t backstay,
and was greeted by him with the characteristic remark of:

"What a fellow he must be, and what nerve he must have! Fancy a man
running out of that river and through the fog under studding-sails."
Then, turning to the helmsman, he said:

"_Now_ we have him fairly, I think. Up with your helm, my man, and
steer for his jib-boom end. Mr Costigan,"--to the first
lieutenant--"make sail, if you please."

"Oi, oi, sorr," answered that worthy in a rich Hibernian brogue. "Let
go and overhaul the fore and main clewgarnets; board the fore and main
tacks and aft wid the sheets. Fore and main topmast-staysail and jib
halliards, hoist away. Sheet home and set the fore and main-topgallant-
sails, and be smart about it. Aisy now, there, wid that main tack;
don't ye see, you spalpeens, that the ship is bearin' up. Man the
braces, fore and aft; ease up to leeward and round in to windward as the
ship pays off. Well of all, belay, and coil up. Misther Hawkesley, am
I to have the pleasure of showin' ye the way on board the hooker
yonder?"

"Thanks, no, I think not, Costigan," I answered with a laugh. "I
propose to lend my valuable aid to the alter division of the boarders;
you are a host in yourself, you know, and can manage very well without
me. But I shall keep a look-out for you in the waist of the brig."

"Very well, it's there I'll mate ye, young gintleman, or my name's not
Denis Costigan."

And away hurried the impetuous Irishman to place himself at the head of
the forward division of boarders.

The brig had sighted us almost as quickly as we had her, and she made
one or two attempts to dodge us. But it was of no use, she had run into
our arms, as it were; we were much too close together when the vessels
became visible to each other to render anything like dodging at all
possible; moreover Smellie, standing there on the breach of one of the
guns, watched the chase with so unwavering an eye and met any deviation
on her part so promptly with a corresponding swerve on the part of the
_Virginia_, that Senor Madera soon scornfully gave up the attempt, and
held steadily forward upon his course.

The sister brigs, for such they eventually proved to be, now running on
almost parallel courses, soon narrowed the space between them to a bare
hundred feet, the _Virginia_, however, having been so carefully steered
as to give her a slight lead. This seemed to be the moment for which
Senor Madera had waited, for he