Part 44 (1/2)

”Never fear, we shall not miss him, I hope,” exclaiive way, my merry men”

The boat's crew did their best; but the event was another convincing proof of thea little too late

Had they been ten minutes sooner, they would, perhaps, have been in tiain into the hands of the pirates Linton felt this when he found that they were recaptured, and, stung with regret, although he was in no reed on the pursuit with a zeal which very nearly led to the destruction of himself and his followers

We left him severely, if not mortally, wounded, off the mouth of the pirate's harbour The command, therefore, devolved on Tompion, who immediately ordered the boats to separate as ht of each other, to cause the shots of the ene scattered over a wider range

”Pull away, my lads,” exclaimed the mate; ”we shall soon be out of this, and we shall have an opportunity before long of paying them off”

The men needed no inducement to pull hard, for it was excessively hot work, and they had no fancy to be exposed to the showers of bullets which ca round them, especially when they were co and lofty cliffs, fringed with tiny glances of vivid light, and the bright flashes of the _Sea Hawk's_ guns, which were reflected on the cally picturesque spectacle, which those ere pulling at the oars had full opportunity to contereeable to them on that account, especially as it would have been a very useless aainst the cliffs in return Fortunately, no further casualties occurred, and every instant, as their distance from the shore increased, there was less chance of a shot hitting theer, hailed the other boats, to order the crews to rest on their oars to recover breath, before they shaped their course to return to their shi+p The hail was answered by another fro out--

”Did you see the et into the harbour, with the rest of the rascals?”

”No,” said Tompion ”Did any one on board see her?” he asked of the crew

”No, sir,” was the general answer

”No one saw her go in,” he answered

”Then, by Jove, there she is, on our starboard bea out Duff in return ”She is pretty nearly becalot out there, I suspect, to watch us, and to try to cut us off What shall we do?”

”I and the gig will close you, and we'll see what is to be done,” said To the other boat to follow hiside each other

There, sure enough, Tompion perceived the mistico, about a quarter of atheirthat she had not attacked them when under the cliffs; but, in the first place, she could not then get up to them, and had she been able to do so, it would have prevented the pirates on shore fro on them

The wind had at this juncture almost failed her, but she had her sweeps to depend on, and with a strong crew they could send her along at a great rate She was commanded on the present occasion by the second lieutenant of the _Sea Hawk_--at least by the officer who performed the duties of one--who had hurried on board with as many men as he could find, and swept out to sea the iven; and now, soun to edge up towards the boats, purposely to take the to make them an easy prey

Of most of this Tompion was soon aware, and it now beca her instead

”What does Mr Linton say?” asked Duff ”We should not take long about it, I think, and she would be soht's work”

”Tell Mr Linton how things stand, Jennings, and ask him what he wishes us to do,” said To

”Poor Mr Linton can say nothing, sir,” returned Jennings, in a sorrowful tone ”I'rief escaped from all who heard the words

”What! is he dead?” inquired Tompion, in a voice which showed that he participated in the feeling of the crews, although he ht very probably benefit by the vacancy thus created; yet, I will venture to say, the thought of this did not enter his head

”No, sir, not dead, I hope,” said the coxswain ”I have bound up his wound as well as I can, and stopped the bleeding; but he's in a dead faint, and I don't know if he'll coain”

”Well, Duff, I should like to act as Mr Linton would have done, and I' two thoughts about it,” observed Toet back to the shi+p as fast as we can, to obtain surgical assistance for him”

”I kno you feel, Tompion,” exclaimed Jemmy Duff--”but I have it: our two boats can easily tackle the rascallyas fast as she can, with Mr Linton and Timmins here, who is badly hurt, and let them tell Saltwell of our whereabouts, and we shall fall in with her before thewith a prize in tow, I hope”

”Capital!” exclai advice froood, and coincided with his own opinion ”What say you, h in your arms to punish some of those rascals for Mr Linton's too like death, and the trick they played us?”