off our weather-quarter.'

'Ah, I see her,' exclaimed the captain after he had looked for a moment
through his spy-glass in the direction intimated.

'Does she show any signal, sir?'

'She does not,' replied Rowland, 'and I am convinced she is a piratical
vessel. Therefore, Mr. Howe, you will see the ship instantly cleared for
action.'

Whilst this last order of the captain was in progress of execution,
Rowland, spy-glass in hand, ascended the mizzen rigging of the ship, and
kept his eyes intently fixed upon the brig, thus soliloquising as he did
so:--

'It is rather a delicate, not to say desperate game, which I have
undertaken to play, though so far I have the vanity to think that I have
acted my part to admiration. By the most consummate art and address I
managed to gain the command of this noble ship, and no one on board, as
far as I can learn, has the least suspicion of the manner in which I
intend to dispose of her. So far, so good. Now as we are pretty snug in
with the land, I will take a look in that direction and see if I can
discover what measures are in progress on shore.'

So saying he adjusted his glass to his right eye and turned his gaze
towards that part of the island on which the earl and his companions had
landed, and after having looked attentively for a few moments in that
direction, he exclaimed, whilst a smile of exultation passed across his
features,