and next moment they were laying out on both topsail-yards and
turning out the reefs; although the breeze was so strong that, half-
loaded as she was, she was careening almost gunwale to.

We passed close under her stern; and her skipper, as we drew near,
walked aft to the taffrail and hailed us.

"Thank you, sir, for your information; please report us and this
circumstance; God knows whether we shall escape the rascals or no."

I waved my hand, to signify that I understood and would comply with his
request; noting, as I did so, the name and the port of registry of the
vessel, which were painted on her stern in white letters: "The
_Kingfisher_, of Hull."

Scarcely were we past her, when we saw a small red flag go fluttering up
to her main-topgallant-mast-head; a signal, as we supposed, to hurry the
other boats back. The poor fellows were awkwardly situated.

Had they been hull-down to the northward or the southward, the pirates
might possibly, in the eagerness of their desire for vengeance upon us,
have allowed her to pass on unmolested; but now that the barque lay
almost directly within their path, we dared not hope for any such
display of forbearance.

There were many stores on board a well-found whaler which would be most
useful to men situated like the desperadoes on board the brig; and they
would scarcely forego the opportunity of making the acquisition for the
sake of continuing to chase a craft which was indubitably walking away
from them fast, and which must run them out of sight altogether in a few
hours more, unless some accident occurred to place her within their
power.

We watched the proceedings of the two vessels with the most absorbing
interest, as may well be supposed. The _Lily_ was very quickly far
enough to leeward of the barque to enable us to see the two boats clear
of his bow; and we noticed that their crews were pulling with might and
main.

But in about ten minutes' time they were once more shut in by the
intervention of their vessel's hull between us and them; and before they
could open out astern of her, the barque went in stays, having
apparently stood on far enough to fetch her boats on the next tack.

The brig had in the interim run down to within about four miles of the
whaler, and was still flying along, dead before the wind, with
everything set, up to topgallant stunsails on both sides; and no sign
had so far revealed itself on board her by which we could judge of the
intent