n I determined to wait no longer, for I felt that if,
perchance, anything were to happen aboard the _Eros_--if, for example,
she were to carry away or even spring a spar--and the trade-wind was
piping up strongly--our unknown friend might very easily give us the
slip; I therefore gave orders to swing the foreyard and make sail,
piling on the brigantine everything we could show, even to the royal and
flying-jib. And it was well that we did so, for half an hour later,
strangely enough, my fears with regard to the _Eros_ were realised, an
extra heavy puff of wind snapping our consort's fore-topgallant-mast
short off at the cap, and causing her to luff sharply into the wind with
her big flying-jib dragging in the water under her forefoot.

That the stranger was not anxious to make our closer acquaintance at
once became apparent, for no sooner did her people perceive the accident
that had befallen the _Eros_--which was within a minute of its
occurrence--than they put down their helm, tacked, and endeavoured to
slip away out to windward clear of us both. The _Dolphin_, however, was
doing exceptionally well just then, the combination of wind and sea
seemed to exactly suit her, and I felt that, although I had perhaps
unduly delayed taking action, we could more than hold our own with the
stranger provided that it blew no harder--and I therefore held on
grimly, presently receiving a signal from the _Eros_ to take up the
chase, which she would resume as soon as she had repaired damages.

Shortly afterward the stranger reached out across the bows of the
_Eros_, beyond cannon-shot, and although the skipper fired two blank
charges and a shotted gun to bring her to she took no notice, a fact
which made me more determined than ever, if possible, to get within
speaking distance of her.

The _Eros_, meanwhile, having cleared away her wreckage, had stowed her
mizen topgallantsail, brailed up her spanker, and filled away again; and
when we passed her, some three-quarters of an hour later, and about a
mile to windward, they had already sent down the stump of her
topgallant-mast and had prepared the topgallant rigging for the
reception of the new spar.

The moment that we arrived in the wake of the stranger we tacked and
stood directly after her; and we had not been on the new tack more than
ten minutes when I found, to my great gratification, that the _Dolphin_,
despite the exceeding shallowness of her hull, was quite as weatherly a
v