st to ascertain her
whereabouts. But it did not long remain so, for in about five minutes
the mate came on deck with his sextant in his hand, and suspending the
instrument very carefully from his neck by a piece of stout marline, he
at once made his way up the main-rigging, and finally settled himself
comfortably in the cross-trees, facing aft, and bringing the telescope
of the sextant at once to bear upon an object which seemed to lie about
a couple of points on the lee quarter. The craft in sight must
therefore be _astern_ of the brig, and the mate's movements clearly
indicated that she was in chase, and that he was very anxious to
ascertain which ship gained upon the other.

The instrument, apparently after being carefully adjusted, was removed
from the mate's eye and suspended from the cross-trees in such a manner
that it should not strike against the mast or any of the rigging with
the roll of the ship, and then the observer drew forth a pipe, which he
filled and proceeded to smoke with the greatest apparent calmness and
contentment.

The pipe was at length finished, and then the smoker, with the same
deliberation which had characterised his former movements, once more
applied the sextant to his eye.

"Well," shouted Johnson, "what news of the stranger aloft there?"

"Gaining on us, hand over fist," was the reply.

"That'll do then; you may as well come down," snarled the pirate
skipper. "Your staying perched up there, like an owl in an ivy bush,
won't help us any; come down and make yourself useful, d'ye hear?"

"Ay, ay," answered the mate, "I'm coming, boss." And he forthwith
proceeded to descend the rigging in a careless nonchalant manner which
evidently drove his superior almost to the verge of frenzy.

Half an hour passed, and then there appeared far away on the horizon, on
the brig's lee quarter, a tiny white speck, which steadily though
imperceptibly increased in size until the snowy royals of a large ship
stood fully revealed.

This was about half-past three in the afternoon, at which time the wind
showed signs of failing.

By half-past four o'clock the stranger had risen her topgallant-sails
above the horizon, and it could clearly be seen, even with the unaided
eye, that she had royal as well as topgallant studding-sails set, and
there could not be a shadow of doubt that she was after the brig.

The spirits of our friends rose to such a high pitch of exultation at
this agreeable sight that