THE QUEEN'S COP: A STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10731, 20 February 1897, Page 3

THE QUEEN'S COP: A STORY OF LOVE AND ADVENTURE

Bt G- A. HENTY, Author of "The Curse of Carne's Hold," "A

Ridden Foe,* ** With Clive in India," '' Eujub the Juggler," " A Woman of the Commune;" &c.

'{.COPYRIGHT.}

CHAPTER XV.

As soon as the dingey with Dominique

Snd Pedro had leffc the side of the yacht, the captain,, at Frank's orders, set four men to work to paint. the gig black, while others gave a coat of dull lead colour to the varnished oars. The order was received with much surprise by the men, who\ audibly expressed their regret at seeing their brightly varnished boats and oars thus disfigured. " Shut up, lads," the captain said, " the governor knows what he is doing, and he would not spoil the look of the boat unless he had a good reason for it. Ifc is only a matter of scraping it when we get home again." - After aboufc three hours on shore the dingey returned loaded with fruit and vegetables, which Pedro had purchased, and a native mast and sail. The former was at once cut so as to step in the gig. The sail was hoisted, and was then taken in hand by one of the crew, who was a fair saiimaker, to be altered so a» to stand flatter. Half an hour later the new pilot and four powerful negroes came alonside in a shore boat. It was now late in the afternoon, so the start was postponed until the next morning. A few other arrangements were made as to signalling, and it was settled that if Frank showed a red light a rocket should be sent np from the yacht to show that the signal had been observed and that they were getting up sail. They were to keep their lights up, so that Frank could make them out as they came up and put off to meet them. George Lechmere saw to the preparations for victualling the gig. Two large hampers of fresh provisions were placed on board, and two 4^gal kegs oi water. A bundle of rugs was I placed in the stem sheets, and the boat's S flagstaff was fixed in its place in the stern. The yard of the sail was at night to be lashed from the mast to the staff at a height of four feet above the gunwale, and across this the sail was to be thrown to act as a tent. A kettle, frying pan, plates, knives, and forks were put in forward, and a box of signal lights under the sent aft. Canisters of tea, sugar, coffee, and ail necessaries had been stowed away in the hamper, together with a plentiful supply of tobacco, and a bag of 281b of flour, wrapped up in tarpaulin, was placed nnder one of the thwarts. • As soon as it was daylight, anchor was got np, and when the yacht had sailed for seven or eight miles to the west the gig was lowered, and the four black boatmen took their places in her. Frank took the rudder lines, and Dominique sat near him. The Bail was then hoisted, and. as the wind was light the boatmen got out their oars, and shot ahead of the Osprey, directing their course obliquely towards the shore. It was not necessary to land afc the coast villages here, as ifc was morally certain that the Phantom had not touched anywhere within 20 or 30 milea of San Domingo, and' she would hardly have entered any of the narrow" rivers at night. Nevertheless they did hot pass any of these without rowing up them; When some native huts were reached Dominique closely questioned the negroes. The pilot had by this time been informed of the cause of their search for the Phantom, which had, until they left San Domingo, been a profound mystery to him. Frank, however, being now fully convinced both of the negro's trustworthiness and of his readiness to do all in his power to assist, thought it as well to confide in him, and when they were together in the boat informed him that the schooner they were searching for had carried off a young lady and.her maid from England. "That, man must be a rascal," the negro said, angrily, " I wish I was pilot on board dat vessel; me rnn bim on a shoal where he never get off again." "But in that way you might drown the yonng lady, as well as those on board." "No, sar, me no run him on rock; me run him on shoal.-where he soon ;bump his bottom out in de roller dat give plenty of time for all bands to take the boat 3. Me choose a place about a mile from the shore; then they ,'sault me for running dem ashore, me jump over and swim to land. What do he want that lady for, sar 1 He lovs her bery much ? " : "No, Dominique, what he loves is her fortune. She is rich, he has gambled away a fine property and wants her money to set him on his legs again." "Berry bad fellow dat," the pilot said shaking his head earnestly, "ought to be hung dat chap; Dominique do all he can to help you, sar; do more now for you'and dat young lady; we find him for suah.. You tink there will be any fighting, sar ?" " I think ifc likely that he will show fight when we come np with him, but you see I have a very strong crew and I have arms for them all." *. •'"Dat good. Me wonder often why you have so many men. Nothing for half of dem to do. Now me understand. Well, sar, if there be any fighting, you see me light; you gib me cutlass; me fight like debil." "Thank you, Dominique," Frank said, warmly, though with some difficulty repressing a smile. " I shall count on you if we have to use force. As far as lam concerned I' own that I should prefer that they did resist, for I should like nothing better than to stand face to face with that villain, each of bs armed with a cutlass." " But if you catch him you hang him for snah, sar?" "I should have no objection whatever, Dominique, but I can't take the law into my own bands, and when we get to port, if the story came out, it is quite on the cards that I might be hanged too. No, if he does not resist, and I can carry the lady off. lam afraid he will go scot-free, except that he will lose all the money, he has spent in this adventure." " How many men him got 1 " "Fourteen, and he and a friend, sixteen." "If he get to know yoa hero, Bar, he fight for suah.'' " I don'fc mind his fighting as long as he does not run away again." "If he know you here he go up river, get plenty of black men fight for him. Black fellow bery foolish. Give him little present he fight." "I had not thought of that, Dominique. Yes; if he has made some creek his headquarters he might, as you say, get the people round, by giving them presents, to take his side; that ft if he knew that we were here. However, at present he cannot dream that we are after him, and if we can but come upon him unawares we shall make short work of him."

No news whatever was obtained of the schooner until the headland of. La Catarina was passed, bat at the large village of Azua they learned that she had anchored for a night in tha bay five days before. She had been seen to sail out, and certainly had not turned into the river Niova. Touching at every village and exploring every inlet, Frank continued his course until after roundteg the bold promontory of La Beata, he reached the bay at the head of which ■Taquenel stands. Every two or three days they had commucicated with the Osprey and sleifc on board her, leaving her afc anchor with her sails down until they had gone some 10 miles in advaucs. She had at times been obliged to keep at some distance from the shore owing to the dingers-of rocks and shoals. The pilot on board would have taken her through, but Frank was unwilling to encounter any rak, unless absolutely necessary. Afc Jaqusn-sl he learnt that the schooner had pat in there a fortnight before, but neither there nor at any point after leaving Azua had she been seen since that time. She had sailed west. The next night, after looking in afc Bainette, some 20 miles beyond Jaquenel, Frank rejoined the Osprey. The gig was hoisted up and they sailed round the point of Gravois, the coaat intervening being so rocky and dangerous that although there was a passage through the shoals to the town of St. Louis, Frank felt certain that the schooner would not be in there. The coast from here to Cape Dame _ Marie was high and precipitous, witb no indentations where a ship could lie concsaled, and the voyage was continued in tbe y&cht as far as this cape. They were now at the entrance of the great bay of Hayti. " I take it as pretty certain," Frank said, as he, George Lechrcore, the skipper, and Dominique bent over the chart,-" that the schooner is somewhere in this bay. Sbe has certainly not made her headquarters anywhere along the south coast. In the filiJt place she has seldom hesn seen, and ia

the second we have examined it thoroughly therefore I take it that she is somewhere hare, unless, of course, she has sailed for Cuba. I don't see why she should have done that. The coast there is a good deal more dangerous than that of San Domingo; there are rocks and reefs pretty nearly everywhere, aod at any rate he would not want to go on there until the weather is quite settled. He could not want a better place for cruising about than this bay - you see it is about 90 miles across the mouth, and over 100 to Port au Prince, with indentations and harbours all round, and with the island of Genarve, some 40 miles long, to run behind in the centre. He could get everything he wants at Port au Prince or at Petit Gouarve, which looks a good-sized place.

" There are mountain ranges all round the coast, and the scenery, like that we have passed, is no doubt lovely. One could not want a finer cruising ground. I should say, in the first place, that we could not do better than ran down at night to the Island of Genarve and anchor close under it. From there we shall see him if he comes out of Port au Prince or Petit Gouve, whichever side he may take, and by getting on to an elevated spot have a view of pretty nearly the whole bay. Looking at it at present, the two mosfc likely spots for him to make his headquarters are in that very sheltered inlet behind the Point of Halle on the north side, or in the-equally sheltered. bay and inlet under the Bee de Marsouin on the south. From Genarve we ought to be able to see him coming out of either of them. It is nofc above 25 miles from the island to the Bee de Marsouin, and 40 to the Point of Halle; we might not see him come out from there, but we should soon make, him out:if he were coming down from Port au Prince.".

It was agreed that this was the best plan to adopt. It might lead to their sighting the schooner in a day or two, while to row round the bay and search every inlet in it would take them a fortnight. From Genarve, too, a 40-mile sail in the gig would take them into Port au Prince, whioh it was possible the brigantine might have made its headquarters. Accordingly, after waiting until nightfall, they got up sail, and anchored at 6 in the morning in a small bay in the Island of Genarve. Here they would not be likely to attract tbe notice of any ship passing up to Port au Prince, unless, which was very unlikely, one came along close to the shore.

As'soon as the anchor was dropped both boats rowed on shore. Frank, George Lechmere, Pedro, and four sailors, with a basket of provisions, started at once for the* highest point in the island, some four miles distant. Dominique' went alocg the shore with two sailors to make inquiries at any villages they came to.

, On reaching the top of the hill Frank saw that, as he had expected, it commanded an extensive view over the bay on each side of the island, which was but some six miles across. A village could be seea .on the northern shore, some three miles distant; and to this Pedro, with one of the sailors, was at ones despatched. Both parties soon rejoined Frank after midday.^ The schooner had been noticed passing the island several times, but much more often on the southern side than on the northern. The negroes on that side were all agreed that she generally kept on the southern side of the passage, and that more than once she had been seen coming from the south shore and passing the western point of the island on her way north.

"That looks as if she came from Petit Gouve, or the bay of Mitaquane, or that under the Bee de Marsouin," Frank said.

"Dat is it, sar," Dominique agreed. "If she want to go north side of bay from Port an Prince she would have gone either side of island; I expect she lie under de Bee. Fine, safe place, dat. No town . there, plenty of wood all round, and villages where she get fruit and vegetables. Sure to be little stream wh6re she can get water."

The watch was maintained until sunset, but although a powerful telescope had been brought up no vessel at all corresponding to the appearance of the brigantine was made out.

At 6 o'clock next morning Frank was again at the look-out, and scarcely had he turned his telescope to the south shore than he saw the brigantine come out from behind the Bee de Marsouin and head towards the west. The wind was blowing from that quarter, and after a few minute's' deliberation, Frank told the men to follow* him and dashed down the hill. In half, an hour he reached the shore opposite the yacht, and at his Shout the dingey," which was lying at her stern, at once roWed ashore.

" Get up the anchor, Captain, and make sail.. I have seen ber; she has just come out from the Bee, and is making west. As the wind is against her, it seems to me that he would never choose that direction to cruise in unless he was starting for Cuba, and I dare not let the opportunity slip. If he once gets clear away we may have months of work before we find him again, and as the wind now is, I am sure that we can overhaul him long before he can make Cuba. Indeed, as we lie, we are nearer to fchafc coast than he is, and can certainly cut him off."

In five minutes the Osprey was under way with all sail set. The wind was nearly due west, and as Cuba lay to the north of that point she had an advantage that quite counter-balanced that gained by the stare the Phantom had obtained. In two hours the lookout at the head of the mast shouted down that he could perceive the brigantine's topsail.

" She is sailing in towards the land on that side," he said; " she has evidently made a tack out, and is now on the starboard tack again."

" It will be a long leg and a short one with her, sir," the skipper said. " I think that if we were in her place we could just manage to lay our course along the coast, but with those square yards of hers she,cannot go as close to the wind as we can. , As it is, we can lay our course to cut her off."

"It would be rather a clobo pinch to do so before she gets to the head of the bay," Frank said.

"Yes, sir, and I don't suppose that we shall overhaul her before that, but we certainly shan't be far behind her by the time she gets there. Looking at the chart, you see there is not much difference in length between the course from our anchorage and herefrom the Bee; but We are to windward of her, and while we can lay our course, she has to make an occasional tack off shore. I think that we shall cut her off if the wind holds as it does now. At any rate, if she should get there first, we should certainly lie between her and Caba, and she will have either to run back, or to round the Cape, or to run east or south. I wish the wind would freshen; but I fancy that it is more likely to die away. Still she is walking along well at present."

Even Frank, anxious as he was, could not but feel satisfied as he looked at the water glanciDg past her side. She was heeling well over, and the rustle of water at her bow could be heard where they were standing near the till6r. Andrews, the best helmsman on board the yacht, held the tiller rone, and Perry was standing beside him. "Do you think that- we could ease the sheets a trifle, Perry?" Frank asked ; "a few more inches would make the best. part o! a knot an hour difference in her speed." " The topsail is shaking now, sir ; we have to pinch her np all we know to keep her on her course. There in no doubt but she would go faster through the water if we could ease her a bit."

"Then I think that you had better let her go off a point and slacken the sheets a trifle, even if we have to make a short tack to clear the head of the bay." A slight change was made in her course, and the sheets eased a little.

"She is travelling faster," Hawkins said; "she was going well before, but no doubt she was pinned in too much. A yawl is not like a cutter; she won't go with her boom nearly amidships."

From time to time Frank went up to she crosstrees. "We are drawing in upon her fast," he said, " but she is travelling well, too, much better than I should have thought she would have done with that rig. I think she has got a better wind than ws have. She has only made one short tack in for the last two hours."

The captain's prognostication as to tbe wind was verified, and to Frank's intense annoyance the wind gradually died away, and headed them so much that they could no longer lie their oourss.

"What shall we do, sir J shall we hold across to the south shore and work along by it, as the schooner is doing, or shall we go about at once 1"

"Go about at once, Hawkins. You see we can see her topsails from the deck; and. of course she can see ours. I don't suppose she has paid any attention to us yet, and if we stand away on the other tack we shall soon drop her altogether; while if we hold on she will, when we reach that shore, be tbree or four miles behind us. Of course she will have a full view of us."

They sailed on the port tack for an honr p.r.rl then cnms round again. Tha schooner

could no longer be seen from the deck, and could only just be made out from the crosstrees.

" I think on this tack," the skipper said, as he stood by the compass after she had gone round, " we shall make the point, and I think that we shall make it ahead of her."

" I think so too, Hawkins. What pace is she going now 1 "

" Not much more than four knots, sir." "My only fear is that we shan't get near her before it is dark."

" I think that we have plenty of time for that, sir; yoft see we got up anchor at halfpast G, and ifc is just 12 o'clock now. Another five hours should take us up to her, if the wind holds at this."

By 2 o'clock the topsails of the brigantine could be again made out from the deck. She was still working along shore, and was on their port bow.

"Another three hours and we shall be alongside of her," the skipper said; " and if I am nofc mistaken we shall come out ahead of her."

" There is one advantage of the course we are taking, Hawkins. Viewing us as she will pretty nearly end on till we get nearly abreast of her, she won't be able to make out our rig clearly."

By 4 o'clock they were within five miles of the brigantine. The wind then freshened, and laying her course as sbe did, while ths brigantine was obliged to make frequent tacks, she ran down fast towards her.

_ " They must have their eyes on us by this time," the captain said; " though they cannot be sure it is the Osprey, they can see that she is a yawl of over a hundred tons, and as they cannot doubt that we are chasing them they won't be long in guessing who we are. Shall we get the arms up, sir 1"

" Yes, you may as well do so. The muskets can be loaded and laid by the bulwarks, but they are not to be touched until I- give the order. No doubt they are also armed. I am anxious not te fire a shot if it can be helped, and once alongside we are strong enough to overpower them with our cutlasses only. With the five blacks we are now double their strength, and even Carthew may see the uselessness of offering any resistance."

They ran down until they were within a mile of the shore, not being now mora than a beam offi the brigantine. Two female figures had some time before been made out on her deck, but they had now disappeared. It was evident that the Osprey was being closely watched by those on board the brigantine. Presently two or three men were seen to run aft.

"They are going to tack again, sir. If they do they will come right out to us." Frank made no reply, but stood with his glass fixed on the brigantine. Suddenly he exclaimed, "Bound with her Hawkins."

"Up with your helm, Andrews; hard up, man," the skipper shouted, as hu himself ran to slack out the main sheet. Four men ran aft to assist him.

" That will do," he said, as she fell off fast from the wind, " Now then, gather in the main sheet, ready for a jibe; slack off the starboard runner; a couple of hands aft and get the squaresail out of the locker. Mr Purvis, get the yard across her, lower her down ready for the sail, and see that the braces and guys are all right. Now in with the sheets, lads, handsomely. That will do, tbat is it. Over she goes.- Slack out the sheet steadily."

"She is round too," Frank said, as the boom went off nearly square. "We have gained, and she is not more than half a mile away."

The manoeuvre, had, in 'fact, brought the yachts nearer to each other. Both had their booms over to starboard.

" Quick with that squaresail," Frank shouted; "she is drawing away from us fast."

Two minutes later the squaresail was hoisted, and the foot boomed out on the port side. Every eye was now fixed on the brigantine, but to their disappointment they saw that she was still, though very much more slowly, drawing ahead.

" Tbat is just what I feared," Frank said, in a tone of deep vexation. " With those big yards I was certain she would leave us when running ahead before the wind. However, there is no fear of our leaving her. What are we doing now 1 Seven knots ? "

" About that, sir, and she is doing a knot better."

"What do you think she will do now, Hawkins ? "

" I don't see what she has got to do, sir. If she were to get five miles ahead of us, and then haul her wind, she would know that she could not go away from us, for we should be to windward ; and we are evidently a good bit faster than she is when we-are both closehauled. The only other thing that I can see for her to do is to run straight on to Port au Prince. At the rate we are going now she would be in soon after daylight to-morrow. We should be seven or eieht miles astern of her, and he might think that we should not venture to board her there."

" I don't think that he would rely on that, Hawkins. Now he knows who we are he will gness that we should stick at nothing. What I am afraid of is that he will lower a boat and row Miss Greendale and her maid ashore. He might do it either there, or, what would be much more likely, row ashore to some quiet place during the night, take his friend and two or three of his men with him, and leave the rest to sail her to Port au Prince."

" I don't think that the wind is going to hold," the skipper said, looking astern; "' I reckon that it will drop, as it generally does, at sunset. It is not blowing so hard now as it did just before we wore round."

In half-an-hour, indeed, it fell so light that the 03prey was standing through the water only at three and a-half knots an hour. The light wind suited the Phantom, with. her great sail spread.! She had now increased her lead to a mile and a-half, and was evidently leaving them fast. '

"There is only one thing to be done, George; we must board them in boats."

" I am ready. Major, but ifc will be a rather risky business."

Frank looked at him in surprise. "I don't mean for us, sir," George said with a smile, " but for Misb Greendale. You may be sure that those fellows will fight hard, and as we come up behind we shall get it hot. Now, sir, if anything happens to you, you must remember that the Osprey will be as good as useless towards helping her. You as her owner might be able to justify what we are doing, but if you were gone there would be no one to take the lead. Carthew would only have to sail into Port au Prince and denounce us as pirates. I hear from the pilot that these niggers have got some armed ships, and they might sink us as soon as we came into the harbour, and then there would be an end to any chance of Miss Greendale getting her liberty." "That is true enough, George, but I thiuk that it must be risked. Now that he knows we are here, he has nothing to do but to send her ashore under the charge of his friend and two or three of the sailors and take her up into the hills; or he might go with her himself, which is perhaps more likely. Then when we came up with her at Port au Prince the skipper would simply deny that there had ever been any ladies on board, and would swear that he had only carried out two gentleman passengers, as his papers would show, and might declare he had landed them at Porto Eico. Of course they are certain to fight now, for they can do so without risk, as they could 3wear that they took us for a pirate."

" How niany do you think that the gig will carry, Hawkins 1" , " Weli, sir, you might put nine in her. You brought ten off at Southampton; but, if you remember, it put her very low in the water, and we should run a good deal heavier than your party then."

" Yes, I think that we had better take ouly nine. If we overload her she will row so heavily that we shall be a long time overhauling them."

j "lam not quite sure that we shall cvur- ! haul them anyhow, sir. Look at those clouds j coming over the hills—they are travelling '. fast, and I should say that we are likely to • have a squall. No doubt; they get them 1 here pretty often, with such high land all | round." i " Well, we must chauca that, Hawkins. If ; one does come you must pick un up aa we • come along. I agree with you; it does look :as if we should have a squall. Ifc may nofc Ibe anything very serioae, bufc anyhow, if it j comes it will take her along a great deal ;, faster than we can row. Pur7is, I suppose | that the dingey will carry seven J" | "Yes, she will do that easily.'' ; " Very well, we can but try; that will give .j IG of ns, which is about their strength. You , must remain on board. Purvis shall com- | mand the dingey; Lechmere will go with | me. Pick out 13 hands. You and Perry can ! manage with soven aud tbe five negroes, but } keep a sharp look out for that squall, and be | aure and get the squaresail down before ifc j comes, and stand ready to get tho topsail off j her, and to let the foresail run down. Re- ' ruGmber fchafc you will have very short warn-

ing. We are only a mile from the shore, and coming down from the hills you may not see it on the water until it is quite^close to you."

"I will be on the look out, sir, and will not be caught napping." The boats were lowered, and the men, each armed with musket and cutlass, took their places in them. . Frank and George Lechmere each had a cutlass and a revolver buckled to the waist. •■•

" Now give way, lads," Frank said. " She is about two miles ahead of us, and we ought to overtake her in half ah hour."

Ifc was now getting dusk, fche light fading out suddenly as the clouds spread over ths sky. Frank's last orders to the skipper before leaving were:

" Edge her in, Hawkins, until you are dead astern of the brigantine. Then if the squall comes down before we reach her, we shall be right in your track."

" I have put a lighted lantern into the stem sheets of each boat, sir, and have thrown a bit of sail cloth over them, so that if sho leaves you behind and yon hold it up there won't be any fear of our missing you, though I don't suppose we should do that anyhow; still it ia a3 well to be on the safe side, and we might not sea you until yon were close, and should have to wear round to pick you up."

The men rowed hard, bufc the gig had to stop frequently to let the dingey come up to it.^ They gained, however, fast upon the brig, and in half an hour they were bufc a few hundred yards astern. Then came a hail from the brigantine in French :

" Keep ofi or we will sink you." No reply was made. They were but 200 yards away when there were two bright flashes from the stern of the brigantine, and a shower of bullets splashed round the boats. There were two or three cries of pain, and George Lechmere felt Frank give a sudden start.

" Are you hit, sir 1"

" I have got a bullet in my left shoulder, George; but it is of no consequence. Row on, lads," he shouted. "Wo shall be alongside before they have time to load again. I never thought of their having guns, though," he went on, as the men recovered from their surprise and dashed on again with a cheer. "By the sharp crack they must be brass. I suppose he picked up a couple of small guns at Ostend, thinking that they might be useful to him in these waters."

A spluttering fire of musketry now broke out from the brigantine. They had lessened their distance by a half when they saw ths brigantine, without apparent cause, heel over. Farther and farther she went until her lee rail was under water. The firing bad instantly ceased, and there were loud shouts on board; then, as she came up iuto the wind, the square yards wsre let fall, and the crew ran up the ratlins to secure the sails. Simultaneously the foresail came down, then her head payed off again, and she darted away like an arrow from the boats. These, however, had ceased rowing. Frank, as he saw fche brigantine bowing over, shouted to Purvis to put the boat's head to the wind, doing the same himself.' A few seconds afterwards the squall struck therewith such force that some of the oars were wrenched from the hands of the men, who were unprepared for the attack.

"Steady, men, steady I" Frank shouted. "It won't last long. Keep on rowing, so as to hold the boat where you are till the yacht comes along. She won't be many minutes before she is here."

In little over a quarter of an bour she was seen approaching, and Frank saw that; in spite of the efforts of the men at the oars the boats had been blown some distance to leeward. However, as' soon as the lanterns were held up the Osprey altered her course, and the captain taking her still further to leeward, threw her up head to wind until they rowed alongside her.

Frank had by this time learned that one of the men in the bow had been killed and that three besides himself had been wounded. Two were wounded on board the dingey.

V So they have got some guns," the skipper said, as they climbed on deck; "no one hurt I hope 1" '

"There is one killed, I am sorry to say, and five wounded," Frank replied; " but none of them seriously. I have got a bullet in my shoulder, but that is of no great consequence. So you got throngh it all righfc 1 "< "Yes, sir; it looked so nasty that I got the squaresail offi her and the topsail on deck before it struck us, and as we ran the foresail down just as it came we were all right, and only just got the water on the deck. It was as well, though, thafc we had not been lying becalmed. As it was, she jumped away directly she felt ifc. I w;as just able to see the brigantine, and it seemed to me that she had a narrow escape of turning turtle." s

" Yes, they were toe .much occupied wifch us to be keeping a sharp look-out at the sky, and if it had been a-little stronger it would have been a close case with her. Thank God that ifc was no worse. Can you make her out still 1 "

" Yes, sir, I can spe her plainly enough with my glasses." . •

In a quarter of an hour the strength oE the squall was spent. It then veered round to its former quarter, taking the Osprey along at the rate of some five knots an hour.

The wounded were now attended to. George Lechmere found that the ball had broken Frank's collar bone and had gone out behind. NBoth he and Frank had had sufficient experience to know what should be done, and after bathing the wound,and with the assistance of two sailors pulling the arm into its place, George applied some splints to the broken bone to keep it firm, and then firmly bandaged it and the arm.

One of the sailors had a wound in the cheek, the ball in its passage carrying off part of the ear, one of the men sitting in the bow had had a broken arm, but only one of the others was seriously hurt. Frank went on deck again as soon as his shoulder was bandaged and his left arm strapped tightly to his side.

" I suppose that she is still gaining on us, Hawkins ?"

"Yes, she is dropping us. I reckon she has gone fast, sir, fully half a knot, though we have got all sail set." , " There is one comfort," Frank said; " the coast from here as far as the Bee is so Drecipitous that they won't have a chance of putting the boat ashore until they get past that point, and by the time they are there daylight will have broken."

{To Oe continued.)