hed to talk. The captain
was the only person who kept up his spirits. Once more he rose from his
seat, and stepped on to the after-thwart, holding on by the mainmast. I
watched his eye as he cast it round the horizon. I saw it suddenly
light up. "A sail! my lads, a sail!" he exclaimed, pointing to the
westward. Not another word was spoken for some time. We kept on our
course, and we were soon able to ascertain that the stranger was
standing almost directly for us. The captain at once resolved to try
and get on board her, whatever she might prove, rather than run the risk
of passing the night in the boat. He on this put the boat about, for
had we continued on the course we were then steering she might have gone
ahead of us. Our great anxiety was now to make ourselves seen before
the night closed down upon us. We had a lantern, but its pale light
would not have been observed at any distance. Just before the sun sank
into the ocean we were near enough the stranger to make out that she was
a large brig, apparently a ship of war, and by the cut of her canvas,
and her general appearance, she was pronounced to be French. Though all
my younger days we were at loggerheads with them, there happened just
then, for a wonder, to be a peace between our two nations, so there was
no fear but what we should be treated as friends.

The sun sank ahead of us with a fiery and angry glow, while the clouds
swept by rapidly overhead, and every now and then a flash of lightning
and a loud roar of thunder made us anxious to find ourselves on board a
more seaworthy craft than the frail boat in which we floated. We had no
firearms with us, for the pirates had carried away or thrown overboard
all they found on board the schooner, so we had no means of making a
night signal. However, as there was still a little light remaining, we
lashed two oars together, and made fast at one end an ensign, which had
fortunately been thrown into the boat. The captain then stood up and
waved it about to try and attract the attention of those on board the
brig. I felt inclined to shout out, under the feeling that far off as
she was my feeble voice would be heard. On we flew through the water at
a rate which threatened every instant to tear the canvas off the boat's
bottom, while the seas at the same time constantly came on board and
nearly swamped us. Time passed away; the gloom of evening thickened
around us. Our hearts sank within our bosoms. It