l they were overhauling was a small
tramp steamer, which had evidently found courage, through the general
incapacity of the Spanish navy and the fancied security of neutral
waters, to flaunt the Stars and Stripes. It was therefore most
disconcerting to find herself suddenly pursued in the English Channel by
a craft which had every appearance of being a Spanish gunboat. No sooner
had she caught a glimpse of the red and yellow flag of her enemy than
she crowded on to her yards every stitch of canvass she possessed, in
the hope of obtaining some advantage from the light breeze that was
blowing, while the black clouds of smoke which belched from her single
funnel showed that her engines were being driven to their utmost
capacity. She having a long lead and the combined assistance of wind and
steam, the distance between the pursuer and the pursued decreased
slowly, and it soon became evident that it was to be a stern chase,
which is proverbially a long chase. The yacht, therefore, turned about
in search of some fresh enemy to whom she might surrender, and in this
fortune favored her, for down the Channel came a great liner, whose
name, albeit she flew temporarily the flag of another nation, proclaimed
her to be an American ship, with an American captain and crew.

Those on board the "Homing Pigeon" now adopted different tactics, and an
inverted British ensign replaced the banner of the Dons.

As the yacht stood directly in the path of the oncoming ocean greyhound,
and flew signals of distress which she could not disregard, the great
ship was forced to heave to. Marchmont hastened to convey the news to
his prisoners in the cabin, saying that he considered them very
fortunate, as they had every prospect of a speedy and pleasant voyage,
and cautioning them at the same time, as he led the way up the cabin
stairs, that resistance was futile, and that any remarks of theirs to
the crew would only be so much waste of breath. To all of which neither
deigned to answer a word, realising that in their present precarious
position silence was not only the most dignified but also the safest
course.

As they reached the deck the great liner was almost abreast of them, and
gradually came to a standstill with clouds of pent-up steam pouring from
her safety-valves.

"What do you want?" bawled her chief officer through a megaphone, his
voice sounding very large and clear from the great height above them.

"We've two prisoners of war, Spani