ter go below, especially as there is a
probability that we may have a busy afternoon." Then he descended to
the quarter-deck, where the second lieutenant and the master were
standing talking together near the capstan, and gave the quartermaster
the order to keep away a point to the eastward, which would have the
effect of causing us to converge gradually upon the Frenchman.

When I went on deck at eight bells it was to find that the atmosphere
had thickened again, to such an extent, indeed, that although it was
estimated that we must now be within half a mile of the French ship,
there was not the faintest trace of her to be seen. The skipper,
however, considered that he was now as close to her as he desired to be;
he therefore ordered the course to be changed back to North-North-East,
and, at the moment when I gained the deck, was giving Mr Howard
instructions to let the men have their dinner, and then to put out the
fires and clear for action.

The keenness of the crew to get to work was evidenced by the fact that
although the men's dinner was now ready, it was with the utmost
difficulty that they could be persuaded to go below and eat it; and when
at length they went, in obedience to the Captain's imperative orders,
they returned to the deck in less than ten minutes, and at once set to
work of their own accord to put the ship into fighting trim.

It was evident to me that the master was greatly disappointed at not
having been able to get a sight of the sun at noon, and I could not help
thinking that, as the time passed on, he was not only disappointed but
was beginning to grow more than a trifle anxious, especially as shortly
after midday the weather became more gloomy and the wind freshened very
considerably. He betook himself to the poop, up and down which he paced
rapidly, with his hands behind his back, and his eyes fixed abstractedly
on the deck, except when he raised them from time to time to gaze long
and piercingly ahead.

At length four bells struck, and almost immediately afterward, with a
further freshening of the wind, the atmosphere cleared sufficiently to
afford us another glimpse of the French ship, which suddenly appeared,
with almost startling distinctness, about three-quarters of a mile
distant, bearing one point before our starboard beam. A dozen eager
voices at the same moment reported her reappearance, and the Captain
sprang up on the poop to get another look at her. He was immediately
jo