Captain Horton for some hours after it had become dark the preceding night, had kept his vessel on the same course, perplexing his mind with some scheme by which he might deceive the pirate. At length he gave orders to lower away the yawl boat, and fit a mast to it, which was speedily done. When all was ready, he hung a lantern to the mast, with a light that would burn but a short time, and then putting out his own ship-light, he fastened the tiller of the yawl and set it adrift, knowing that it would keep its course until some sudden gust of wind should overcome its steerage way. As soon as he had accomplished this, he fell off before the wind, and setting his brig on the opposite tack, as soon as he had got to a good distance from the light of the yawl, took in all sail till not a rag was left standing. He kept his brig in this position until he had the satisfaction of seeing the pirate brig pass to windward in pursuit of his boat, whose light he knew would go out before the pirate could overtake it. When the light of the chase had become faint in the distance, he immediately crowded on all sail, and stood off boldly on his original course. None of his crew had gone below to turn in, for all were too anxious to sleep, and his passengers still stood beside him upon the quarter-deck; John with a large bundle under his arm, which, in answer to an inquiry from the merchant, he said was merely a change of dress. "I think we have given them the slip this time, Mr. Williams," said Captain Horton. "I hope so, captain." "You can sleep now without danger of being disturbed by unwelcome visiters, Miss Julia." "Well, captain, I am as glad as my father you have escaped. I wish we had got near enough to see how they looked though." "We ought rather, my dear girl, to thank God that they came no nearer than they did," said her father half reproachfully. "True, father, true," and bidding Captain Horton good-night, they retired to the cabin. "You did fool them nice, didn't you, captin?" said John. "Yes, John, it was tolerably well done, I think myself," replied the captain, who, like all of mankind, was more or less vain, and prided himself peculiarly upon his skill in his own avocation. "I shouldn't ha' been much afraid on 'em myself if they had caught us," said John. "You wouldn't, ah!" "No! I should ha' hated to see all the crew walk on the plank as they call it, specially Dick Halyard, but I thinks I should ha' come it over 'em myself." "Well, John, I hope you'll never have such occasion to try your powers of deceit, for I fear you would find yourself wofully mistaken." "Perhaps not, captin, but I'm confounded sleepy, now we've got away from the bloody pirates, so I'll just lie down here, captin; I haint learned to sleep in a hammock yet. I wish you'd let me have a berth, captin, I hate lying in a circle, it cramps a fellow plaguily."