had been looking out with the glass, exclaimed, "There she is, by
all that's sacred!"

I caught the glass out of his hand, and found it was the king's ship.
She was a large flush vessel, apparently of eighteen or twenty guns,
just opening from the point, and not seven miles from us. We were
still becalmed, and she was bringing the wind down with her, so that
to escape appeared impossible.

"Now, what shall we do?" said Captain Toplift; "shall we allow her to
come down upon us and say nothing to the men, or shall we point out
the danger, and persuade them to come on board and prepare?"

"You must do as you please," replied I, "I am indifferent which. It
will be dark in another hour, and she will not be down by that time. I
would rather avoid fighting, and get away from the schooner quietly if
I could, but that I fear is impossible now."

"Well, I must go on board of the brig and let them know, for if they
find it out themselves, they will throw us overboard."

Captain Toplift then went on board of the brig, and calling to the men
who were still sober, told them that there was a king's ship coming
down upon them not seven miles off. This had the effect of putting an
end to the confusion and noise of a great portion of the men, who
hastened on board of the schooner, but others, who were intoxicated,
were with difficulty persuaded to return.

At last they were all got on board, and the schooner, clear from the
brig, was made ready for action; but Toplift was obliged to make some
alteration in the stationing of the men, as those who were to hand up
the powder were all of them tipsy. By the time that the schooner was
ready, and the breeze had come down to her, the corvette was not more
than three miles from us; but it was quite dark, for there is no
twilight in those parts. We consulted what course we should take to
avoid her, if possible, and agreed that we would stand in shore and
pass her if we possibly could. We knew that, if seen, we were then
certain to be obliged to fight; but if not seen, we might escape.

We then shifted the helm and bore up across her bows, but we had not
steered in this direction more than a quarter of an hour, when the
Transcendant was perceived to be on fire, having been fired by the
drunken men before they left her, and soon afterwards she burst out
into flames that threw a strong light to a great distance, discovering
the corvette to us at two miles' distance, and of course exposing us