On the second day, after the “Horn o’ Plenty” had left the Island of the Fragile Palm, one of the sailors who happened to be aloft noticed a low, black, and exceedingly unpleasant-looking vessel rapidly approaching.  This soon proved to be the ship of a band of corsairs, who, having heard of the large amount of money on the “Horn o’ Plenty,” had determined to pursue her and capture the rich prize.  All sails were set upon the “Horn o’ Plenty,” but it soon became plain that she could never outsail the corsair vessel.

“What our ship can do better than any thing else,” said Baragat to the Captain, “is to stop short.  Stop her short, and let the other one go by.”

This manoeuvre was executed, but, although the corsair passed rapidly by, not being able to stop so suddenly, it soon turned around and came back, its decks swarming with savage men armed to the teeth.

“They are going to board us,” cried Baragat.  “They are getting out their grappling-irons, and they will fasten the two ships together.”

“Let all assemble on the quarter-deck,” said the Captain.  “It is higher there, and we shall not be so much exposed to accidents.”

The corsair ship soon ran alongside the “Horn o’ Plenty,” and in a moment the two vessels were fastened together; and then the corsairs, every man of them, each with cutlass in hand and a belt full of dirks and knives, swarmed up the side of the “Horn o’ Plenty,” and sprang upon its central deck.  Some of the ferocious fellows, seeing the officers and crew all huddled together upon the quarter-deck, made a movement in that direction.  This so frightened the chief mate that he sprang down upon the deck of the corsair ship.  A panic now arose, and he was immediately followed by the officers and crew.  The boys, of course, were not to be left behind; and the Captain and Baragat felt themselves bound not to desert the crew, and so they jumped also.  None of the corsairs interfered with this proceeding, for each one of them was anxious to find the money at once.  When the passengers and crew of the “Horn o’ Plenty” were all on board the corsair ship, Baragat came to the Captain, and said: 

“If I were you, sir, I’d cast off those grapnels, and separate the vessels.  If we don’t do that those rascals, when they have finished robbing our money-chests, will come back here and murder us all.”

“That is a good idea,” said Captain Covajos; and he told the chief mate to give orders to cast off the grapnels, push the two vessels apart, and set some of the sails.

When this had been done, the corsair vessel began to move away from the other, and was soon many lengths distant from her.  When the corsairs came on deck and perceived what had happened, they were infuriated, and immediately began to pursue their own vessel with the one they had captured.  But the “Horn o’ Plenty” could not, by any possibility, sail as fast as the corsair ship, and the latter easily kept away from her.