ka paid no
attention; for by this time his own one eye had told him all he wanted
to know, and a trifle more; and he clutched at the wheel for a moment
like a man dazed. Then, I believe, a sort of heavenly joy crept over
his face, mixed with a sort of heavenly cunning.

"Call up the crew," he ordered. "I'm going to put her about. The whole
crew--every man-Jack of them!"

By the time the men tumbled up, Jacka had his helm up, and the _Van der
Werf_, with sheets pinned, was leaning to it and knocking up the
unholiest sputter.

"All right, my lads. Don't stand glazing at me like stuck pigs.
Stand by to slacken sheets. I'm going to gybe her."

Well, they obeyed, though not a man of them could guess what he was
after. Over went the big mainsail with a jerk that must have pitched
Captain Cornelisz clean out of his bunk below; for half a minute later
he comes puffing and growling up the companion and wanting to know in
his best Dutch if this was the end of the world, and if not, what was
it?

"That's capital," says Jacka, "for I was just about stepping down to
call you. See that lugger, yonder?" He jerked his thumb over his
shoulder at a speck in the grey from which the _Van der Werf_ was now
running at something like nine knots an hour.

"Well?"

"I know that lugger, and we're running away from her."

"Pack of stuff!" says Captain Cornelisz, or Dutch to that effect.
"D'ee want to be told a dozen times that this is a licensed ship?"
And he called for his flag, to hoist it.

"Oh, drop your fancy pocket-handkerchiefs, and listen to reason, that's
a dear man! _O' course_ I know you carry a licence; but the point is--
the lugger don't know. _O' course_ I'm running away from her, by your
leave; but the point is--she can run and reach three miles to our two.
And lastly, _o' course_ you're master here, and can do what you please;
but, if you're not pressed for time, there's money in it, and you shan't
say I didn't give you the chance."

Captain Cornelisz eyed Jacka for a full minute, and then a dinky little
smile started in one eye and spread till it covered the whole of his
wide face.

"You're a knowing one," said he.

"Was never considered so," answered Jacka, very modest.

"She's put about and after us," said the skipper, after a long stare
over his right shoulder.

"She'll have us in less than three hours. There's one thing to be done,
and that's to stow me somewheres out of the way; for if anyone on