er, but he lied when--"

"Sail ho!" shouted the lookout at the masthead.

"Where away?" cried Bill, springing to the tiller; while the men,
startled by the sudden cry, jumped up and gazed round the horizon.

"On the starboard quarter, hull down, sir," answered the lookout.

At this moment the captain came on deck, and mounting into the rigging,
surveyed the sail through the glass. Then sweeping his eye round the
horizon, he gazed steadily at the particular point.

"Take in topsails!" shouted the captain, swinging himself down on the
deck by the main-back stay.

"Take in topsails!" roared the first mate.

"Ay, ay, sir-r-r!" answered the men as they sprang into the rigging and
went aloft like cats.

Instantly all was bustle on board the hitherto quiet schooner. The
topsails were taken in and stowed, the men stood by the sheets and
halyards, and the captain gazed anxiously at the breeze, which was now
rushing towards us like a sheet of dark blue. In a few seconds it
struck us. The schooner trembled, as if in surprise at the sudden
onset, while she fell away; then, bending gracefully to the wind, as
though in acknowledgment of her subjection, she cut through the waves
with her sharp prow like a dolphin, while Bill directed her course
towards the strange sail.

In half-an-hour we neared her sufficiently to make out that she was a
schooner, and from the clumsy appearance of her masts and sails we
judged her to be a trader. She evidently did not like our appearance,
for the instant the breeze reached her she crowded all sail and showed
us her stern. As the breeze had moderated a little, our topsails were
again shaken out; and it soon became evident--despite the proverb, "A
stern chase is a long one"--that we doubled her speed, and would
overhaul her speedily. When within a mile we hoisted British colours,
but receiving no acknowledgment, the captain ordered a shot to be fired
across her bows. In a moment, to my surprise, a large portion of the
bottom of the boat amidships was removed, and in the hole thus exposed
appeared an immense brass gun. It worked on a swivel, and was elevated
by means of machinery. It was quickly loaded and fired. The heavy ball
struck the water a few yards ahead of the chase, and ricochetting into
the air, plunged into the sea a mile beyond it.

This produced the desired effect. The strange vessel backed her
topsails and hove-to, while we ranged up and lay-to about a hundred
yar