argo in her," and Mr Appleboy shaved himself, dressed,
and went on deck.
"Yes," said the lieutenant, rubbing his eyes again and again, and then
looking through the glass, "it is her, sure enough. Let draw the
foresheet-hands make sail. What vessel's the other?"
"Don't know, sir,--she's a cutter."
"A cutter? Yes, may be a yacht, or may be the new cutter ordered on the
station. Make all sail, Mr Tomkins: hoist our pendant, and fire a
gun--they will understand what we mean then; they don't know the
_Happy-go-lucky_ as well as we do."
In a few minutes the _Active_ was under a press of sail; she hoisted her
pendant, and fired a gun. The smuggler perceived that the _Active_ had
recognised her, and she also threw out more canvas, and ran off more to
the westward.
"There's a gun, sir," reported one of the men to Mr Stewart, on board
of the yacht.
"Yes; give me the glass--a revenue-cutter; then this vessel in shore
running towards us must be a smuggler."
"She has just now made all sail, sir."
"Yes, there's no doubt of it. I will go down to his lordship; keep her
as she goes."
Mr Stewart then went down to inform Lord B--- of the circumstance. Not
only Lord B--- but most of the gentlemen came on deck; as did soon
afterwards the ladies, who had received the intelligence from Lord B---,
who spoke to them through the door of the cabin.
But the smuggler had more wind than the revenue-cutter, and increased
her distance.
"If we were to wear round, my lord," observed Mr Stewart, "she is just
abreast of us and in shore, we could prevent her escape."
"Round with her, Mr Stewart," said Lord B---; "we must do our duty and
protect the laws."
"That will not be fair, papa," said Cecilia Ossulton; "we have no
quarrel with the smuggler: I'm sure the ladies have not, for they bring
us beautiful things."
"Miss Ossulton," observed her aunt, "it is not proper for you to offer
an opinion."
The yacht wore round, and, sailing so fast, the smuggler had little
chance of escaping her; but to chase is one thing--to capture, another.
"Let us give her a gun," said Lord B---, "that will frighten her; and he
dare not cross our hawse."
The gun was loaded, and not being more than a mile from the smuggler,
actually threw the ball almost a quarter of the way.
The gentlemen, as well as Lord B---, were equally excited by the ardour
of pursuit; but the wind died away, and at last it was nearly calm. The
revenue-cutter
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