ch to defend ourselves against the
sharks," said I.

"You are a brave boy," said he, "and deserve a better fate; but it
cannot be helped."

There was a fine breeze, but nothing more; and by the time the
schooner's sails were trimmed, as I looked over the side I saw that she
was making good way through the water. I doubted whether the _Opossum_
could go faster; and I saw, at all events, that, like other stern
chases, this would be a long one. It very probably would last two or
three days, perhaps longer. I scarcely knew what to wish. Were it not
for those dreadful sea monsters, we all of us might be able to get on
board the brig, and help to capture the schooner afterwards, I thought
to myself. We were allowed perfect liberty to walk about the decks as
we liked; so I went up to Jack, and asked him what he thought about the
probability of the brig overtaking us.

"Why, sir," he replied, after contemplating her, and looking over the
schooner's side for some time, "this craft has got as clean a pair of
heels as any vessel I was ever aboard; and though our brig, I'll allow,
is no laggard, I doubt if she'll overtake her, if the wind holds steady,
before we reach the West Indies, where, I take it, we are bound."

Jack was right, with regard to the relative speed of the two vessels, at
all events. As I kept my eye on the brig, I could not but acknowledge
that we were slowly but surely increasing our distance from her. This
put the captain in good humour.

"Ah! my young friend," he said, tapping me on the shoulder, "you have
escaped the sharks this time, I believe." At night I turned in and went
to sleep, for I had not yet recovered from my want of rest and unusual
anxiety. The next morning, there, however, was the brig, right astern
of us, though we had much increased our distance from her. When I
appeared, the captain gave me no friendly look; and it was only towards
the evening, when we had brought her topsails beneath the horizon, that
his good humour was re-established. Another night passed, and the brig
was out of sight. I thought it more than probable, however, that
Captain Idle was still following, in the hopes of finding us becalmed,
or in some other way falling in with us. I cannot stop to describe the
scenes of gambling and fighting continually going on among the
schooner's lawless crew, though their outbreaks of fury were generally
repressed, before arriving at extremities, by the energy of the litt