he can carry
us, by boarding; for she can throw three times our strength of men
on to our deck."

There was but little talking on board the brig. When the men had
finished their preparations, they stood waiting by the bulwarks;
watching the vessel in chase of them, and occasionally speaking
together in low tones.

"You may as well pipe the hands to breakfast, Mr. Probert. I have
told the cook to give them an extra good meal. After that, I will
say a few words to them.

"Now, Master Repton, we may as well have our meal. We mayn't get
another good one, for some time; but I still hope that we shall be
able to cripple that fellow. I have great faith in that long
eighteen. The boatswain is an old man-o'-war's-man, and is a
capital shot. I am a pretty good one, myself and, as the sea is
smooth, and we have a good steady platform to fire from, I have
good hope we shall cripple that fellow before he comes up to us."

There was more talking than usual, at breakfast. Captain Lockett
and the second mate both laughed, and joked, over the approaching
fight. Mr. Probert was always a man of few words, and he said but
little, now.

"The sooner they come up, the better," he growled. "I hate this
running away, especially when you can't run fastest."

"The men will all do their best, I suppose, Probert? You have been
down among them."

The first mate nodded.

"They don't want to see the inside of a prison, captain, no more
than I do. They will stick to the guns; but I fancy they know, well
enough, it will be no use if it comes to boarding."

"No use at all, Probert. I quite agree with you, there. If she
comes up alongside, we must haul down the flag. It is of no use
throwing away the men's lives, by fighting against such odds as
that. But we mustn't let her get up."

"That is it, sir. We have got to keep her off, if it can be done.
We shall have to haul our wind a little, when we begin, so as to
get that eighteen to bear on her."

"Yes, we must do that," the captain said. "Then we will get the
other four guns over on the same side."

After breakfast was over, the captain went up and took his station
at the poop rail. The men had finished their breakfast and, on
seeing that the captain was about to address them, moved aft.

"My lads," he said, "that Frenchman behind will be within range, in
the course of another hour. What we have got to do is to knock some
of her spars out of her and, as she comes up slowly, we shall ha