from seeing a spot of blood on the poop, guessed his fate. I fancied,
indeed, I heard a shot strike something behind me."

"It struck the poor fellow's head, sir, and made a noise as if a butcher
were felling an ox."

"Well--well--let us try to forget it, until something can be done for
his son, who is one of the side boys. Ah! there's Blewet keeping away in
earnest. How the deuce he is to speak us, however, is more than I can
tell."

Sir Gervaise now sent a message to his captain to say that he desired
his presence. Greenly soon appeared, and was made acquainted with the
intention of the Druid, as well as with the purport of the last signals.
By this time, the rent main-top-sail was mended, and the captain
suggested it should be set again, close-reefed, as before, and that the
main-sail should be taken in. This would lessen the Plantagenet's way,
which ship was sensibly drawing ahead of her consorts. Sir Gervaise
assenting, the change was made, and the effects were soon apparent, not
only in the movement of the ship, but in her greater ease and steadiness
of motion.

It was not long before the Druid was within a hundred fathoms of the
flag-ship, on her weather-quarter, shoving the brine before her in a way
to denote a fearful momentum. It was evidently the intention of Captain
Blewet to cross the Plantagenet's stern, and to luff up under her lee
quarter; the safest point at which he could approach, in so heavy a
swell, provided it were done with discretion. Captain Blewet had a
reputation for handling his frigate like a boat, and the occasion was
one which would be likely to awaken all his desire to sustain the
character he had already earned. Still no one could imagine how he was
to come near enough to make a communication of any length. The
stentorian lungs of the second lieutenant, however, might effect it;
and, as the news of the expected hail passed through the ship, many who
had remained below, in apathy, while the enemy was close under their
lee, came on deck, curious to witness what was about to pass.

"Hey! Atwood?" exclaimed Sir Gervaise, for the little excitement had
brought the secretary up from the commander-in-chief's cabin;--"what is
Blewet at! The fellow cannot mean to set a studding-sail!"

"He is running out a boom, nevertheless, Sir Gervaise, or my thirty
years' experience of nautical things have been thrown away."

"He is truly rigging out his weather fore-topmast-studding-sail-boom,
sir!"