English brig.

The crew felt as eager to overtake her as did the commander. It was the
first of this sort of work they had had, and they indulged with immense
satisfaction in the idea of carrying back a prize full of slaves to Port
Royal.

Long Tom was got ready for action, as it was not likely that the slaver,
if such she was, would yield without making every effort to escape. The
chase showed that she had a remarkably nimble pair of heels, for fast as
the _Supplejack_ was, after a couple of hours had passed by, she
appeared to have gained little or nothing on her.

"Do you think we shall take her?" asked Tom of Needham, who had been
appointed as gunner of the _Supplejack_.

"If the wind freshens, and we have the first of it before it reaches
her, we may get her within range of Long Tom, and it then won't be my
fault if we don't bring down some of her spars; but if night comes on
before our shot can reach her, she may manage to slip out of our hands
in the dark."

"But we have most of the day before us, and we surely shall get up with
her before then," observed Tom.

"You see, we have run on already two hours, and are no nearer than at
first," said Needham. "If we were to chase her round the world, and she
was to sail twelve knots to our ten, she would soon be out of sight, so
I don't feel very certain that we shall have her ladyship; but if we
miss her this time we may fall in with her another."

At the time the men were piped to dinner, the _Supplejack_ had not
gained more than at first on the chase. Still Jack persevered, trusting
that something might happen to favour him.

The men in their eagerness to watch the chase hurried up on deck, and
the officers remained below as short a time as possible. Every
expedient that could be thought of was adopted to increase the speed of
the brig. Every variation of the breeze was carefully watched by Jack's
vigilant eyes. Now he ordered a pull at the starboard, now at the
larboard braces, while every inch of canvas that could be set was kept
thoroughly wetted so that not a thimbleful of the precious wind could
escape till it had done its duty.

The day wore on; it was tantalising in the extreme to see the stranger
still keeping so far ahead. The breeze, however, at length freshened,
and the stronger it blew the faster the brig sailed. She was evidently
nearing the chase, but the sun, casting a ruddy glow over the western
sky and across the laughing sea, was