"One moment, captain," Bob said.
"Well, what is it, Bob?"
"Well, it seems to me, sir, that if we keep the Spanish flag up--"
"We may be sunk," the captain broke in.
"We might, sir, but it is very unlikely, especially if we run in more to the shore; but you see, if we are fired at by the frigate, it will never enter the minds of the Spaniards that we are anything but what we seem and, if we like, we can anchor right under their batteries, in the middle of their craft. It will be dark by the time we get in, and we might take our pick of them."
"That is a splendid idea, Bob!
"This boy is getting too sharp for us, altogether, Joe. He is as full of ideas as a ship's biscuit is of weevils.
"Keep her off, helmsman. That will do."
Again and again the frigate fired, but she was two miles away and, though the shot went skipping over the water near the brig, none of them struck her. The men, unable to understand why they were running the gauntlet of the frigate's fire, looked inquiringly towards the poop.
"It is all right, lads," the captain said. "There is not much fear of the frigate hitting us, and it is worth risking it. The Spaniards on shore will never dream that we are English, and we can bring up in the thick of them."