Jumbo had removed the dinner things, and Captain O’Brien managed to project his head far enough from the stern windows to get a sight of the stranger.
“She may overtake us before dark, but I very much doubt it,” he observed. “If she does not, these fellows will manage to make their escape by running in among reefs and islands, with which they, depend on it, are well acquainted, and where the man-of-war will not venture to follow them.”
As the time went by there appeared every probability that Captain O’Brien’s surmise would prove correct. A ruddy glow cast across the ocean showed that the sun was sinking low, and presently the glow faded away and a grey tint alone remained. By this time the hull of the stranger appeared above the water, and Captain O’Brien declared that he was more than ever convinced she was a British frigate. The compass in the cabin showed, however, that the Ouzel Galley was following a devious course—now hauling up round a reef, now running for a short distance before the wind.
A shot came flying over the water from the frigate. Several others followed, but they all fell short. She was then seen to keep away before the wind to the south-west.
“She has given up the chase,” exclaimed Captain O’Brien, “and our chance of liberty for the present is gone. I was afraid it would be so, but it cannot be helped.”
Norah, perhaps, felt the disappointment less keenly than her companions. The thought that she was about to meet Owen was uppermost in her mind. She fancied that, once having found him, they should be able to devise a plan for their escape. Shortly after this, O’Harrall came into the cabin. “You expected the tables to be turned, and that the Ouzel Galley would be captured by yonder man-of-war,” he observed, as he stood with his arms folded, leaning carelessly against the bulkhead. “It is as well for you, however, that we had not to engage her, for my fellows are not men who would consent to be taken alive. Had we not escaped from her, they would to a certainty have blown up the ship, when all hope had abandoned them.”
“Then, sir, we may congratulate you and ourselves on having avoided a fight,” said Captain O’Brien. “We may wish you a better fate, and it is certainly one we are thankful to have escaped.”
“I hope to enjoy greater happiness for many years to come than has hitherto been my lot,” said the pirate, gazing at Norah, who cast down her eyes to avoid his glance. “Circumstances have made me what I am, but I intend to abandon my present course, and to engage in some service where I may gain an honourable name and retrieve the years which have passed. I already possess sufficient wealth to satisfy my utmost desires. My only wish is to share it with one whose affections I may hope to gain.”
The pirate continued for some time speaking in this strain. Norah did her utmost to pretend that she did not understand him, while Captain O’Brien stood fuming with rage at what he mentally called the audacious impudence of the villain. Poor Captain Tracy’s heart sank, and though not less indignant than his friend, he endeavoured to conceal his feelings. Happily O’Harrall was again summoned on deck. No sooner was he gone than Norah gave way to hysterical sobs.
“Oh, father! father! kill me sooner than let him take me from you,” she exclaimed. “I know too well what he means; but I would pray for death sooner than become his wife.”