or more of the rearmost ships and to bring
them to action, so as to keep them employed till the rest of the fleet
should arrive and compel them to strike. The breeze freshened, and the
_Constant Warwick_, followed closely by two other frigates, tore through
the water, as if eager to overtake her foes.

"Hold on, good sticks!" cried the captain, looking aloft. "Time enough
to go overboard when we have grappled the enemy."

The topgallant masts bent like willow wands, and I expected every moment
to see them fall, but though the lofty sails tugged and tugged, yet they
held fast, and we hoped that we should yet be in time to stop some of
the corsairs before they could get into harbour. The _Triumph_ was
still far away astern, followed by the rest of the fleet, our captain
doing his best to drive his ship through the water. The corsairs did
not gain upon us, and we well knew that for a good hour or more we
should have them to ourselves, should we overtake them. Captain Stayner
walked the deck, now casting his eye ahead at the enemy, now aloft at
the straining canvas, and now astern, to judge, by the way the sails of
the _Triumph_ were blowing out, how the wind was holding in that
direction. Presently the lofty canvas was seen to hang down against the
masts, then slowly to blow out again. In a short time our own royals
and topgallant sails followed their bad example. The captain gave a
stamp of impatience on the deck. The breeze was falling, even the
topsails and courses no longer bellied out as before. Still, the
frigates glided on, but the sluggish eddies astern showed how greatly
their speed had decreased.

At length, on the larboard bow, the old head of Kinsale appeared in
sight, with Prince Rupert's ships passing round it. Still, they too
might get becalmed and a change of wind enable us to approach them. Our
hopes, however, were doomed to be disappointed. Though the wind was
light, they moved as fast as we did, and the lighter vessels getting out
their sweeps, they ere long disappeared, shrouded by the gloom of
evening, and by the time we came off the mouth of the harbour not a sail
was to be discerned.

"Though they have escaped us this time, we have shut the rats up in
their hole, and they will find it a hard matter to get out again to seek
for prey," observed the captain.

"Can't we go in and destroy them?" inquired Lancelot of Mr Blake.

"From the information we have received, we judge that it wo