ral at Port Royal, unless circumstances
should make me think it advisable to return to the island. The boats of
the men-of-war were sent to tow me out of the harbour, and I was once
more on the wide blue sea--the schooner darting along like a dolphin.

For a fortnight we cruised without seeing any vessel but the Naiad. I
was very much afraid that the captain would have ordered me to keep
company; but as he considered his vessel quite a match for the brig and
schooner if he should fall in with them, and did not want the
prize-money to be shared with the crew of the Firefly, he allowed me to
go my own way, saying to me, laughingly, as I went over the side, "They
will certainly take you if they meet you, and we shall have to recapture
you."

"Well, I hope you will not forget your promise, sir," replied I; "I
shall depend upon you."

During the fortnight that I had been out, I had taken great pains in
exercising the men at their guns, the great gun particularly; and I had
had an excellent sight put on it, which it had not, and very much
required. During two or three days' calm, I had fired shot at a mark
for three or four hours each day, and I found that the men, with this
little practice, were very expert, and could hit a very small object,
now that the sight was put on the gun. The two best shots, however,
were the gunner and Bob Cross.

The night after we parted from the Naiad, I had run to the southward,
having heard from the captain that the Driver was more to the northward
than he was. There was nothing in sight on the next day, and when the
evening set in, the wind being very light, and water smooth, I said to
Cross, "Suppose we furl sail at night--it is just as good as running
about; we then shall see them if they come in our way, and they will not
see us."

"A very good idea, Mr Keene; we must keep a good look-out, that's all."

I followed up my own suggestion; we furled the sails, and leaving two
men with the officer of the watch to keep a sharp look-out, allowed the
rest of the ship's company to remain in the hammocks during the whole of
the night.

When day broke we had two look-out men at the mast-head, but remained
with our sails furled as before, for the same reason, that we should
discern a vessel by her sails long before she could discover us. The
more I thought of it, the more convinced I was of the advantage to be
gained by the following up of this plan. I was on the exact cruising
ground