but without discovering the enemy; but at
half-past three the day dawned, and before my watch was over it was
broad daylight; and then, just as I was going down, having been relieved
by the second lieutenant, a strange sail was reported about eight miles
to leeward, two points before the beam.

The second lieutenant hastened down to the cabin, to report to the
captain, and I went up to the mast-head to make her out, and I soon
discovered that she was a line-of-battle ship: I immediately descended,
and reported to the captain, who had come on deck. As we could
distinguish the masts and sails of the enemy very well from the deck,
the glasses were fixed upon her at the gang-way, and she was seen to set
her royals and flying jib in chase of us; but we felt that we were safe,
as we should be in shallow water long before she could beat up to us.
All we had to fear for was the merchant vessels which we had re-taken,
and which were two or three miles astern of us, with all the sail that
they could carry.

It was a five-knot breeze, and the water quite smooth, which was very
favourable for the line-of-battle ship and ourselves, but not for the
merchant vessels, which, with their cargoes, required more wind to
propel them through the water. The state of affairs, when the hands
were piped to breakfast, was as follows:--

The French line-of-battle ship had stood in for the land, under all
sail, until half-past-seven, being then, as she was when we first saw
her, exactly two points before the beam, when, probably being in shoal
water, she had tacked, and was now a little abaft our beam, and lying
pretty well up for the merchant vessel the furthest astern of us. Since
she had tacked, she had risen her hull out of water, so as to show her
upper tier of guns. Two of the merchant vessels were about three miles
astern of us,--the other one, five, and stood a fair chance of being cut
off; the more so, because when we discovered the enemy, we were standing
about two points free, right for the coast; whereas, upon her hauling
her wind in chase, we of course did the same, which made us approach the
shallow water in a more slanting direction, and consequently not get in
quite so soon. We were now in seven fathoms water, and, by our pricking
off on the chart, about eleven miles from land, which was so low as to
be barely visible from the mast-head. The men were allowed an hour to
their breakfast, and then we beat to quarters. The capt