the word, then blaze away your hardest."

"Ay, ay," replied he; and I took myself off to see after the others,
whom we posted in the stern to keep a closer look-out; while Roderick,
the first officer, and myself went above to the bridge.

The men now fell to work in right good earnest. They had all the grit
of the old sea-dogs in them--how, I know not, except in this, that
their lives had been given to the one mistress. The thought of a
brush-up put dash and daring into them; they had the boats cleared, the
water-barrels filled, and the life-belts free, with an activity that
was remarkable. Then they stood to watch the oncoming of the nameless
ship; and when we hoisted our ensign, they burst again into that hoarse
roar of applause which rolled across the water-waste, and must have
sounded as a vaunting mockery to the men behind the walls of metal. But
they answered us in turn, running up an ensign, and a cry came from all
of us as we saw its colour, for it was the blue saltire on a white
ground.

"Russian, or I'm blind," said the skipper, and I looked twice and knew
that his sight was safe to him; for the nameless ship, which five days
ago showed her heels under a Chilian mask, now made straight towards us
in Russian guise.

"Are you sure she's the same ship?" asked Roderick, when his amazement
let him speak.

"Am I sure that my voice comes out of my throat?" said the old fellow
testily. "Did you ever see but one hull shaped like that? And now she
signals."

So rapidly had she drawn towards us that she was, indeed, then within
gun-shot of us. After the first enthusiasm the men had stood, held
under the spell of her amazing approach, and no soul had spoken. Even
with their plain reckoning and hazy notion of it all, they seemed
conscious of the peril; but not as I was conscious of it, for in my own
heart I believed that no man amongst us would see to-morrow. There we
stood alone, with no prospect but to face the men who openly declared
war against us. I turned my eyes away to the crimson arch which marked
the sun's decline; I looked again to the east, whence black harbingers
of night hung low upon the darkened sea; I searched the horizon in
every quarter, but it lay barren of ships, and soon the last light
would leave us, and with the ebb of day there was no security against
an enemy whose intentions were no longer disguised. I say no longer
disguised--but of this the skipper made me cognisant. He pointed to the
m