Commodore Junk — page 202: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

NEWS AT LAST. 195 sloop’s two boats fell off, and began to slowly retrace their course. | The moment the way was clear Humphrey, who was almost beside himself with disappointment, began pounding away at the buccaneer with his heavy guns; but instead of exciting a response he found that sails were being unfurled, and that, instead of the schooner being shut in, the bottom of the bay formed a kind of strait, and she was not in a cul de sae. ‘‘She’ll escape us after all!” groaned Humphrey, as he ordered sail to be made, and the sloop began to forge ahead, firing rapidly the while, as the schooner began to leave her behind. She was sailing right in, and before the sloop could follow there were the two boats to be picked up. This was done, the removal of the wounded being deferred till the buccaneer was captured, and all the time a furious fire was kept up without effect, for the schooner seemed to sail right inland, and disappeared round a headland, the last they saw of the heavily-rigged vessel being when she careened over at right angles to the sloop and her shot-torn sails passed slowly behind the rocky bluff. “Only into shelter!” cried Humphrey Armstrong, excitedly ; and giving rapid orders, fresh sail was made, and men placed in the chains with leads to keep up communications as to the soundings, but always to announce deep water, the land seem- ing to rise up sheer from an enormous depth in the channel- like gulf they entered. “She’s gone right through, sir, and will get away on the other side.” The sloop sailed on, with the water deep as ever, and before long she rounded the head, to find the narrow channel had opened out into a beautiful lake-like bay with the dense pri- meval forest running right down to its shores. M. 2 "Wie CONNICGlOOLKS