me with my friend
alone,--and told him my suspicions. He had entertained the same
opinion; and I found that, with all sail set, we were once wore again in
chase of the mysterious craft which had so often escaped us.

Arranging Prior in a comfortable posture, I watched him till he fell
asleep, his placid countenance, notwithstanding the dangers he had been
in, showing a mind at rest and nerves unshaken. I found, on going on
deck, that we had already risen the sails of the stranger above the
horizon from the deck; and as we had the whole day before us, with a
fair breeze, there was every probability of coming up with her. Should
we overtake her, we had now, with Prior as a witness, stronger proofs
than ever of her misdeeds. She had, however, so often escaped us, that
I must own even I was not very sanguine of the result, and the crew,
guided by the opinion of Dick Harper, were still less so. All the
forenoon the chase continued. We were gaining on her certainly, but at
the same time we were a long way from her; and early in the afternoon,
the land appeared to the north-west, towards which she had altered her
course.

When Van Graoul saw this, he shook his head. "So I did think," he
remarked. "That craft is not to be caught so easily. If what is said
of her is true, there is a worse fate for her in store than we have
prepared for her."

Though the remark was made without reflection, I believe, I could not
help thinking that there was much truth in it. Vengeance, far greater
and more sure than the hand of man could inflict, would assuredly
overtake the evil-doers.

The land we were approaching was of moderate height, thickly covered
with trees, broken into headlands and promontories, and with numerous
clusters of islands, and reefs, and rocks off it. Van Graoul knew it
well, so that we boldly approached it. It became a question with us
whether the pirates, seeing themselves so hard pressed, contemplated
running the brig on shore, or whether they purposed taking up a position
in one of the inlets of the coast, where they could defend themselves
without risk of loss, should we attack them.

We, as before, outsailed them, proving that the _Fraulein_ was the
fastest vessel of the two; and yet no one on board but believed that the
_Emu_ would again escape us. She stood boldly in towards the shore,
evidently well acquainted with it. We followed, with the lead going;
there was, however, a good depth of water.