gs, with a malicious grin.

"I mean to try it," said Gascoyne, calmly.

"But there's not a spot in the shoal except the Eel's Gate that we've a
ghost of a chance of getting through," cried Manton, becoming excited as
the schooner dashed towards the breakers like a furious charger rushing
on destruction.

"I know it."

"And there's barely water on _that_ to float us over," he added,
striding forward, and laying a hand on the wheel.

"Half-a-foot too little," said Gascoyne, with forced calmness.

Scraggs grinned.

"You shan't run us aground if I can prevent it," cried Manton, fiercely,
seizing the wheel with both hands and attempting to move it, in which
attempt he utterly failed, and Scraggs grinned broader than ever.

"Remove your hands," said Gascoyne, in a low calm voice, which surprised
the men who were standing near and witnessed these proceedings.

"I won't. Ho! lads, do you wish to be sent to the bottom by a--"

The remainder of this speech was cut short by the sudden descent of
Gascoyne's knuckles on the forehead of the mate, who dropped on the deck
as if he had been felled with a sledge hammer. Scraggs laughed outright
with satisfaction.

"Remove him," said Gascoyne.

"Overboard?" inquired Scraggs, with a bland smile.

"Below," said the captain; and Scraggs was fain to content himself with
carrying the insensible form of his superior officer to his berth,
taking pains, however, to bump his head carefully against every spar and
corner and otherwise convenient projection on the way down.

In a few minutes more the schooner was rushing through the milk-white
foam that covered the dangerous coral reef named the Long Shoals, and
the _Talisman_ lay-to, not daring to venture into such a place, but
pouring shot and shell into her bold little adversary with terrible
effect, as her tattered sails and flying cordage shewed. The fire was
steadily replied to by Long Tom, whose heavy shots, came crashing
repeatedly through the hull of the man-of-war.

The large boat, meanwhile, had been picked up by the _Talisman_, after
having rescued Mr Mason and Henry, both of whom were placed in the gig.
This light boat was now struggling to make the ship, but owing to the
strength of the squall, her diminished crew were unable to effect this;
they therefore ran ashore to await the issue of the fight and the storm.

For some time the _Avenger_ stood on her wild course unharmed, passing
close to huge rocks on either s