by seeing a sail which they mistook for
us, or for some other cruiser.

Scarcely had the unfortunate fellow given this account, when the man at
the mast-head of the brig hailed that there was a sail on the lee bow,
and we were ordered forthwith to return on board. We all hoped that
this might prove the pirate, for we were anxious to punish the
miscreants. Taking, therefore, the wounded man with us--for being,
thanks to the yellow fever, already short of hands, we were compelled to
abandon the ship--we made sail in chase. For some time we carried a
fresh breeze with us, while the stranger, which we soon made out to be a
large topsail schooner, lay almost becalmed; but before we got her
within range of our guns the wind also filled her sails, and away she
went before it with every stitch of canvas they could pack on her. We
also used every means of increasing our rate of sailing; but though our
brig was reckoned a remarkably fast vessel, we found that, since we had
both the same breeze, we had not in any way decreased our distance from
her.

It was, however, a satisfaction to find that she did not outsail us
before the wind, though there was every probability that, should she
haul her wind, she would be able to do so; we therefore kept directly in
her wake, to be ready to run down on her, on whichever tack she might
haul up. At last, as the breeze freshened, we gained somewhat on her,
when she hoisted Spanish colours: she had hitherto shown none, but this
did not prevent us from trying the range of our bow-chasers on her, to
bring her to. Several guns were fired without effect; at last a shot
struck her main boom and severely wounded it. I never saw a better aim.
After this, finding we lost ground by firing, we did not for another
hour throw a single shot, nor had the schooner as yet returned our
compliment, though she showed no inclination to heave to.

Away we bowled along before the breeze, throwing aside the now
white-crested waves from our bows as we tore through the water. Every
brace was stretched to the utmost, our spars bent and cracked, but not a
sheet was slackened, though our captain kept his glance anxiously aloft
to see how long he might let them bear the pressure. Again we
overhauled her, and got her within range of our long guns, when a shot,
directed more by chance, as the sea was running high, or, it might be
said, a just Providence weary of the miscreants, than by skill, killed
the man at t