Part 14 (2/2)

”It is rather difficult to decide at present,” I replied. ”Much depends upon which of us is the fastest. If we are both going at about the same speed, I should say we shall pa.s.s extremely close to her.”

”How is she heading, Harry?” was the next question.

”To the northward, rather edging down towards us, if anything,” I thought.

”Ay, ay,” chuckled Bob, ”it ain't _every_ craft as can stick her bowsprit into the wind's eye like this here little barkie. Now I dare swear he's jammed hard up upon a taut bowline, and here _we_ are going as close to the wind as he is, and every thread ramping full. Take hold of her a minute, Hal, and let's see what these old eyes of mine can tell us about the stranger.”

I took hold of the tiller, and Bob went aloft with the deliberation of the seaman who is in no particular hurry. Having reached the cross-trees, he stood upon them, with one hand grasping the peak-halliards to steady himself, whilst with the other he shaded his eyes.

”I see her, I see her,” he exclaimed; ”we're raising her fast, Harry, my boy; and in another half hour or so we shall see her from the deck.”

He then went as high as the yard of the topsail, and clung there for a good five minutes, reading all the signs which a seaman sees in the almost imperceptible peculiarities of rig, shape of sails, etc. Having satisfied himself, he descended deliberately to the deck, evidently ruminating deeply.

”Now I'll tell ye what I think of the matter, Harry,” said he, as he came aft and seated himself beside me. ”There's a familiar sort of a look with that craft away yonder; I seems to recognise her as some'at I've seen afore; and I've no moral doubt in the world but what it's that villain Johnson, although we can't be _sartain_ of it until we gets a nearer look at her. And I've an idee that, if anything, it's _we_ that's got the weather-gage; and if so, by all means keep it, even if we has to run the gauntlet of her broadside for a minute or two. Once let's be to wind'ard, and in such weather as this I wouldn't fear the smartest _square-rigged_ craft that ever was launched. We could lead 'em no end of a dance, and then give 'em the slip a'terwards when we was tired of the fun. So my advice is to luff up as close as you can; not _too_ close ye know, lad; let her go through it; but spring your luff all as you can get, and let's try what our friend yonder is made of. As long as we're to _leeward_ of him the game is _his_; but let's get to _wind'ard_ of him and it's _ours_ to do what we like with it.”

I had it in my mind to take in all the canvas and lie _perdu_ until the brig had crossed our course and was well out of our road to the northward; but that would still be leaving him the weather-gage; and I saw fully as clearly as Bob did the advantage of obtaining this, if possible; so on we stood, boldly, lying a good point higher than we had been before steering, yet keeping every sail a good clean full, and drawing to perfection.

The wind, however, was dropping fast; and by the time that the sun was on the meridian we were not going more than five knots. This made me extremely anxious; more particularly as the stranger proved a remarkably fast vessel; so much so, that it still remained a matter of doubt which of us would cross the other.

Bob, on the other hand, was delighted beyond measure, stoutly avowing that the falling breeze was little, if anything, short of a divine manifestation in our favour. He declared himself ready to stake all he was possessed of in the world (and if the brig should turn out to be the pirate, he actually _was_ staking his life) on our speed as against that of the stranger in light winds, and was already chuckling in antic.i.p.ation over that craft's discomfiture.

She was within about five miles of us, still maintaining her relative position of about four points on our lee-bow, when Bob served dinner on deck, as was our custom in fine weather.

We were very busy with the viands, keeping one eye always on the brig however, when we noticed something fluttering over her taffrail; and the next moment a flag of some sort floated up to her peak.

I was at the tiller; so Bob took the gla.s.s, and levelling it at the brig, gave her a more thorough scrutiny than we had bestowed upon her at all hitherto.

”The stars and stripes, and a pennant!” exclaimed he, with his eye still at the tube.

”Lord bless us for the two pretty innocents he takes us for, Harry; but there, of course he don't know as we've got his character and all about him at our fingers' ends. Well, anyhow, we won't be behindhand with him in the matter of politeness;” and therewith Master Bob dived below, returning in a moment with our ensign and club burgee in his hand, which he bent to their respective halliards and ran them up--the one to our gaff-end, and the other to our mast-head.

As we had by this time finished our meal, Bob cleared the things away, muttering something about having ”plenty to do afore long besides eating and drinking.”

Our colours had not been displayed above a minute, when four small b.a.l.l.s were seen ascending to the brig's main royal-mast-head, where they broke abroad and waved lazily out in the failing breeze as a signal.

Bob at once a.s.sumed the duties of signal-officer, by once more taking a peep through the gla.s.s.

”Commercial code pennant,” said he; and then he read out the flags beneath it.

”Run down and fetch up the signal-book,” said I.

He did so; we turned up the signal, and read, ”Come under my lee; I wish to speak you.”

”Thank 'ee!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Bob, ”not if we can help it, Mister Johnson. I reckon 'twould be about the most onprofitable conwersation as ever the crew of this here cutter took a part in. We've got our own wholesome planks to walk, aboard here, when we wants any of that sort of exercise; and though there's not much to boast of in the way of room, I dare say there's more of _that_ than we'd find on the plank _you'd_ give us for a parade ground. Seems to me, Hal, as we're bringing him nearer abeam than he was a while ago; ain't it so?”

”You are right, Bob,” I replied, glancing at the compa.s.s; ”he is more than a point farther aft than he was a quarter of an hour ago; but is it not possible that we are giving ourselves needless uneasiness? That craft certainly has a look of the _Albatross_; but we are not sure that it is her after all.”

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