e
royal and main-topmast staysail, and another to cast loose the gaff-
topsail. He was moved thereto, no doubt, by the fact that the brig,
which had fallen somewhat astern of us, was also making sail. We had
acquired the habit of regarding the _Shark_ as a decidedly fast ship,
but the manner in which the _Dona Inez_ and our own little schooner slid
through the water was a revelation to us all, especially when the wind
fell quite light, as it did toward the close of the afternoon. Then,
indeed, when our speed had dwindled to about four knots, and our canvas
collapsed at every roll of the vessel for lack of wind to fill it, we
were able to hold our own with the brig; while still later, when the
wind had fallen so light that the horizon had become invisible and the
oil-smooth surface of the ocean showed scarcely a wrinkle in its satin-
smooth folds to indicate that there was still a faint movement of the
atmosphere, we gradually drew ahead of our consort, at the rate of about
half a knot per hour, and even contrived to retain command of our little
barkie, and keep her head pointed the right way, when the brig had begun
to box the compass.

It continued calm until shortly after midnight that night, when a faint
breathing came creeping up to us from the eastward, to which we spread
our studding-sails, and, an hour later, we were bowling merrily along at
a speed of nine knots. The wind not only held through the night, but
freshened with the sunrise, and throughout that day and the succeeding
night our speed never fell below eleven knots, while for an hour or so,
when it breezed up especially strong, our log showed that we were doing
close upon fourteen.

With the dawn of the third day after we had parted company with the
_Shark_ we found ourselves about two miles distant from our consort,
both vessels steering to the north-westward, with the wind well over our
starboard quarter, and our starboard studding-sails set. The wind was
blowing a moderate breeze, there was a long but very regular sea
running, and we were doing ten knots very comfortably, the little
_Francesca_, sliding over the long liquid hills and down into the broad
valleys as easily and buoyantly as a sea gull. We in the schooner were
showing every rag we could spread, but the brig had her royals stowed,
in order that she might not run away from us.

At seven o'clock San Domingo entered my cabin with a cup of chocolate,
informed me as to the state of the