"First cutter--his Majesty's ship Theseus," was the reply. "Heard or seen anything of a boat, or boats, this way?" "Nearly boarded by one, only we beat them off," said the captain. "Convicts, weren't they?" "Hold hard a minute, and I'll come on board," was the answer. "Bows there--in oars, men!" and the boat was heard to thump against the vessel's counter. "Keep down there," shouted the captain, cocking a pistol, "or I fire!" "Confound you! don't I tell you we're friends?" said the same voice. "Yes, you tell me," muttered the captain. "Bring a lantern here." A light was brought, and swung down, to show the blue shirts of the crew, and the red uniforms of half-a-dozen marines in the stern-sheets; when, apparently satisfied, the captain grumbled an apology. "All right, my man!" was the laughing response; and a young lieutenant sprang up the side. "And so they nearly took you, did they? Lucky for you that you had so good a look-out. Can't tell me where they steered for, I suppose? But of course not--too dark. Confound the rascals! They say there's about half a hundred of them got away--killed a couple of warders, and done the deuce knows what mischief. Good-night!" and he sprang down the side. "If you see any more of them, just burn a blue light, and you shall have a boat's crew aboard in no time. Give way, my men." The oars fell plashing into the sea; and then, save the low regular dip, all was once more silent. The crew, as they kept a sharp look-out, fancied they once heard a loud splash and a faint cry; but there was no repetition of the sounds, though the men listened attentively. The glow by the town faded slowly away, a breeze sprung up, and the stars came peering out, one after another, till, as the sky brightened, the spars and rigging of the sloop-of-war could be dimly seen, her lights just beginning to swing to and fro as the breeze ruffled the waters. But no farther alarm disturbed the Sarah Ann, though one and all the crew kept on deck, in case of another attack. "Wasn't there a small schooner off there, about a quarter of a mile?" said the captain suddenly, as he lowered the night-glass, with which he had been carefully searching for enemies. "To be sure!" said Murray. "Isn't it there now?" "Try for yourself," was the reply. And the young man carefully swept the offing. "I can't make her out," he said; "but we may see her as day breaks. Perhaps she moved in more under the land." "More like those fellows boarded her, and that noise was the captain sent overboard. Well, all I can say, Murray, is, that if they'd got possession here, the best thing they could have done would have been to throw me over; for I could never have faced the owners again." Morning broke, but there was no schooner in sight; whereupon the sloop immediately weighed in chase, for the convicts had seized her, cut the cable, and made sail, running none knew whither.