"'Pon my word, Mr Delamere, it's very difficult to say," he answered. "While you've been talkin' I've been lookin' at that ship away yonder, and I believe, sir, as you're right about there bein' another craft alongside of her, although they've so managed things that they might ha' stayed all day as they are without our bein' any the wiser, if we hadn't kept on watchin' 'em. Yes; it's a hact of piracy, right enough, I haven't a doubt; and, as you says--what's the best thing to be done?" He paused and gazed earnestly toward the increasing appearance of thickness and greasiness in the western quarter, carefully studying its aspect for a full minute or more; then he turned to me again. "I don't like the look of it at all, Mr Delamere," he said. "There's bad weather brewin' yonder--I'm sure of it--but how long it'll be before it comes no man can say; it may be hours, or it may be on us within the next half-hour or so. What does the barometer say?" We both stepped to the open skylight and peered down through it at the barometer, which hung in gimbals from the fore transom. The mercury was falling rather rapidly. "Yes," Pearce continued, "I don't like the look of it, sir, and I shouldn't like to take the responsibility of advisin' of you to send the boats away. For, ye see, Mr--" "Yes," I interrupted, cutting ruthlessly in upon the man's speech, "I see quite clearly, boatswain, that you and I are of one mind upon that point, therefore there is no need to discuss it further, and we will at once proceed to action. Call all hands if you please, Mr Pearce." The next moment the shrill chirruping of Pearce's pipe and his gruff bellow of "All hands ahoy!" resounded throughout the little vessel, and our decks at once became a scene of animation. The galley fire was extinguished, although the cook was by this time busy upon the preparation of the men's dinner; screens were fastened up round the hatchways, the magazine was opened, powder and shot were passed up on deck, and the guns were cast loose and loaded, the men dancing about the decks with the glee and activity of schoolboys preparing for a day's amusement. Then, as soon as we were all ready for action, the heavy sweeps were rigged out, four men to each sweep, and the schooner's bows were pointed straight for the stranger. To overcome the inertia of the little vessel, and get way upon her, was laborious work, and the men, stripped to their waists, were soon streaming with perspiration; but after the first five minutes' toil, during which we worked up a speed of about three knots, it proved a comparatively easy matter to keep her going.