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opinion.

Our Captain, Christopher Cobb, was a brave man, but somewhat peppery,
and very easily put out.

The wind had previously been light. It fell a dead calm soon after the
stranger had been sighted. Our First-Lieutenant, Mr Schank, who, in
spite of having a wooden leg, was as active as any man on board, having
gone aloft himself to take a look at her, came to the opinion that she
was a brig of war. From the way in which she increased her distance
from the frigate after she was seen, it was very evident that she had
her sweeps out, and there was every probability of her escaping.

"That must not be! That must not be!" muttered the Captain, as he paced
the quarter-deck, fretting and fuming under the hot sun of the tropics.
"Mr Schank, we must not let her go."

"No, sir," said the First-Lieutenant, "that would never do."

"We must take her with the boats if we cannot overtake her with the
ship," said the Captain, with one of his quiet laughs.

"The very thing I was thinking of, sir," answered Mr Schank, who, I may
observe, presented a great contrast to his excellent superior, the one
being short and rotund, while in figure the Lieutenant was tall and
gaunt.

"Then we will have the boats out and see what we can do," said the
Captain.

"With all my heart, sir," answered the First-Lieutenant. "I will, if
you please, take the command."

"Out boats!" was the order. The object was quickly known. In an
instant the men who had till then been listlessly hanging about the
decks in the few shady places they could find, for the sun was pretty
nigh overhead, were instantly aroused into activity.

In a short time six boats were in the water manned and armed. In them
went three lieutenants and the master, two master's mates, fifty seamen,
and twenty marines. One of the gigs, the fastest boat, led the way,
each boat taking the one next to her in tow. As they shoved off their
shipmates cheered, and heartily wished them success. That they were
determined to obtain, though they well knew that they had a pull before
them of a good many hours under a burning sun, and probably some pretty
sharp fighting at the end of it. After following her for an hour or
more, Mr Schank perceived that they gained nothing on the brig. He
therefore ordered the boats to cast off from each other, and to make the
best of their way, provided no boat rowed ahead of the barge under his
command. It was just two o'clock when the expedi