I fired, but was unable to see the effect of my ball. A great explosion shook the yacht. It was the four starboard carronades loaded with grape-shot, which were fired almost at short range on the mystic pirate, without doubt at the moment when they boarded the yacht, for the latter received so violent a shock that I was almost thrown down. Several balls whistled around my head. A heavy body fell behind me, and I heard Falmouth call to me, in a feeble voice: "Take care of yourself." I turned anxiously towards him, when a man, wearing the Catalan bonnet, leaped upon the deck, caught me with one hand by my cravat, and with the other fired a shot from a pistol so near me that the priming burned my hair and beard. [Illustration] Making a quick movement and throwing myself backward, I averted the ball which grazed my shoulder. I was holding my carbine loaded with one shot. At the moment when the pirate, seeing he had missed me, struck me on the head with the butt end of his pistol, I thrust the barrel of my carbine full against his chest, and fired. The concussion was so strong that my arms were benumbed. The pirate wheeled violently, stumbled against me, and fell on his back, gasping convulsively. I turned about and trod upon some one; it was Falmouth, who was lying at the foot of the mainmast. "You are wounded?" I cried, throwing myself upon him. "I believe that I have something like a broken thigh; but pay no heed to me!" he exclaimed. "Take care! there comes another of those robbers, I see his head, face him or you are lost!" My heart was broken at the sight of Falmouth extended on the deck. I did not for a moment dream of the danger I was running; I wished first of all to rescue Henry from a certain death, for being thus unable to defend himself, he would be inevitably massacred. Fortunately I saw the scuttle, which had not been closed (it was an opening three feet square, which communicated with the common saloon). I immediately took Falmouth under the arms, dragged him as far as this opening, in spite of his resistance, for he struggled, crying: "There is that brigand, he is going to leap upon you!" Without replying, and using all my strength, I seated him on the edge of the scuttle, his legs hanging within, and said to him, "Now let yourself slide, you, at least, will be in safety." "Too late! You have lost your life in saving me!" cried Falmouth, with a tone of anguish. As he said these words, with a last effort I made him slide into the interior of the chamber, where he had nothing more to fear. All this had happened in less time than it has taken to write it. I was still down on one knee, when an iron hand seized me by the neck, a strong knee pressed against my loins, and at the same time some one gave me a violent blow on the shoulder. This blow was followed by a sharp sensation of cold.