ead astern of us, sir, and I can only make out her upper
sails. I should say that they are her royals."

Mr. Green ran up, with his telescope slung over his shoulder.

"I cannot make much out of her, sir," he shouted to the captain. "She
may be anything. She must be nearly thirty miles astern. I think, with
Pearson, that it is her royals we see."

"Take a look round, Mr. Green."

The mate did so, and presently called down:

"I can make out something else away on the starboard quarter, but so
far astern that I can scarce swear to her. Still, it can be nothing
but a sail."

"Thank you, Mr. Green. I daresay that we shall know more about her,
later on."

When the captain joined the passengers at table, one of the ladies
said:

"You seem interested in that ship astern of us, captain."

"Yes, Mrs. Seaforth. One is always interested in a ship, when one gets
down as far as this. She may be another Indiaman, and although the
Madras has no claim to any great speed in a light breeze like this,
one never likes being passed."

The explanation was considered as sufficient, and nothing more was
said on the subject. By sunset, the upper sails of the stranger could
be made out from the deck of the Madras. Mr. Green again went up, and
had a look at her.

"She is coming up fast," he said, when he rejoined the captain. "She
keeps so dead in our wake that I can't make out whether she is a brig
or a three master; but I fancy that she is a brig, by the size and cut
of her sails. I can see the other craft plainly enough now; she is
eight or ten miles west of the other, and has closed in towards her
since I made her out before. I have no doubt that she is a large
schooner."

"Well, it is a comfort that they are not a few miles nearer, Mr.
Green. There is no chance of their overtaking us before morning, so we
shall be able to keep our watches as usual, and shall have time to get
ready for a fight, if there is to be one."

"The sooner the better sir, so that it is daylight. It is quite
certain that they have the legs of us."

In the morning, when Dick came up, he found that the wind had quite
died away, and the sails hung loosely from the yards. Looking astern,
he saw two vessels. They were some six miles away, and perhaps two
miles apart. As they lay without steerage way, they had swung partly
round, and he saw that they were a brig and a schooner. The former he
had no doubt, from her lofty masts and general appearance, was th