u are always ready for battle, Greenly," the vice-admiral said,
smilingly, in conclusion; "when there is a necessity; and always just as
ready to point out the inexpediency of engaging, where you fancy nothing
is to be gained by it. You would not have me run away from a shadow,
however; or a signal; and that is much the same thing: so we will stand
on, until we make the Frenchmen fairly from off-deck, when it will be
time enough to determine what shall come next."

"Sail-ho!" shouted one of the look-outs from aloft, a cry that
immediately drew all eyes towards the mizzen-top-mast-cross-trees,
whence the sound proceeded.

The wind blew too fresh to render conversation, even by means of a
trumpet, easy, and the man was ordered down to give an account of what
he had seen. Of course he first touched the poop-deck, where he was met
by the admiral and captain, the officer of the watch, to whom he
properly belonged, giving him up to the examination of his two
superiors, without a grimace.

"Where-away is the sail you've seen, sir?" demanded Sir Gervaise a
little sharply, for he suspected it was no more than one of the ships
ahead, already signaled. "Down yonder to the southward and
eastward--hey! sirrah?"

"No, Sir Jarvy," answered the top-man, hitching his trowsers with one
hand, and smoothing the hair on his forehead with the other; "but out
here, to the forward and westward, on our weather-quarter. It's none o'
them French chaps as is with the County of Fairvillian,"--for so all the
common men of the fleet believed their gallant enemy to be rightly
named,--"but is a square-rigged craft by herself, jammed up on a wind,
pretty much like all on us."

"That alters the matter, Greenly! How do you know she is square-rigged,
my man?"

"Why, Sir Jarvy, your honour, she's under her fore and main-taw-sails,
close-reefed, with a bit of the main-sail set, as well as I can make it
out, sir."

"The devil she is! It must be some fellow in a great hurry, to carry
that canvass in this blow! Can it be possible, Greenly, that the leading
vessel of Bluewater is heaving in sight?"

"I rather think not, Sir Gervaise; it would be too far to windward for
any of his two-deckers. It may turn out to be a look-out ship of the
French, got round on the other tack to keep her station, and carrying
sail hard, because she dislikes our appearance."

"In that case she must claw well to windward to escape us! What's your
name, my lad--Tom Davis, i