But the sails of the strange ship suddenly filled; she began to glide through the sea; her spanker-boom, not having at all entangled itself, offering no hindrance.

Israel, clinging midway along the boom, soon found himself divided from the Ariel by a space impossible to be leaped.

Meantime, suspecting foul play, Paul set every sail; but the stranger, having already the advantage, contrived to make good her escape, though perseveringly chased by the cheated conqueror.
In the confusion, no eye had observed our hero's spring.

But, as the vessels separated more, an officer of the strange ship spying a man on the boom, and taking him for one of his own men, demanded what he did there.
"Clearing the signal halyards, sir," replied Israel, fumbling with the cord which happened to be dangling near by.
"Well, bear a hand and come in, or you will have a bow-chaser at you soon," referring to the bow guns of the Ariel.
"Aye, aye, sir," said Israel, and in a moment he sprang to the deck, and soon found himself mixed in among some two hundred English sailors of a large letter of marque.

At once he perceived that the story of half the crew being killed was a mere hoax, played off for the sake of making an escape.