urning up the soldiers, some
five hundred in number, serving out ball cartridge to them, and causing
them to crouch low behind the bulwarks. Then, just as the brigantine
ranged up alongside to board, the soldiers at a blast from the bugle had
poured in a fire of musketry that had literally swept her crowded decks
and filled them with killed and wounded, causing her to haul off in a
tremendous hurry, the soldiers continuing to gall her until she
contrived to escape by hauling her wind and interposing some of the
other ships between herself and the transport. But, even as it was,
when at length she hauled out clear of the convoy, and proceeded to make
sail, she was a good three miles to windward of us, though about three
points abaft the beam.

Of course we heard faintly the rattling crash of the musketry volleys,
and were thus able to make a pretty shrewd guess as to what was
happening, but it was not until the brigantine had cleared the convoy,
and began to make sail, that we could form any idea of the extent to
which she had been punished by the soldiers. For these picarooning
craft usually go as heavily manned, in proportion to their tonnage, as a
man-of-war, and are generally able to make sail quite as smartly. But
now sail was made as slowly aboard her as though she had been a
short-handed merchantman, seven hands only--for I counted them through
my glass--going aloft to shake out the reefs from her topsail, and to
loose her topgallantsail and royal, while two more appeared to be as
many as could be spared to lay out and loose her standing and
flying-jibs. But when at length she was under all plain sail, like
ourselves, we saw that we should have our work cut out to catch her, for
she developed a most extraordinary turn of speed, although the strong
breeze and heavy sea were all in our favour.

By the time that she had got the reefs out of her immense mainsail, and
had set an enormous gaff-topsail above it, we had drawn so far ahead of
her as to bring her a couple of points upon our weather quarter,
whereupon we tacked, the advantage gained being solely due, I imagined,
to the slowness of her crew in making sail. When we were round, and
full upon the other tack, she was still quite three miles distant, and
bore about a point on our lee-bow; but of course she very soon drew out
athwart our hawse, and now everything seemed to depend upon which was
the more weatherly craft of the two. Seen from the fore-topmast