our such as I have never beheld outside the limits of the West
Indian waters. Then, just as the burning glories of the west were
fading into sober grey, while Hesperus beamed softly out with
momentarily increasing effulgence in the darkening blue of the eastern
sky, a gentle breeze came stealing to us off the land, to which both
schooners, with a mutual challenge to each other, gladly trimmed their
canvas, and away we both went, hugging the Palisades closely, for the
sake of the smoother water, until Plum Point was passed, when we
gradually drew away from each other, the _Coquette_ shaping a course for
Morant Point, while I edged away for the island of Martinique, having
formed the opinion that some of the more knowing of the enemy's
homeward-bound merchant skippers might endeavour to slip out of the
Caribbean between the islands of Martinique and Dominica, in the hope of
thereby eluding our cruisers and privateers, most of which chose the
neighbourhood of the Windward Passages for their cruising-ground. By
the end of the second dog-watch the breeze had freshened so much that it
became necessary to hand our royal and topgallant sail; and soon
afterwards the wind hauled gradually round until it became the true
trade wind, piping up to the strength of half a gale, and compelling us
to haul down a single reef in our big mainsail and two reefs in our
topsail, under which the little beauty lay down and thrashed through it
with all the life and go of a thorough-bred racer. The _Coquette_ was
still in sight, some eight miles away to windward, and, famous as she
was for her speed, I had the supreme delight of observing that we had
head-reached upon her to the extent of quite two miles. And now we
began to discover the great advantage of having exchanged our stone
ballast for iron, the schooner being not only much stiffer under her
canvas, but also more lively than before. It was grand sailing weather,
the breeze, although strong, being perfectly steady, while the sea was
long and regular, allowing the little hooker plenty of time to rise to
each as it came rushing down upon her with hissing crest all agleam with
sparkling sea-fire. And it was exhilarating to stand right away aft,
close by the weather taffrail, and watch the little beauty as she tore
along with breathless speed through the dusky night. The sky was clear
as a bell, save for a few detached fleeces of trade-cloud that came
swooping along at frequent intervals