f them are. I
fancy a breeze will spring up soon, and in that case we may have a long
row before we overtake her."

The breeze came presently, and the Algerine began to slip away. It was,
however, but a puff, and the boat again began to gain on her. When they
were five miles from the ship they were within a quarter of a mile from
the chase.

"Confound the fellow!" the lieutenant muttered; "but I think I was
mistaken, for there are not more than half a dozen men on her deck."

At length the boat swept up to the side of the craft. As the men leapt to
their feet a couple of round shot were thrown into the boat, one of them
going through the bottom. The cutter immediately began to fill, and the
men as they climbed up were confronted by fully a hundred armed Moors.
Lieutenant Saxton was at once cut down, and most of the sailors suffered
the same fate. As usual, Will, Dimchurch, and Stevens held together and
fought back to back. The contest, however, was too uneven to last, and the
Moorish captain came up to them and signed to them that they must lay down
their arms.

"Do it at once," Will said. "They evidently prefer to take us prisoners to
killing us, which they could do without difficulty. We have been caught in
a regular trap, and must make the best of it."

So saying he threw down his cutlass, and the others followed his example.

They were taken down below with three other unwounded sailors, and the
wounded and dead were at once thrown overboard.

"This is the worst affair we have been in together," said Dimchurch,
"since we fell into the hands of those negroes. Unless the _Tartar_
overtakes us I am afraid we are in for a bad time."

"I am afraid so, Dimchurch, and I fear that there is little chance indeed
of the frigate overtaking us. In such a light wind this craft would run
away from her, and with fully five miles start it would be useless for the
boats to try to overtake her."

"What are they going to do with us?"

"There is very little doubt about that. They will make slaves of us, and
either set us to work on the fortifications or sell us to be taken
up-country."

"I don't expect they will keep us long," Dimchurch said grimly.

"I don't know; they have great numbers of Christians whom they hold
captive, and it is rare indeed that one of them escapes. I suppose some
day or other we'll send a fleet to root them out, but our hands are far
too full for anything of that sort at present. If we have a chanc