sir? Those rascals will make a
stubborn resistance, and there's a big lot of them still left in the
ship, remember!"

The skipper laughed outright at this.

"Lord bless you, colonel!" said he, "the steamers of our line are fitted
out in their way very like men-of-war; and I have enough rifles and
cutlasses in the arm chest below to rig out more than twice the number
of the crew we carry, besides revolvers for all the officers. This,
however, will be short and sharp work, as we're going to run your black
devils by the beard; so I shall only serve out cutlasses."

"But you'll spare me a revolver, Senor Applegarth? I left mine, as you
are aware, behind me," said he with a smile, "and I should like to have
another shot or two at my friend, the `marquis'!"

"Aye, aye, colonel, you shall have one, and a good one too, and so shall
all those who know how to use a pistol properly; but, for close hand-to-