“Yes. Then the cutter will see us.”

Tom raised an objection. “If she chases us again,” he declared, “she will fire until she hits us.”

“That’s right,” Cliff agreed. “This time she won’t give up until she captures—or sinks us!”

“It’s a risk, I know,” Nicky admitted. “She won’t know we are on board and she will have a right to sink these fellows. But it would be one way to help to capture——”

Tom spoke practically.

“What good will it do us to have this boat sunk?” he asked. “In this rough water, we wouldn’t have a chance to be picked up, maybe.”

“I guess it is too dangerous,” Nicky admitted.

“Better wait,” Cliff suggested. “We will get our chance. The right must win or there wouldn’t be any justice in the world!”

They watched eagerly for any sign of the cutter but Captain Ortiga stood well out from land before he swung west. The chums saw that the chances for the cutter to discover them were remote and went back into the cabin where they were assigned to berths.

But if the weather had seemed to aid the wrong side, there was another card to be played and it came as a surprise.

Instead of lying-to, close to land, the cutter had stood out to the deeper channels also!

There came a warning call from the man on watch on top of the cabin, echoed by the one at the bows. “Hard a-port!” was the call, “something ahead!”

The boys dashed again to the deck.

They quickly discerned the dim shape toward which the _Senorita_ had been directly advancing.

Had they, too, been sighted?

The _Senorita_ swerved from her course, and made almost a right angle to her former course, though, of course, on a wide curve!

That swung them in toward land, again, for it was the safer way. Then, on a quartering line, partly on the true path and partly drawing toward land, they held steadily on.There came across the water a vivid flash, but the wind swept away the cutter’s voice as her cannon spoke. "Full speed ahead!" was the 

 Prev. P 58/143 next