He moved a little toward the stern of his boat, as best he could, to get a better view of the light that showed the approaching flagship. As he did so he struck a round, hard object that lay behind him.
"The unexploded shell!" he exclaimed, as he recognized what it was. "I still have that with me, at any rate!"
And then he began to tug at the ropes that bound his arms in a frantic effort to loosen them.
The rapid throb of the engines below and another boom of cannon from out to sea told that the chase was becoming a hot one.
CHAPTER XXXII.
CLIF FARADAY'S TEST.
The excitement among the crew of the Spanish steamer was intense as they watched the light from the flagship and noted the course of the projectiles that came toward them. For this reason they had not observed Clif's movements, and gave themselves no concern about him.
Whatever may have been his intended course of action, he was at last compelled to abandon it.