t we
could not hope to catch them with the oars. But our prisoner came
unexpectedly to our aid. His black eyes were flashing eagerly, and his
face was flushed with suppressed excitement, as he dropped the
centreboard, sprang forward with a single leap, and put up the sail.

"I've always heard that Greeks don't like Italians," Charley laughed,
as he ran aft to the tiller.

And never in my experience have I seen a man so anxious for the
capture of another as was our prisoner in the chase that followed. His
eyes fairly snapped, and his nostrils quivered and dilated in a most
extraordinary way. Charley steered while he tended the sheet; and
though Charley was as quick and alert as a cat, the Greek could
hardly control his impatience.

The Italians were cut off from the shore, which was fully a mile away
at its nearest point. Did they attempt to make it, we could haul after
them with the wind abeam, and overtake them before they had covered an
eighth of the distance. But they were too wise to attempt it,
contenting themselves with rowing lustily to windward along the
starboard side of a big ship, the _Lancashire Queen_. But beyond the
ship lay an open stretch of fully two miles to the shore in that
direction. This, also, they dared not attempt, for we were bound to
catch them before they could cover it. So, when they reached the bow
of the _Lancashire Queen_, nothing remained but to pass around and row
down her port side toward the stern, which meant rowing to leeward and
giving us the advantage.

We in the salmon boat, sailing close on the wind, tacked about and
crossed the ship's bow. Then Charley put up the tiller and headed down
the port side of the ship, the Greek letting out the sheet and
grinning with delight. The Italians were already half-way down the
ship's length; but the stiff breeze at our back drove us after them
far faster than they could row. Closer and closer we came, and I,
lying down forward, was just reaching out to grasp the skiff, when it
ducked under the great stern of the _Lancashire Queen_.

The chase was virtually where it had begun. The Italians were rowing
up the starboard side of the ship, and we were hauled close on the
wind and slowly edging out from the ship as we worked to windward.
Then they darted around her bow and began the row down her port side,
and we tacked about, crossed her bow, and went plunging down the wind
hot after them. And again, just as I was reaching for the skiff, it