The captain laughed.
"That's a taste of their own medicine," he said.
A big gun on the sloop thundered, and a round shot cut away one of the schooner's spars.

Another flashed and a load of grape hissed over the decks.

Two men were killed and three more wounded.

The captain shouted in anger and made the others crack on all the sail they could.

She was a staunch schooner, and though hurt grievously she still made speed.
Swifter than the sloop, despite her injuries, she gradually widened the gap between them, while the wind rose fast, and the trailing blackness spread over the sea.
Although still close at hand, the outline of the pursuing sloop became dim.