rning sun, well clear of the other
two. I soon brought my telescope--an exceptionally powerful
instrument--to bear upon the three patches of canvas that gleamed like
tiny shreds of fleecy, summer cloud upon the sharply-ruled edge of the
dark-blue sea, and at once discovered that Simmons had been so far right
that one of the craft had indeed her royals stowed, and not only that
but her topgallantsails also, while the other two appeared to be showing
every cloth they could possibly spread, including--as I soon made out--
topgallant studdingsails.

Presently, when I had been working away with my telescope for a minute
or two, a hail came floating up to me from the deck below of--

"Royal-yard, there! what have you been able to make out respecting the
two strange sail to leeward?"

Looking down past my left shoulder, I saw the skipper and the first
lieutenant both gazing upward at me. It was the latter who had hailed.

"There are three of them, instead of two, sir," I answered. "And while
two of them are carrying royals and topgallant-studding sails, the third
has her royals and topgallantsails stowed; from which I infer that two
of them are merchantmen, while the third is a man-o'-war--probably a
frigate."

A short confab between the Captain and Mr Howard ensued upon the
communication of this bit of information; then the skipper hailed:

"How do they bear, now, Mr Delamere? Do they seem to be drawing out
athwart our hawse at all?"

"They bear about two and a half points on our lee-bow, at this moment,
sir," I replied. "And I think that, if we hold all on as we are going
now, we shall weather the leading ship--the one that I take to be a
frigate--by about half a mile. They are rising fast, sir--the heads of
the leader's topsails are just beginning to show; and if the breeze
continues as fresh as it is now we ought to be abreast of them in
about,"--I made a rapid calculation--"an hour and a half from this."

Another brief interchange of remarks between the Captain and the first
luff followed this communication, then the latter hailed again--

"Thank you, Mr Delamere. That will do for the present. You had better
come down and get your breakfast."

My estimate as to the time at which we should close with the strangers
was not far out; for when, having snatched a hasty breakfast, I again
went on deck, the heads of the leading stranger's topsails were visible
above the horizon, she having made sail about a qua