added the
commander.

"I certainly do not desire to thrust my opinion upon you, Captain
Chantor; but as you have asked for it, I will express myself freely."

"Thank you, Mr. Passford."

"I should adopt the tactics of Commodore Dupont at Port Royal."

"In other words, you would keep sailing around the Dornoch."

"Precisely so. I would not give him a shot till I was out of the reach
of his broadside guns."

"And then pound her with the midship gun. That is my idea exactly.
Quartermaster, strike one bell."

"One bell, sir."

"Strike four bells, quartermaster," added the captain.

"Four bells, sir."

The Chateaugay was soon going ahead at her best speed, headed directly
away from the Dornoch, and it would have looked to an observer as though
she was running away from her. At any rate, the enemy made this
interpretation of her movement, and immediately gave chase, opening fire
upon the ship with her bow guns. Presently she fired her heavy midship
gun, the shot from which would have made havoc if it had hit the mark.
It was soon evident that the enemy's speed had been overrated, for the
Chateaugay gained rapidly upon her. A shot from her heavy gun knocked
off the upper works on one side of the Eleuthera, but did no other
damage.

At the end of two hours even the heavy gun of the enemy could not carry
its shot to the chase. It would have been easy enough to run away from
the Dornoch; but this was by no means the intention of Captain Chantor.
He was very cool and self-possessed, and he did not ask his passenger
for any further suggestions. He understood his business thoroughly,
though he had at first been disposed to make shorter work of the action
than he had now adopted. As soon as he had obtained his distance, he
gave the order to bring the ship about. Thus far he had not fired a gun,
and the enemy had apparently had it all his own way.

The midship was in readiness to initiate the work of the Chateaugay. At
the proper moment, the gunner himself sighted the piece, the lock string
was operated, and the hull of the ship shook under the discharge.
Christy had a spy-glass to his eye, levelled at the Dornoch. She had
just begun to change her course to conform to that of the Chateaugay,
and the observer on the quarter-deck discovered the splinters flying
about her forecastle. The shot appeared to have struck at the heel of
the bowsprit.

"That was well done, Captain Chantor," said Christy.

"Excellently well d