"No. 2" came along more gently after us, for nothing short of a mad dawg would make Mr. Lang move ’urriedly unless ’e wanted to partickler, an’, bless my ’eart! ’e wouldn’t ’urry out of range for no pirates, though the _Laird_ ’oisted "close on the flag-ship" and fired a small gun to make ’im pay attention. And all the time we watched them getting his range and dropping shell, first on one side and then on the other, first a’ead and then astern, a-holding our breath, sometimes they was going so close, though they never hit ’im. When he did get out o’ range an’ they ceased firing, we rather got the hump that we’d run away so fast. "I’m taking no chances," I ’eard Mr. Parker say to the Sub-lootenant, as ’e keeps his eye on "No. 2" with great spouts of water splashin’ hup all round her, and p’raps ’e was right. It was pretty well dark afore we got back to the _Laird_, and both Mr. Parker and Mr. Lang had to go aboard for more orders, whilst we went to supper. Cooky was in a great state o’ mind. "That second shot," says ’e, putting ’is ’ead out, "was comin’ straight for my galley. If the pirate what fired it ’ad lowered ’is sights a ’ands turn, and been a temp’rance man, it would ’ave been all U.P. with your blooming tea water, an’ there wouldn’t ’ave been no more cooking aboard this ’ere ship, an’ no more Cooky to cook vittles an’ play the ’armonium." The Skipper comes back from the _Laird_, and she an’ the _Sylvia_ steam slowly away into the darkness, showin’ not a single light, though we could trace them for about a mile, when they just seemed to disappear, leaving us alone for the night a-feelin’ lonesome-like. Mr. Glover came round to see every scuttle along the sides closed and the dead-lights screwed down, so that not a light should be seen, an’ even Cooky’s galley fire had to be raked out, for it made a tidy glow amidships. It turns out that Captain Helston expected them pirate torpedo-boats to come out during the night, and we and "No. 2" were to go close in, at each side of the entrance, an’ try an’ cut some of ’em hoff. We’d lost sight of "No. 2" by this time, as she sheered off in the dark to take up her station, and, as light after light was put out aboard us, even the engine-room ’atchways being covered hup, it seemed to make the night darker and darker, till it was just like pitch, and we put our ’ands out in front to feel where we were going, and spoke in whispers.