THE SMUGGLER. 437 



she took an angle, though an acute one, with the course of the 

 frigate, the latter gained upon her every moment, till at length 

 a shot, whistling across her bows, gave her the signal to bring 

 to. It is needless to tell the reader, that that signal received no 

 attention; but, still steered with a firm hand, and carrying 

 every stitch of canvass she could bear, the lugger pursued her 

 way. A minute had scarcely passed, ere flash and report 

 came again from the frigate, and once more a ball whistled 

 by. Another and another followed; but, no longer directed 

 across the lugger's bows, they were evidently aimed directly 

 at her; and one of them passed through the foresail, though 

 without doing any farther damage. The case seemed so hope- 

 less, not only to those who watched the whole proceeding 

 from the shore, but to most of those who were in the lugger, 

 that a murmured consultation took place among the men ; and 

 after two or three more shots had been fired, corning each 

 time nearer and nearer to their flying mark, one of the crew 

 turned to Harding, who had scarcely uttered a word since he 

 entered the boat, and said, " Come, sir, I don't think this will 

 do. \Ye shall only get ourselves sunk for no good. We had 

 better douse." 



Harding looked sternly at him for a moment without reply, 

 and a somewhat bitter answer rose to his lips. But he 

 checked himself, and said, at length, " There's no use sacrific- 

 ing your lives. You've got wives and children, fathers and 

 mothers. I have no one to care for me. Get into the boat 

 and be off. Me they shall never catch, dead or alive; and if 

 I go to the bottom, it's the best berth for me now. Here, 

 just help me reeve these tiller-ropes that I may take shelter 

 under the companion; and then be off as fast as you can." 



The men would fain have remonstrated, but Harding would 

 hear nothing; and, covering himself as much as he could 

 from the aim of small arms from the vessel, he insisted that 

 the whole of his crew should go and leave him. 



A short pause in the lugger's flight was observable from the 

 shore, and everybody concluded that she had struck. The 

 row-boat, filled with men, was seen to pull off from her, and 

 the large heavy sails to flap for an instant in the wind. But 

 then her course was altered in a moment; the sails filled again 

 with the full breeze; and going like a swallow over the waves, 

 she dashed on towards the frigate, and passing her within 



