than that if she is a richly-laden
craft."

"Don't have anything to do with the business, Ben," exclaimed Oldershaw.
"I do not bet, and do not intend to begin, but I say there are five
chances to one that we shall take her, so keep your prospects in your
pocket, my boy, and I hope they will prove good ones." Although the
hammocks were piped down at the usual hour, very few officers or men
turned in. It was well-known that Captain Oliver would not let the
chase escape as long as there was a prospect of getting hold of her.
There was a bright moon, and by the master's calculation we should sight
Teneriffe before dawn. A sailor's eye alone could have made out the
shadowy form of the chase ahead of us, but not for a moment was she lost
sight of. The wind fell as the night drew on, and the sea became calm,
rippled over only by little wavelets, upon which the moonbeams played
brightly. It was a lovely night. Bright as was the moon, many of the
stars were to be seen also, vying with her in splendour. Yet here were
we, with thousands of stars looking down upon us, about to commit an act
of rapine and slaughter, for such, lawful as it might be thought, was
the deed we were about to do. It was Oldershaw's watch, and I was
walking the deck with him. I made some remark of that sort. He
responded to it.

"Yes, Ben," he said, "I wonder what the bright seraphic beings up
there--for surely there must be such in that pure heaven above us--are
thinking of the proceedings of us mortals down here below. We have to
fight, and it is right to defend our country, but I tell you, Ben, I
have seen a good deal of it, and, putting what people call glory aside,
it is very fearful, disgusting, dirty work. It makes a man feel like a
devil for a time, and it is devilish, there is no doubt about that. I
am in for it, and I expect to have plenty more of the same sort of work
to do, but I am very sure that for men to kill each other is hateful to
the God who made us. There is only one thing worse, and that is when
they lie, and cheat, and deceive each other, and it seems often to me
that more than one-half of the world is employed in doing one or the
other."

"Have we gained much on the chase, Mr Schank?" asked the Captain, who
just then appeared on deck.

"The best part of a mile, sir, I should think, in the course of the last
hour. If the wind does not fall still more, we shall come up with her
soon after daylight. She is heavily