en his meals on deck, as had
his mates; and the men had snatched but a minute to satisfy their
hunger. He had just before sent them below to their dinners, when, as
he was taking a look at the enemy, to see what she was about, he
observed beyond her a dark blue line on the horizon.

"Ah," he muttered; "there's no doubt what is coming now, and long before
the canvas is spread, we shall have the breeze blowing strong, and the
brig coming down on us. Well, we've done our best, and men can do no
more. I'll let the poor fellows have this meal in quiet; it will be the
last many of them will eat, I fear. Ah! Heaven only knows if any on
board here will ever taste another, if those cursed villains get hold of
us--and nothing but a miracle can save us, that I see--yet, we'll make
them pay dear for victory, at all events."

He took two or three turns on the deck, watching his antagonist, and the
coming wind; and from his cool and calm exterior, no one would have
supposed how fully he felt the dangerous position in which his ship was
placed. Broader and broader grew the line, till, at last, the wind
filled the loftier canvas of the corsair, which was spread to catch it.
The time, he saw, was, come to prepare for the final struggle. He
summoned the mate from below.

"Turn the hands up," he cried out, in a firm, sharp tone, to be heard
throughout the ship. "We shall have work before long to warm them up a
bit."

The men sprang on deck with alacrity, casting an eye at the stranger as
they went to the work in hand.

The topsail-yard was ready fitted, and all hands now joined in swaying
away on it. Meantime, the wind, though still light, had filled the
pirate's sails, and she was stealing through the water towards them,
before they even felt the wind. At last a few catspaws, the
_avant-couriers_ of the stronger breeze, began to play round them. The
foresail and the fore-staysail were the only sails they could yet get to
pay the brig's head off before the wind. These were now set; but the so
doing delayed the work of bending the topsail, and the _Sea Hawk_ was
now coming fast up with them. As soon as the _Zodiac_ was got dead
before the wind, the main-topsail and topgallant-sails were hoisted; the
studdensail-booms were run out, and studdensails set, which much made
amends for the loss of the headsails, as long as they desired only to
keep before the wind. Notwithstanding, however, all the canvas the
_Zodiac_ could se