he whole was
launched overboard from the taffrail, the cask floating bung up, with
half the pole and the light batten standing perpendicularly above it
like a mast. To the upper end of this batten was lashed an old horn
lantern with a lighted candle in it, after which the whole apparatus was
suffered to go adrift.

"Now, in stunsails, and brace sharp up on the port tack," ordered
Johnson.

This was soon done; and the brig now feeling the full strength of what
little wind there was, seemed to slip along through the water quite as
fast as before.

Johnson looked away out over the weather quarter to where the beacon-
lantern glimmered in the intense darkness.

"There," said he; "that'll perhaps help to mislead 'em a bit. They'll
take it for our binnacle-light, and'll keep straight on till they run
over it. Then, finding we've played 'em a trick, they'll haul straight
up to the nor'ard, thinking we've gone that way too, and we shall soon
be out of sight of one another."

Johnson kept his gaze intently fixed upon the tiny light as long as it
remained visible to the naked eye, and when it could no longer be seen
in that fashion he deliberately set himself to watch it through his
night-glass. More than an hour had elapsed since the cask had been sent
adrift before he manifested any signs of emotion, but at length he began
to chuckle audibly--

"Now they're nearing it," he murmured, with his eye glued to the tube.
"I can see the craft clearly now; they've cast loose the guns and opened
the ports; I can see the light of the lanterns shining through 'em.
She's creeping up to it pretty fast; but I guess we've walked away from
it quite a considerable distance too. There! Now they've run aboard of
that tarnation old water-barrel; they know what 'tis by this time, and I
reckon the skipper of that frigate is ripping and tearing and cussing
and going on till the air smells of brimstone for a quarter of a mile
all round. Ah! just as I expected. They've hauled up to the nor'ard;
her stern's towards us, for I can see the lights shining out of her
cabin-windows; and now every minute 'll take us further apart. Waal,
I'm glad I thought of laying for 'em with that old lantern; it'll sorter
tell 'em that we're having a good laugh at 'em; won't it, colonel?"
turning to our friends and addressing Lance in high good-humour.

"Doubtless you have succeeded in greatly provoking them, if that was
your object," replied Lance; "but if