Ten minutes passed thus.
Bang—fizz—hiss-s-s-s-s-s!
With a startling rush some fiery projectile flew clean over our heads, leaving a trail of flame behind it to mark its line of flight. Then with a sullen plump it spluttered into the sea close to the bows of one of the pursuing boats.
With a simultaneous shout of astonishment, we turned to ascertain whence came this fiery messenger of wrath—a war-rocket, as we well knew.
Imagine our intense surprise when we caught sight of what looked uncommonly like a man-of-war’s cutter bearing down on us.
We could scarcely believe our eyes.
Ned gave a yell of delight that might have been heard miles away.
Our pursuers still came on, regardless of the warning they had received.
The cutter now fired another rocket, and this one was so well directed that it struck one of the pirates’ boats and sent it instantly to the bottom.
These war-rockets alarmed poor Mother Bunch to such an extent that she as nearly as possible fell overboard. As it was, the boat, in spite of its beam, was within an ace of being capsized.