"He ain't hit us yet," spoke up little Jim bravely.
"If he does he'll let sunshine through us, like as if we was a plate-glass winder," declared the cowboy.
Again the whaleboat tacked, and before the schooner got round, Tari swung her up once more on to the original tack.
Confused by the rapid manœuvres of the whaleboat, the marooner hesitated a moment too long whilst head to wind, and then starboarded his helm in an attempt to fall off on to the port tack again. But he was too late; the schooner had not enough way on her to respond to her tiller, and in a moment she was all aback.
"My God! she's missed stays!" yelled the rover joyfully. "What luck! What all-fired luck!"
"Shall we-alls burn some more powder on him?" proposed Broncho eagerly. "I regyards this here as a speshul o'casion."
"I think we'd better hold on a bit, Broncho. The ammunition's none too plentiful, and we'll want every cartridge presently," declared their cautious leader.
"An' you thinks a show-down is some handy, Jack?" inquired the cowboy.
"Well, the wind's dropping fast; that's all in our favour."