The governor, as a matter of course, kept at a safe distance ahead of the pirates in the Anne and the Martha.  This he was enabled to do quite easily, since fore-and-aft vessels make much quicker tacks than those that are square-rigged.  As respects water, there was enough of that almost everywhere; it being rather a peculiarity of the group, that nearly every one of its passages had good channels and bold shores.  There was one shoal, however, and that of some extent, in the long reach of the false channel named; and when the governor resolved to venture in there, it was not without the hope of leading the pirate ship on it.  The water on this shoal was about sixteen feet deep, and there was scarce a hope of either of the brigs fetching up on it; but, could the ship be enticed there, and did she only strike with good way on her, and on a falling tide, her berth might be made very uncomfortable.  Although this hope appeared faintly in the background of the governor’s project, his principal expectation was that of being able to decoy the strangers into a cul-de-sac, and to embarrass them with delays and losses.  As soon as the Neshamony was out of sight, the Anne and Martha, therefore, accompanied by the other boats, stood into the false channel, and went off to the northward merrily, with a leading wind.  When the enemy reached the point, they did not hesitate to follow, actually setting studding sails in their eagerness not to be left too far behind.  It is probable, that Waally was of but little service to his allies just then, for, after all, the knowledge of that chief was limited to a very imperfect acquaintance with such channels as would admit of the passage of even canoes.  The distances were by no means trifling in these crooked passages.  By the true channel, it was rather more than seven and twenty miles from the western roads to the Reef; but, it was fully ten more by this false channel, even deducting the half league where there was no passage at all, or the bottom of the bag.  Now, it required time to beat up such a distance, and the sun was setting when the governor reached the shoal already mentioned, about which he kept working for some time, in the hope of enticing the ship on it in the dark.  But the pirates were too wary to be misled, in this fashion.  The light no sooner left them than they took in all their canvas and anchored.  It is probable, that they believed themselves on their certain way to the Reef, and felt indisposed to risk anything by adventuring in the obscurity.  Both parties, consequently, prepared to pass the night at their anchors.  The Anne and Martha were now within less than a mile of the all-important passage, through which they were to make their escape, if they escaped at all.  The opportunity of ascertaining the fact was not to be neglected, and it was no sooner so dark as to veil his movements than the governor went on board the Martha, which was a vessel of more beam than the Anne,