in a couple of
miles of us, when we in turn shifted our helm and going round upon the
starboard tack, assumed all the appearance of being in precipitate
flight. But I was particular to flatten in all sheets and braces to
such an extent that, by careful and persistent wind-jamming, the
schooner became as sluggish as a log; and in this way we played with the
ship until we had decoyed her a good twenty miles away from the rest of
the fleet, sometimes allowing her to gain upon us a trifle, and then
drawing away from her again, my object, of course, being to capture her
if I could. And of my ability to do this--provided that I could decoy
her far enough away from all possible support--I had very little doubt;
for I did not consider it in the least likely that she would have more
than sixty Frenchmen on board her as a prize crew, while I had an equal
number of Englishmen.

At length, about an hour before sunset, we allowed the ship to approach
us within gun-shot, and shortly afterwards she opened fire upon us with
a six-pounder. The shot flew wide; but all the same I caused our helm
to be put down, and as the schooner slowly luffed into the wind I gave
orders for all our sheets to be let fly, presenting an appearance of
terrible confusion. The ruse was successful; the ship ceased firing,
and came booming along toward us under _every_ inch of canvas that she
could spread. Meanwhile our lads, hugely delighted at the fun in
prospect, armed themselves, got the grappling-irons ready, and prepared
for boarding the stranger. The weather was quite fine enough to admit
of our running alongside in the schooner, there being very little swell
on; so as soon as we were ready the men stationed themselves at the
sheets and braces, and by a little judicious manipulation of these and
the helm we contrived to get sternway upon the schooner just as the ship
came booming down upon our weather quarter. Nobody on board her seemed
to think of shortening sail until she was fairly abreast of us, and then
a terrific hullabaloo broke out as her crew endeavoured to clew up and
haul down everything at once--they even let run their topsail-halliards
in their excitement. Then, in the midst of it all, just as the ship
went surging past us, with a great rustling of canvas and lashing of
loose cordage in the wind, a man sprang into her mizzen-rigging and
hailed us in French, ordering us to follow until he could heave-to, when
he would send a boat on b