the completion of my toilet I found
that the brig had, like ourselves, hauled-up half a point, and set her
royals, with the result that she was slightly increasing her distance
from us. This change, slight though it was, in the course of the two
vessels, caused the stranger and ourselves gradually to approach each
other on lines that converged at a very acute angle, and I surmised that
Fawcett had set his royals with the twofold object of increasing the
speed of his approach toward the stranger, and of avoiding the awakening
of any suspicion on the part of that stranger which the sight of a ship
with her royals stowed in such moderate weather might be likely to
arouse.

By midday we had raised the stranger sufficiently to enable us to see
the whole of her royal and just the head of her topgallant-sail from the
deck, while from our royal-yard the whole of her canvas was visible down
to the top half of her foresail; we were therefore in a position to
pronounce not only that she was a brigantine, but also that she was a
slashing big craft, probably quite as big as the _Dona Inez_. As the
afternoon wore on, however, we seemed to be raising her no higher, and I
came at length to the conclusion that, like ourselves, she had slightly
hauled her wind, thus manifesting a distinct if not very strongly marked
desire to avoid any closer acquaintance with us, which, in its turn,
went far to confirm me in a suspicion which had already arisen within my
mind that she was a slaver, probably from the Bonny or the Gaboon, with
a cargo of "black ivory" on board. All the afternoon I maintained a
close watch upon the commodore, with the aid of the splendid telescope
which we had found aboard the schooner, momentarily expecting him to
make some signal which would indicate that he shared my suspicions; but
none came, and at length it dawned upon me that he was purposely
abstaining from holding any communication with me, lest by doing so he
should strengthen any suspicion which the stranger might be entertaining
as to our character. But I noticed that at eight bells in the afternoon
watch he again altered his course, hauling up another point; and without
receiving any signal from him I promptly did the same.

That we were gradually overhauling the chase was evident from the fact
that we were slowly raising her, while she was unable to head-reach upon
us; and at sunset we could see the foot of her topsail from the deck
while she had not alt