He pointed, and they all saw a dark mass that was bearing down upon them with the speed of an express train. It seemed to loom above them like the black shadow of doom. It sent a shudder of horror to their hearts. “A vessel!” screamed Diamond. “A vessel!” thundered Browning. “Look out, Merry!” With all his strength Frank jammed down the tiller, and the boat came about on the other tack, although she seemed to do so with deathly slowness. Every lad held his breath, expecting to hear a crash, feel the shock, or be hurled into the sea. There was a slight jar, a scraping sound, and the black mass fled past. “It’s the black schooner!” shouted Diamond. The same thought had come to Frank. There seemed to be something familiar in this overshadowing peril of the deep. Past them flew the strange vessel. The wind was making a great racket, but high above its clamor the boys in the catboat heard a cry that must have come from human lips. It was wild and weird, and it sent a shudder through them. On sped the mysterious vessel. Round came the _Jolly Sport_, and, almost before anybody was aware of it, the catboat was running after the schooner. Running before the wind the _Jolly Sport_ was a wonder. She flew like a bird. “What are you going to do, Merry?” shouted Rattleton, in amazement. “I am going to try to get back to the Thimbles before it is pitch dark.” “It can’t be done!” declared Diamond. “It’s our only show. The night is going to be blacker than a stack of black cats. We’ll be run down here on the sound, or the seas will swamp us. We can’t make New Haven against this wind. It is utterly impossible.” The others felt that Frank was right. The boat had shown that she was but little good against the wind, but she could run like a deer before it. They had been a long time beating off from the Thimbles, but it could not take them long to run back. Then they thought of the vessel that had so nearly run them down. “Did you hear that cry, Merry?” asked Rattleton. “Yes, I heard it,” nodded Frank. “What do you think it was?” “Hard to tell.” “Sounded like a cry of distress.” “Yes, that was what it sounded like.” Then all the boys thought of the girl they had seen on the mysterious schooner. It occurred to each one of them that it was possible the cry had come from her lips. For all that the _Jolly Sport_ seemed to fly, the vessel was making still greater speed, and she was soon lost in the gloom. The boys felt that the chance of making the Thimbles and running into the snug little harbor was small indeed, but they trusted everything to Frank Merriwell’s judgment. They had been bailing all along, thinking the water was coming in over the rail, but when they had turned about a startling discovery was made. The water was coming in as fast as ever, although but little spray flew into the boat. “She’s leaking!” cried Hodge.