best
part of their years spent in idleness. I understood enough, at all
events, to be very anxious about the matter.

I went below, I remember, and told my poor mother; she, however, seemed
indifferent as to what might occur. Indeed her grief had stunned her,
and she was incapable of either thinking or speaking. As morning
approached the wind fell, and when daylight broke the sails hung up and
down against the masts. We were in a perfect calm, while not three
miles off appeared the French squadron. All hopes of escape seemed
over, and the men began putting on additional clothing and stowing away
their money in their pockets, as seamen generally do when capture is
certain, and often when they expect to be wrecked. The officers walked
the deck looking very anxious, but the Captain and Mr Schank kept their
eyes about on all sides. At length a few cat's-paws were seen playing
over the water. The First-Lieutenant pointed them out to the Captain.
His eyes brightened somewhat. They came faster and faster. And now the
sails once more felt the power of the wind, and away we went pretty
quickly through the water. Ahead of us lay a small island, towards
which the frigate steered. As we approached it we saw the
ship-of-the-line still following us, while the two frigates and corvette
stood away round the west side. Their object was very clear. They
hoped thereby to cut us off.

"We may still disappoint them," I heard Mr Schank observe.

"I trust so," said the Captain; but though he kept up his confidence,
his countenance was very grave. For some time we kept well ahead till
we reached the southernmost end of the island, when once more the wind
falling we lay almost becalmed. We could see to the east the two
frigates and the corvette, their canvas filled by a strong breeze, but
the line-of-battle ship was out of sight, hid by a point of land. The
former might have been five or six miles off, but they were coming up at
the rate of six knots an hour. There was no sign of the breeze reaching
us. Our escape seemed almost impossible. Mr Schank's courage,
however, never failed--at least, it never looked as if it did, and he
seemed to be saying something to the Captain which gave him
encouragement. One of the frigates was considerably ahead of the rest.
At all events we were not likely, therefore, to yield without striking a
blow, and if we could by any means cripple her before her consorts could
come up, we might af