d going in search of Tom. On getting round the point which
hid them from sight, Billy discovered the junks, nearly a mile away,
both on shore. As his boat got nearer he caught glimpses of the pirates
running among the bushes, in the direction, as far as he could judge, of
the fort. Both junks had, therefore, been captured. Billy only hoped
that the pirates had not attempted the same trick they had played him,
by laying trains to their magazines, although he half expected, before
he reached the junks, to see them blow up into the air.

In his eagerness to save his other shipmates, he almost forgot poor Tom.
"Give way, lads, give way!" he cried. "They will all be sent up like
sky-rockets if we don't warn them in time."

The seamen made the boat fly over the water, understanding the danger as
fully as he did.

As he got near he shouted out, "Back, back to the boats, or you will all
be blown up!"

"No fear about that, now," answered Desmond, from the deck of the
nearest junk. "We found a burning fusee, sure enough, but took good
care to throw it overboard. Hallo! where's Rogers?" he exclaimed,
looking down into the boat.

"Gone! The pirates have got hold of him, and may probably have cut his
head off," answered Billy.

"Gone! His head out off!" cried Desmond, in an agony of grief, although
scarcely believing his messmate's account; "How did you come away
without him?"

"We could not help it," answered Billy, in a melancholy tone. "We
should all have been killed if we had not. We have as it is lost two
poor fellows knocked over, and four wounded. That shows that we did not
give up the attempt to rescue Rogers while there was a chance of
success."

"Pull round and report to Mr Norman what has occurred. I will go with
you," said Desmond, jumping into Billy's boat.

The lieutenant was, of course, greatly grieved. "We must try and
ascertain his fate, at all events. You did not see his head cut off?"
he asked, turning to Billy.

"No, sir. We saw him in the pirates' hands. They were dragging him
along."

"Then, perhaps they intend holding him as a hostage," observed Mr
Norman. "The junks do not appear to have much in them; and so, for fear
lest the pirates should get on board again, we will set them on fire,
and pull back to where you lost Rogers."

Mr Norman at once gave the order, which the seamen executed with the
delight of school-boys igniting huge bonfires, and then the three boats
pulled b