danger," said Ludar. "Had you swerved and
not held straight on, we might not have been here to honour you for it.
But say, did none of the Englishman's shot reach the poop?"

"Some of it. Witness the sail there and the rail and the stern windows;
but it spared me."

"I think," said Ludar, "we maimed them in one of their masts in passing,
and their bowsprit broke short when it touched our stern. I doubt if we
shall find them following us."

"As for our Hollander," said the poet, who had been wondrous silent thus
far, "he hath this night proved himself twice a prophet. He said we
should win this race; he said, moreover, I should live to write another
ode. And lo! he spoke true. By your leave, Captain, I will go
celebrate this notable occasion in a strain worthy of it and to the
glory of my fair Amazon who--"

"Go below and cook this company some pottage," said Ludar, "and see you
be not long over it."

Whereat the poet, with the muse taken out of him, departed. We stood
watching the dawn till there was light enough to look back on our
night's work. There was the Englishman with her main-mast gone, and
draggled about the bows, beating up under reefed sails for the coast.
It was plain to see, although we were two long leagues away, that she
had had enough for one night and was going to leave us in peace. For
myself, as I looked, I could not wholly glory in having thus flouted her
Majesty's flag; but I considered that we had run that night for our
lives, so I hoped the sin would be forgiven me.

And now, when we come to look round us, we found the wind still running
high, and shifting a point or so to the eastward, promising a stormy
day. So Ludar bade us shorten our canvas and put out our ship's head a
bit, so as to give the coast a wide berth.

And, in truth, as the day wore on, the wind freshened into a gale, and
the gale into a tempest, so that if we had promised ourselves relief
after the perils of last night, our hopes were dashed. The sea, which
so far had been easy, ran now high, and washed over our prow as we stood
across the wind, and it was plain we were going to find out before long
of what mettle our brave timbers were.

'Twas no light thing to face a night like this, even with a good crew--
how much less with but four men and a maid? Yet I never saw Ludar more
at his ease. In the danger of last night his face had been troubled and
his manner excited. Now he gave his orders as if this wer