d aft.

I was glad that Toby and I were near the companion-hatch, that we might
hold on tight to it. The scene was stirring in the extreme; rather more
than was pleasant indeed. I did not like the state of things, and
Toby's teeth began to chatter in his head. It was very dark. The wind
roared through the rigging; the sails, extended to the utmost, would, I
thought, burst from the bolt-ropes, or carry the stout mast out of the
vessel. The lugger heeled over till the men at the guns were up to
their knees in water, and at last they could only fire as she rolled to
windward. It must be remembered that the frigate was to leeward.
Though she sailed faster than the lugger, the latter was weathering on
her. My knowledge of seamanship scarcely enabled me to form a correct
judgment as to the Frenchman's chance of escape, but still I did not
fancy that anything could run away from the Doris,--our frigate,--which,
I was fully persuaded, was the perfection of naval architecture, and
everything a ship should be. The Frenchmen were all this time
wonderfully silent, except when a shot whistled past their ears or
struck the vessel, and then they gave way to volleys of oaths and
execrations, the meaning of which, however, I did not understand. They
appeared very resolute, and I thought fully expected to escape.

On we tore through the raging sea, and often so blinded were we with the
showers of spray which fell on board that the flashes of the guns alone
showed us the position of the frigate. I was saying that I was sure
Captain Collyer would do his best to pick Toby and me up, and now, when
I saw him chasing the lugger, it occurred to me that he must have either
guessed that we were on board her, or that he must have come to the
conclusion that we were lost.

"I wonder what they are saying about us?" I remarked, partly to Toby
and partly to myself. "Mr Johnson will be sorry for us, and so will
Grey, and so, I really believe, will old Perigal. I don't think
Spellman will, though. I rather suspect he'll be for constituting
himself my heir, and taking possession of my books and things. However,
I hope we may some day get on board again, and make him disgorge."

There did not seem much chance of that though. Every moment I expected,
should a shot not send her first to the bottom, to see the lugger run
her bows right under, as she tore on through the raging waters. The
frigate seemed to be gaining very little, if at all