e got them below and
provided them with such makeshift sleeping accommodation as the
resources of the schooner would permit, that they might seek in sleep
such further recuperation as was to be obtained, pending the production
of the meal in preparation for them. Having thus disposed of the
rescued men, nothing remained for us but to await, with such patience as
we could muster, the return of daylight, to enable us to resume the
search for the lost frigate's boats.

It was nearly noon next day ere any of the rescued party appeared on
deck, the first to do so being a fine, sailorly-looking man of some
forty or forty-five years of age, who introduced himself to me as
"Captain" Tucker of the late British barque _Wyvern_, of Bristol,
outward-bound to the West Indies with a general cargo of considerable
value. He informed me that all had gone well with him until eight days
previously, when, about noon, a strange sail was sighted in the south-
western board, standing to the northward, close-hauled on the starboard
tack.

"You may be sure," said Tucker, "that I kept a sharp eye upon her, for I
knew that, for _every_ honest merchantman that I happened to meet down
here, I was likely to meet with a dozen rogues, in the shape of
picaroons, privateers, or other craft of the enemy, or even our own men-
o'-war--no offence meant to _you_ in saying so, Mr Courtenay; but _you_
know, sir, as well as I do, that some of our men-o'-war treat British
merchantmen pretty nearly as bad as if they were enemies, boarding them
and impressing all their best men, and leaving them with so few hands
that if they happen to meet with bad weather it's ten chances to one of
their being able to take their ship to her destination. Well, knowing
this, I kept both eyes on the stranger, which I soon made out to be an
uncommonly smart and heavy brigantine, that, close-hauled as she was,
seemed to be travelling three feet to our one. She had a particularly
wicked look about her that I didn't half like; and I liked it still less
when, having drawn well up on our larboard beam, at a distance of some
five miles, I suddenly discovered that she was edging away for us. We
were already under stunsails, so I could do no more in the way of making
sail; but we mounted eight brass nine-pounders,--very pretty pieces they
were, too,--so I had them cleared away and loaded, in readiness for the
worst; for I took her to be a French or Spanish privateer, and I had no
not