Paul took the ax, and soon broke up enough wood to satisfy the negro, who departed, saying: "Dat's all yo' good fo', yo' no account chile. Now chop plenty mo', an' I won't kick yo' when I come down 'gain.

Shortly after this, fierce commands and a hurried scurrying of feet overhead convinced Paul that something unusually exciting was taking place. Next, the booming of cannon but a short distance away was answered by rapid discharges of the guns on deck, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood and the curses and shrieks of the pirate crew.

Suddenly a slight shock was felt, and a stream of light poured into the hold. A cannon-ball had entered just under the deck, and passed out on the opposite side a little lower down. By means of the cook's kindling-logs Paul climbed high enough to look out through the splintered timbers.

SO

About an eighth of a mile away, sweeping after the pirate with every sail set and the English flag flying from her gaff, was a small man-of-war small, in fact, that Paul's sudden glow of joy at the thought of rescue was immediately followed by a chill of disappointment and fear, for he knew the vessel on which he was a prisoner to be superior in size to the ship of George I, and he remembered

that on the preceding day, when he had been brought on board, he had counted enough guns to far outnumber those plainly to be seen on the king's cruiser.

Here the luncheon bell rang, and Uncle Jack and the children went into the dining room.

TO THE PUPIL:

1. Breakwater means any structure or contrivance to break the force of waves, and thus afford protection; caliber, diameter, size; option, choice, choosing; bul= warks (wurk), the sides of a ship above the upper deck.

2. Write two sentences of the a type, and two of the d type. Place a single line underneath the subject noun, and double lines under the predicate verb, in each case.

3. Write in a column the 5th group of adjectives, page 428. Consult your dictionary, and after each adjective write its antonym.

TO THE TEACHER:

Examine the results as you go about the room while the pupils are working. Have several of the pupils do the work of Exercise 2 at the Bb.

Review, pp. 419–424.

THIRTY-EIGHTH DAY

The next day, the children ran into the sitting room and found places around Uncle Jack's favorite chair, so that, when he followed a few moments later, no time was lost in settling themselves for the rest of the story.

The thought of their own superiority seemed all at once to suggest itself to the pirate captain, for, instead of continuing his flight, he shortened sail with the intention of having a pitched battle with his antagonist.

The commander of the man-of-war was as brave as the other was desperate, for he too reduced his canvas and ranged alongside, continuing to pour in his broadsides as quickly as the guns could be served.

All at once a cry of exultation burst from the fiends on deck, and Paul saw the foremast of the cruiser pitch overboard and leave her a helpless hulk to be battered to pieces by her relentless foes.

The pirates at once drew ahead, and crossed the bows of their enemy so as to rake her. On board the latter heroic exertions were made to clear away the wreck and bring her bow guns to bear upon the vessel from whose mast-head fluttered the sinister flag.

An inspiration came to Paul. Mounting the ladder, he tried the hatch slide and found it unlocked. Descending, he seized the ax, and fell to work low down upon the side of the vessel between the frames. The bombardment and trampling on deck drowned the noise made by chopping into the planking, and after a few minutes he succeeded in hacking three of the timbers so thin in places that little jets of water penetrated into the hold; then stepping to one side, so that he would not be overwhelmed by the inpour, he struck the weakened planks each a heavy blow with the back of the ax, commencing with the one lowest down, and in an instant a great volume of water surged into the brig with a fierce roar. Paul retreated to the short ladder that led to the deck, and watched with awe the water rushing in.

Between the two vessels the fight went stubbornly on, for the man-of-war's men knew that no quarter was to be expected, and that it was better

to die at their guns than to suffer a more ignoble end at the hands of their bloodthirsty foes.

The water was halfway up the ladder before the pirates realized that their vessel was sinking. The shouts of the officers directing the men to man the pumps could be heard above the din, and a moment afterwards the quick clank, clank of the pump brakes gave evidence that the crew were endeavor