. In
addition to the regular square and fore and aft sails of a brigantine,
she had a mizzen-mast stepped well aft not more than four feet from
her taffrail, upon which she had hoisted a spanker and gaff-topsail,
thus completing a most graceful and effective rig, and spreading a
vast amount of canvas for a vessel of her moderate tonnage. It was
quite impossible to take one's eyes off the two vessels. It was a race
for life with the slaver, whose people worked with good effect at the
sweeps and in trimming their sails to make the most out of the light
but favorable wind that was filling them. The larger vessel would have
made better headway in a stiff breeze or half a gale of wind, but the
present moderate breeze favored the guilty little brigantine, which
was every moment forging ahead and increasing the distance between
herself and her enemy.

"Do you see that commotion on the cruiser's bow?" asked our friend
eagerly.

"Some men are gathered on the starboard bow," was our answer.

"Ay, and now she runs out a gun!"

That was plain enough to see. The cruiser trained a bow-chaser to bear
on the slaver, and the boom of the gun came sluggishly over the sea a
few seconds after the puff of smoke was seen. A quick eye could see
the dash of the shot just astern of the brigantine, where it must have
cast the spray over her quarter-deck. After a moment's delay, as if to
get the true range, a second, third, and fourth shot followed, each
ricochetting through and over the slight waves either to starboard or
port of the slaver, without any apparent effect. The brigantine, still
employing her sweeps, and with canvas well trimmed, took no notice of
the shots.

Every time the gun was discharged on board the cruiser, it became
necessary to fall off her course just a point or two in order to get a
proper aim, and her captain was quick to see the disadvantage of this,
as he was only assisting the slaver to widen the distance between
them. It would seem to the uninitiated to be the easiest thing
possible to cripple the brigantine by a few well directed shots, but
when sailing in the wake of an enemy this is by no means so easily
done. Besides, the distance between the two vessels, which was
considerable, was momentarily increasing. Notwithstanding that the
broad spread of canvas on board the slaver made her a conspicuous
mark, still, so far as could be seen or judged of by her movements,
she remained untouched by half a dozen shots,