I'll bet anything those are pirates, but we shan't catch 'em." "Why ?" I asked.

"Think they'll go up higher where we can't follow ?" "Could follow 'em in the boats, couldn't we, clever?
Hi! look! they're on the move! They're pirates, and are going up higher because they see us.

But we shan't catch 'em.

If they are getting the worst of it, they'll run themselves aground, and get ashore to make a dash for it." Barkins was right; they were on the move, as we could distinctly see now, and my messmate said again-- "Yes, it's all over; they'll follow this river right away to the other side, and come out in the Black Sea, or somewhere else.

We draw too much water to follow them farther." But we did follow them a great deal farther, and found that on the whole, in spite of our careful progress, we gained upon the junks, getting so near them once from their position across a bend of the river that a discussion took place as to whether it would not be advisable to open fire at long range.
But no gun spoke, and we kept on slowly, carried by the tide, and with the screw revolving just sufficiently for steering purposes, till once more the course of the river grew pretty straight, and the junks were in full view, our glasses showing the men toiling away at the long sweeps, and that the decks were crowded.
This last was intensely satisfactory, for it swept away the last doubts as to the character of the vessels.