Part 53 (1/2)

”No, sir,” he said, despondently ”Too high up, and that chap's waiting to give me one on the head”

”Yes; that will not do,” cried Mark, as the splash of the schooner's boat in the water was heard, and the voice of the skipper shouting so for a few ht, he placed his hands to his mouth, reached out of the cabin , and shouted with all his ht:

”Schooner ahoy! coxswain!”

”Ay, ay, sir,” cried Dance from the bows of the towed vessel, just as the boat with five er! Prisoners!”

”Hi! yew stop that!” cried a voice from the boat, and a man stood up and pointed a pistol at the midshi+pman

”Ay, ay, sir,” cried Dance

”Keep the schooner off, and follow at a distance,” roared Mark

_Bang_!

There was a puff of s the side of the cabin , and, directly following, the sharp report

”Loose the schooner,” yelled Mark, between his hands

”Go in, yew,” roared the ain; but at that moment Tom Fillot took aim with an empty bottle he had kicked from out of a locker, and hurled it over Mark's head with all his ht

So true was Tom's aim, and so swiftly was the bottle sent, that the American had not time to avoid it, and received a heavy blow in the chest, sufficient to disorder his aiain

”Ay, ay, sir,” cried Dance, who seeain in his head

”Quick, then,” cried Mark, excitedly ”Cut the tow-rope and stand off”

”Yah!” caive way--pull, boys--pull like steah the water, o, but the thened out by exciteet the cable cut in time

For while the oars splashed and the et out his knife, and as Mark and the others watched him, he was evidently nervous, and fu was strong, and he had to alter his tactics and begin to open it with his forefinger and thuet it open; and all the ti nearer In another few seconds it would be alongside, and the Aainst two, unless Taters made a brave defence There were a couple of dozen blacks on deck, but they were only staring stupidly at the approaching boat, and Joe Dance was still fu with his knife, while Grote had disappeared

”Oh, if I was only there!” cried Toroaned Mark ”Oh, To we can do?”

”No, sir; only look on Hah! at last”

”Yes, he's sawing at the cable with his knife”

”And it's blunt as hoop iron,” groaned Toside It's all over Was there ever such luck?”

”Cut, you beggar, cut!” yelled Tom Fillot

”Too late--too late!” said Mark bitterly, as he saw Dance still hacking at the cable, and the boat pulled alongside, while the bow man threw in his oar, and seized a boathook as he rose in his place