alongside. He
explained his intentions to his officers and Colonel Gauntlett, who
fully agreed with him, and, acting on the first plan he proposed trying,
he immediately ordered a reef to be shaken out of the topsails. The men
flew aloft obedient to the order--the reefs were quickly shaken out, and
the yards again hoisted up.

Bowse watched with anxiety to see how the brig bore the additional
canvas. A few minutes' trial convinced him that she might even carry
more without much risk. If any difference was perceptible, it was that
the crests of the seas she met broke in thicker showers of spray over
her bows; but she did not seem to heel over to it more than before.

The crew, called on deck to make sail, at once divined, by seeing the
stranger in their wake, the reason of it, and flew with alacrity to
their duty. They were all ready to fight, if necessary; they would
rather have been chasing a vessel which they might hope to make their
prize; but they were in no way indifferent to the excitement of
endeavouring to outsail another craft, even though they might have been
accused of being employed in the inglorious business of running away.

"Bless the little beauty, she goes along nicely through it, don't she,
old ship," said Jem Marlin to his chum. "Them outlandish mounseers
astern there will be clever if they comes up to us."

All hands remained on the deck, for they had not been piped below again.

Bowse, every now and then, gave a scrutinising glance astern at the
stranger; but it was impossible to determine whether there was any
difference in their relative distance.

The two brigs were now under the same canvas, for the stranger had not
shaken out a second reef in the topsails, when the _Zodiac_ shook out
the first.

The crew stood at their station ready to obey the next order.

"She'll bear the fore-sail on her, Mr Timmins, if we close reef it,"
said Bowse; "send some hands up and loose it, and hook on reef-burtons
ready for reefing."

As soon as the sail was let fall it flew out in thundering claps, as if
it would fly away from the yard, and there was some danger of carrying
it away or springing it, but steady hands were there, and the clew
garnets being eased down, the reef-burtons hauled out, the ear-rings
were soon secured, and the points tied; the lee clew garnet was then
eased off, and the sheet steadied aft. The tack was roused down,
another pull had of the sheet, and the bowline hauled tau