n."

The two Frenchmen were by this time within less than half a mile of us,
converging upon us in such a manner as to range up alongside the
_Althea_ within the toss of a biscuit on either hand, but neither of
them manifested the slightest disposition to follow our example by
shortening sail. Perhaps they believed that, were they to do so, we
should at once make sail again and endeavour to escape, whereas by
holding on to everything until they drew up alongside us, we should fall
an easy prey to their superior strength, if indeed we did not surrender
at discretion.

And, truly, the two ships formed a noble and a graceful picture as they
came sweeping rapidly down upon us with every stitch of canvas set that
they could possibly spread, their white sails towering spire-like into
the deep, tender blue of the cloudless heavens, with the delicate purple
shadows chasing each other athwart the rounded bosoms of them as the
hulls that up-bore them swung pendulum-like, with a little curl of snow
under their bows, over the low hillocks of swell that chased them,
sparkling in the brilliant sunlight like a heaving floor of sapphire
strewed broadcast with diamonds.

They stood on, silent as the grave, until the craft on our larboard
quarter--which was leading by about a couple of lengths--had reached to
within a short quarter of a mile of us, when, as we all stood watching
them intently, a jet of flame, followed by a heavy burst of white smoke,
leapt out from her starboard bow port, and the next instant the shot
went humming close past us, to dash up the water in a fountain-like jet
a quarter of a mile ahead of us.

"That, I take it, is a polite request to us to heave-to and haul down
our colours," remarked Captain Harrison to the first lieutenant, with a
smile. "Well, we may as well return the compliment, Mr Dawson. Try a
shot at each of them with the stern-chasers. If we could only manage to
knock away an important spar on board either of them it might so cripple
her as to cause her to drop astern, leaving us to deal with the other
one and settle her business out of hand. Yes, aim at their spars, Mr
Dawson. It would perhaps have been better had we opened fire directly
they were within range, but I was anxious not to make a mistake. Now
that they have fired upon us, however, we need hesitate no longer."

The order was accordingly given to open fire with our stern-chasers, and
in less than a minute the two guns spoke ou