l the
quicker!"

Ere he had finished speaking the arming of the men had already begun,
and within a very few minutes the cutlasses and long boarding-pikes had
all been distributed, every man having some weapon.

"Now, bo'sun, pipe the men to their stations," sang out the skipper, who
appeared to have already matured his plan of action. "Starboard watch
forrad, port watch aft, and all the stokers and firemen amidships, under
the bridge. Have a couple of hands, too, in the forechains, with a
hawser and grapnel, ready to make fast to the ship when we come
alongside her."

"Aye, aye, sir," hailed back Masters. "Starboard watch ahoy! Away
forrads with you along o' me!"

Our engines had already slackened speed; and, the helm being put down,
we came up to the wind, to leeward of the ship and not a half cable's
length away from her, broadside-on.

"Stand by there, forrad," shouted the skipper. "Ship ahoy there!
Surrender, or we'll run you aboard."

A wild savage yell came back in reply from a number of half-naked
negroes who were mustered on the after part of the vessel, as well as on
the forecastle, not a single white man being visible, while her
Tricolour flag--so conspicuous before, and which I fancied having seen
but half an hour or so previously when looking at her through the
telescope--was now no longer to be seen.

Could our worst fears have been realised?

Another savage yell almost confirmed the thought. "Heavens!" exclaimed
Colonel Vereker, rendered almost frantic with grief and excitement, and
noticing the appalling evidences of the Haytians' triumph, while we
stared aghast at each other. "My poor darling child, and those brave
fellows I left behind, where are they all; where are they? For God's
sake find them! Alas! alas! those black devils have murdered them all."

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

A FREE FIGHT.

But hardly had the colonel given vent to his despairing exclamation,
expressive alike of his own dismay and ours also, when the bitter
feeling of disappointment at being too late, that had for the moment
weighed down upon us, crushing our enthusiasm, was suddenly banished and
the hearts of all filled with renewed hope and fierce determination.

We were not too late after all!

No.

For as we gazed in blank surprise at the howling mob of Haytians, who
appeared to have gained complete possession of the _Saint Pierre_, and
were dancing about and gesticulating in their wild, devilish fashi