d swung
aloft and slung; by mid-day, therefore, we were enabled to set a fore-
topsail, jib, and mainsail, which further increased our speed. By four
bells in the afternoon watch the island of Jersey was in sight, broad
upon our lee bow, some six miles distant; and at eight bells we tacked
ship, being anxious not to draw too close in with the French coast in
our then disabled condition.

As the sun went down that night the weather manifested a tendency to
improve, and by midnight the wind had softened down to a gentle breeze
that barely gave us steerage-way through the water. Finally it died
away altogether, and when the sun rose next morning, clear and bright,
the _Dolphin_ and ourselves were boxing the compass, not half a cable's
length apart. This in itself was rather provoking, as we were
exceedingly anxious to get our prize into port, and off our hands; but
the delay was as nothing compared with the disagreeable circumstance
that there were three exceedingly suspicious-looking sails in sight,
about ten miles to the westward of us, apparently consorts, for we could
see a good deal of signalling going on between them, of which we could
make nothing.

They were a ship, a brig, and a large lugger, and the cut of their
canvas left us little room to doubt that they were French. Of course it
was quite possible that they might all three be perfectly harmless
merchantmen, but there was a certain smart, knowing look about them
eminently suggestive of the privateersman, and if that was their
character there could be no doubt whatever that we should find them very
objectionable and dangerous neighbours immediately that a breeze
happened to spring up. So little did Captain Winter like their
appearance that, immediately after breakfast--the calm seeming likely to
continue for some few hours--he ordered his own gig to be lowered, and
went away in her to get a nearer look at them. There was not much
danger in this course, as the gig was a beautifully light, splendidly
modelled, fast-pulling boat, exactly suited for such a service, and not
in the least likely to be overtaken by any boat such as either of the
three vessels in sight might be expected to carry. I did not,
therefore, greatly concern myself with the skipper's movements, but gave
my whole attention to the getting of additional jury spars aloft, in
order that, if possible, the frigate might be brought into something
like fighting order by the time that the breeze