fire. I've a notion that if we gets 'em well away from the brig, and
well within range of our little barker there, we might give 'em such a
peppering afore they could get clear of us ag'in as would sicken 'em of
having any more to do with us. Perhaps it mightn't be quite onpossible
to destr'y the boat altogether, and then there's seven or eight good
hands wiped off the chap's books. This here ain't like a ordinary
enemy, you see, lad--he's a sort of general enemy to all mankind; and
the more harm we can do to _him_, the more good we'll be doing the rest
of the world."

It sounded rather like cold-blooded barbarity, this proposal of Bob's to
attempt the _destruction_ instead of the _repulse of_ the boat in
pursuit of us, but every word he said in support of his proposition was
strictly true; and indeed some such idea had been present in my own
mind, so I withheld my fire for a time.

At length, however, they were within half a mile of us, and I thought we
might now fairly commence operations. I carefully levelled the piece
accordingly, and desiring Bob to sit well out of the line of fire and
steer as steadily as possible, I watched the heave of the cutter, and
pulled the trigger-line.

The shot sped straight for the boat, but, striking the water just before
it reached her, bounded clear over her and into the sea beyond. There
was a shout from the people in the boat, and we could see that they
stretched to their oars with doubled exertion.

"Straight as it could go, Harry, lad, but _rather_ too much elevation;
try 'em again, boy, and look smart about it too, for they're giving way
as if the devil was behind 'em."

"Which he probably _is_, if they did but know it, Bob," returned I.
"Keep cool, old man; there's no hurry; you attend to the steering of the
craft, I'll undertake to cool their courage for them before they're very
much older."

"Ay, ay," retorted Bob, "keep cool it is; but it's getting to be rather
ticklish work, lad, ain't it?"

I was too busy with the gun to reply just then, and in another moment I
fired once more. This time we saw the splinters fly from the bows of
the boat, and one of the oarsmen sprang from his seat and fell back into
the arms of the man behind him.

There was a moment of confusion with them, and then we saw one of the
men in the stern-sheets (there _were_ two of them) step along the
thwarts and take the injured man's place. This looked like a fixed
determination to come