have to acquit ourselves
like true men."

"I am ready," said I. "Tell me what to do, and I will do it."

"Well said," he answered approvingly. "But I could see from the outset
that you had the true spirit in you. You are a Yorkshireman, master, and
I am a sea-dog of Cornwall; but, marry, we are both Englishmen, and we
will come out of this scrape yet. 'Tis not the worst I have been in--but
more of that anon. Now to begin with, we will discuss our present
situation, and then, having determined our course of action, we will put
it into execution."

So we talked things over, and eventually came to these conclusions. We
were, so far as Pharaoh could reckon, about ten miles from land, and we
must reach the coast during the night if we wished to escape
observation. That accomplished, we must strike across country for
Acapulco, where it was possible we might meet with an English ship. The
distance was some three hundred miles in a bee-line, and the character
of the country rough; but that mattered little, for we should of
necessity be obliged to keep away from the roads and bridges. There was
no considerable town on our way, save Oaxaca, and that we must leave to
our left. If we fell in with Spaniards we were lost men, for they would
certainly carry us to Vera Cruz or to Mexico, and there hand us over to
the Inquisitors. As for wild beasts and Indians, we must take our
chance, trusting in God's mercy for protection and help.

We now examined the boat, which was but a small craft that had been
unstrung the day before, in order that the ship's carpenter might
examine some fancied defect in the rudder. Fortunately a pair of oars
had been left in her, and these Pharaoh now took in hand, bidding me
steer for the volcanic flame, which played over the peak of Tuxtla,
immediately before us.

"I can pull ten miles in this sea," said he, "and I warrant you have had
little experience in that line, master. Now, you see that the wind has
drifted us due south until to-night, and therefore Nunez has come some
five-and-thirty miles out of his course for Vera Cruz. He will now beat
up along the coast, heading north and west, and so if we steer
south-by-east he will have hard work to catch us when he finds that we
are gone, as he will ere morning. And now to work."

Thereupon he fell to the oars, and with such good-will, that the light
craft, her nose kept towards the volcanic fire, began to shoot through
the regular swell of the placid