e watch, walked the weatherside of the quarterdeck in the
true pendulum style. Look-outs were placed aft, and at the gangways and
bows, who every now and then passed the word to keep a bright look-out,
while the rest of the watch were stretched silent, but evidently broad
awake, under the lee of the boat. We noticed that each man had his
cutlass buckled round his waist--that the boarding-pikes had been cut
loose from the main boom, round which they had been stopped, and that
about thirty muskets were ranged along a fixed rack that ran athwart
ships near the main hatchway.

By the time we had reconnoitred thus far the night became overcast, and
a thick bank of clouds began to rise to windward; some heavy drops of
rain fell, and the thunder grumbled at a distance. The black veil crept
gradually on, until it shrouded the whole firmament, and left us in as
dark a night as ever poor devils were out in. By-and-by a narrow streak
of bright moonlight appeared under the lower-edge of the bank, defining
the dark outlines of the tumbling multitudinous billows on the horizon
as distinctly as if they had been pasteboard waves in a theater.

"Is that a sail to windward in the clear, think you?" said Mr. Splinter
to me in a whisper. At this moment it lightened vividly. "I am sure it
is," continued he--"I could see her white canvas glance just now."

I looked steadily, and at last caught the small dark speck against the
bright background, rising and falling on the swell of the sea like a
feather.

As we stood on, she was seen more distinctly, but, to all appearance,
nobody was aware of her proximity. We were mistaken in this, however,
for the captain suddenly jumped on a gun, and gave his orders with a
fiery energy that startled us.

"Leroux!" A small French boy was at his side in a moment. "Forward, and
call all hands to shorten sail; but, _doucement_, you land-crab!--Man
the fore clew-garnets.--Hands by the top-gallant clew-lines--jib
down-haul--rise tacks and sheets--peak and throat haulyards--let
go--clew up--settle away the main-gaff there!"

In almost as short a space as I have taken to write it, every inch of
canvas was close furled--every light, except the one in the binnacle,
and that was cautiously masked, carefully extinguished--a hundred and
twenty men at quarters, and the ship under bare poles. The head-yards
were then squared, and we bore up before the wind. The stratagem proved
successful; the strange sail could be