Ensign Merrill — page 121: what you’re looking at

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

ee ) ore nF, % tos ke 2 . OR RAN Me ee ey SBCs * x eb UR A BRIEF BUT “DECISIVE COMBAT. the search until you whistled a second time. is a - shall we do; hook on?” The ensign deliberated. The wisest plan would be - to try and secure some of the junk’s crew at once, and wring from them information concerning the strong- hold, which, he shrewdly suspected, was on this very island. It was a pity the pirate craft had not been cap- tured when she drifted close by a helpless wreck. But Merrill’s first thought had been of rescue when he saw the conflagration break out. Now, seeing they had escaped that danger, and stood a good chance of land- ing where the alarm could be conveyed to their com- rades, he regretted his soft-hearted action, and felt like shelling the spot in the misty curtain where they were evidently at that moment making good their escape. Neither T’sin Chu nor the junk werenow yigsible. A haze had set in, making the darkness more impenetra- ble, and the density of the atmosphere carried a warn-— ing of rain before long. Under the circumstances Mark abandoned an idea he had just formed of arming the boats with the Gatling guns and dispatching the -middy ona cutting-out expedition against the pirate vessel. He concluded to wait until daylight and see what could’ be done then. In response to a signal the remaining cutter pulled alongside, and the three were hoisted to the davits. CHAPTER XXII. MORE OF THE ENEMY. ‘How near did you get to that craft, Ned?’ asked Merrill, when the middy reported on the bridge. ‘About two ship’s lengths, I think. We were close — enough to hear them tramping around ang ele Ry,