d cast adrift; purchases
were got on all the sheets and halliards, and the sails hauled flat as
boards, and kept well wetted down; some of the water tanks were pumped
out, to alter the trim and lighten her; the bulwarks and rails partly
cut away, and, as a final resort, the maintopmast studdingsail was set,
but the boom broke at the iron and the whole thing went adrift in a few
moments. Talbot, anxious to do something, suggested the novel
expedient of breaking out a field-piece from the fore hold and mounting
it on the quarter-deck to use as a stern-chaser. This had been done,
but the frigate was yet too far away for it to be of any service.

In spite of all these efforts, they were being overhauled slowly, but
Seymour still held on and did not despair. There was one chance of
escape. Right before them, not a half league away, lay a long shoal
known as George's Shoal, extending several leagues across the path of
the two ships; through the middle of this dangerous shoal there existed
a channel, narrow and tortuous, but still practicable for ships of a
certain size. He was familiar with its windings, as was Bentley, as
they both had examined it carefully in the previous summer with a view
to just such a contingency as now occurred. The Mellish was a large
and clumsy ship, heavily laden, and drawing much water, but he felt
confident that he could take her through the pass. At any rate the
attempt was worth making, and if he did fail, it would be better to
wreck her, he thought, than allow her to be recaptured. The English
captain either knew or did not know of the shoal and the channel. If
he knew it, he would have to make a long detour, for in no case would
the depth of water in the pass permit a heavy ship as was the pursuing
vessel to follow them; and, aided by the darkness rapidly closing down,
the Mellish would be enabled to escape.

If the English captain were a new man on the station, and unacquainted
with the existence of the shoal, as was most likely--well, then he was
apt to lose his ship and all on board of her, if he chased too far and
too hard. The problem resolved itself into this: if the Mellish could
maintain her distance from the pursuer until it was necessary to come
by the wind for a short tack, and still have sufficient space and time
left to enable her to run up to the mouth of the channel without being
sunk, or forced to strike by the batteries of the frigate, they might
escape; if not--God