day, and we were bowling along right
before it, rolling like the very devil; but there was no moon, and
although the stars sparkled brilliantly, yet it was dark, and as we
were the sternmost of the men-of-war, we had the task of whipping in
the sluggards. It was my watch on deck. A gun from the commodore, who
showed a number of lights. "What is that, Mr. Kennedy?" said the
captain to the old gunner. "The commodore has made the night-signal
for the sternmost ships to make more sail and close, sir." We repeated
the signal and stood on, hailing the dullest of the merchantmen in our
neighbourhood to make more sail, and firing a musket-shot now and then
over the more distant of them. By-and-by we saw a large West Indiamen
suddenly haul her wind and stand across our bows.

"Forward there!" sung out Mr. Splinter; "stand by to fire a shot at
that fellow from the boat gun if he does not bear up. What can he be
after? Sergeant Armstrong"--to a marine, who was standing close by him
in the waist--"get a musket and fire over him."

It was done, and the ship immediately bore up on her course again; we
now ranged alongside of him on his larboard quarter.

"Ho, the ship, ahoy!"--"Hillo!" was the reply. "Make more sail, sir,
and run into the body of the fleet, or I shall fire into you: why don't
you, sir, keep in the wake of the commodore?" No answer. "What meant
you by hauling your wind just now, sir?"

"Yesh, yesh," at length responded a voice from the merchantman.

"Something wrong here," said Mr. Splinter. "Back your maintopsail,
sir, and hoist a light at the peak; I shall send a boat on board of
you. Boatswain's mate, pipe away the crew of the jolly-boat." We also
hove to, and were in the act of lowering down the boat, when the
officer rattled out--"Keep all fast with the boat; I can't comprehend
that chap's manoeuvres for the soul of me. He has not hove to." Once
more we were within pistol-shot of him. "Why don't you heave to, sir?"
All silent.

Presently we could perceive a confusion and noise of struggling on
board, and angry voices, as if people were trying to force their way up
the hatches from below; and a heavy thumping on the deck, and a
creaking of the blocks, and rattling of the cordage, while the mainyard
was first braced one way, and then another, as if two parties were
striving for the mastery. At length a voice hailed distinctly--"we are
captured by a----." A sudden sharp cry, and a splash ov