"She's a merchantman from California," observed one. "She'll have plenty of gold dust on board." "She's the craft to suit us, then," observed a second. "She's a heavy vessel, and the fellows aboard will fight for their gold," remarked a third. "Who cares? a little fighting will make the prize of more value," cried another. "We'll show them what they'll get by resistance." The word was now passed along to clear the decks for action, and, with the men at their guns, we bore down on the stranger. CHAPTER FIFTEEN. VOYAGE IN THE PIRATE VESSEL. The stranger saw our approach, and from the eager way in which we carried on sail, those on board must have had some suspicion of the character of the schooner. She was a fine large ship, and was evidently a fast craft, but still the schooner managed to overhaul her. As we had hitherto stood on under easy sail, the _Dove_ was able to keep up with us, but now we left her far astern. Before we parted company, however, the captain signalised her where to meet him. I forgot to say that for some time we did not know the name of the pirate chief, but at last we heard him called Captain Bruno. Though this name had a foreign sound, he was, as I have before said, either an Englishman or an American. The schooner was called the _Hawk_, and she was not ill named. As we drew near the ship we ran up English colours, while in return, up went at her peak the stars and stripes of the United States. On we stood. The ship, so Jerry and I concluded, did not suspect the character of the schooner, for she made no attempt to escape us, but appeared as if those on board expected a friendly greeting. I observed Captain Bruno very frequently turn his telescope towards the stranger, and examine her narrowly. The officers, too, began to talk to each other, and look suspiciously at her. I asked Mr McRitchie, who was near us, whether he thought the pirates would attack the ship and murder the crew, as we believed they had done that of the brig. "I dread something terrible, but I have very little apprehension for the fate of the people on board the ship," he answered, in a low tone. "In my opinion, the pirates will find that they have caught a tartar. Mark me--yonder craft is no merchantman, but a ship of war, either American or English, or perhaps Chilian. I should not be surprised to find that she is on the watch for our friends here. Scarcely do I know what to wish. If they fight at all, they will fight desperately, and we shall run as great a chance of being killed as they will--though, if they are captured, we may regain our liberty. If, on the other hand, they escape, our captivity will be prolonged." "But if yonder ship prove to be what you suppose, and the schooner is captured, perhaps we may be hung as pirates," said Jerry. "How can we prove that we are honest people?"