ol, was
called the _Juliet_. She was a barque of three hundred and fifty tons
register, oak built and copper fastened throughout, and was only five
years old.

"Fifty-four days ago to-day we cleared from Liverpool for Saint Paul de
Loando with a cargo of Manchester and Birmingham goods, sailing the same
day with the afternoon tide.

"All went well with us until the day before last, when, just before
eight bells in the afternoon watch, one of the hands, who had gone aloft
to stow the main-topgallant-sail, reported a sail dead to leeward of us
under a heavy press of canvas. I have been to Saint Paul twice before,
and know pretty well the character of this coast; moreover, on my first
trip I was boarded and plundered by a rascally Spaniard; so I thought I
would just step up aloft and take a look at the stranger through my
glass at once. Well, sir, I did so, and the conclusion I came to was,
that though it was blowing very fresh I would give the ship every stitch
of canvas I could show to it. The strange sail was a brig of about
three hundred tons or thereabouts, with very taunt spars, a tremendous
spread of canvas, and her hull painted dead black down to the copper,
which had been scoured until it fairly shone again. I didn't at all
like the appearance of my newly-discovered neighbour; the craft had a
wicked look about her from her truck down, and the press of sail she was
carrying seemed to bode me no good. So, as the _Juliet_ happened to be
a pretty smart vessel under her canvas, and in splendid sailing trim, I
thought I would do what I could to keep the stranger at arms'-length,
and when the watch was called, a few minutes afterwards, I got the
topgallant-sails, royals, flying jib, main-topgallant, royal, and mizen-
topmast-staysails all on the old barkie again, and we began to smoke
through it, I can tell you. That done, I set the stranger by compass,
and for the first hour or so I thought we were holding our own; but by
sunset I could see--a great deal too plainly for my own comfort--that
the brig was both weathering and fore-reaching upon us. Still she was a
long way off, and had the night been dark I should have tried to dodge
the fellow; but that unfortunately was no use; the sun was no sooner set
than the moon rose, and of course he could see us even more plainly than
we could see him. At seven o'clock he tacked, and then I felt pretty
sure he meant mischief; and when, at a little before eight bells, he