The mate shouted a second warning. It was not heeded. "It's either their lives or ours," he said to us, "Pick out your marks. Fire!" Our cannon belched forth flame. Shrieks and curses took the place of the splash of oars. We saw two boatloads of men pouring into the water, snatching at the remnants of their cutters. On board the remaining two boats was havoc and confusion. We saw these boats at last turn stern and make for the shore. One of the boats managed to escape our fire and came up against the schooner on the farther side. This boat was not in the group we had first sighted, and in the excitement of the battle, it stole up on us without discovery. I chanced to turn in its direction just in time to see a dark head appear above the bulwarks. I caught up a cutlass and ran with a cry to cleave the fellow's head. He ducked, and my blade cut into the rail. The mate, with more presence of mind, had caught up a heavy shot from beside the Long Tom and called upon others to follow his example. Down into the boat they dropped the balls, smashing heads and smashing boat. Before her crew could get a foothold on our chains, she filled with water and sank. In this fashion we met and overcame our greatest danger. "Lower away a boat!" said Mr. Bludsoe, "we can't let those wretches out there drown without making some attempt at rescue!" We rowed out and brought in three men and a lad. Mr. Bludsoe questioned them by the light of a lantern. We gathered around in a circle. The boy could talk Spanish, which the mate also could speak. They were dark, half-naked creatures, with something of the appearance of sleek rats as the water dripped from their glossy, matted hair. Two of the Moslems were sullen and made no responses to the mate's query. One, however, was explosive. His rage was directed not against us, but against some one of his own party. "Who is responsible for this attack? Answer truly, unless you want to swung from yonder yardarm!" Mr. Bludsoe threatened. The fiery individual, with frantic gestures, poured a response intended for our mate into the lad's ears. "The captain of your ship betrayed you," said the interpreter with rolling eyes and flashing teeth. "He betrayed us too. He said that it would be easy for us to capture you because he had assured you that you were free from attack. He led us to believe that the guns had been spiked and the weapons thrown overboard." Mr. Bludsoe turned to the crew. "Murad made such an attempt. I found him fooling with the cannon and scared him off. I suspected him after that, and gave him no chance. He's sold us in advance to the pirates of Morocco. They'll be putting out in pursuit of us as soon as they learn of the failure!" He had scarcely spoken when two lateen sails could be seen moving out from shore. We were becalmed, and capture seemed certain.