172 Studies in Rat Catching, [ch. x. 



flew over the waves like a beautiful bird for 

 the entrance of the harbour, and the sunken 

 rocks were in her direct line ! 



** Suddenly as we watched, with every sense 

 strained to the utmost, and our eyes rivetted 

 on the doomed ship, we heard away out to 

 sea the boom of a big gun, and then another, 

 and presently we saw emerging from the fast 

 diminishing darkness a low, long steamer. 

 At first we thought it was a ship also in 

 deep distress, making signals ; but the old 

 sailors soon saw this was not so, and declared 

 it was a gunboat firing at the yacht in the 

 hope of driving her on to the rock-bound 

 coast, and also to attract the attention of 

 the coastguard, so that, should she reach 

 the harbour, those on board might be pre- 

 vented from escaping the hands of justice. 

 It was a cruel service for British sailors to be 

 employed on, however necessary, and hard 

 to witness. Man hunting man to his death, 



