ow us or the _Flore_. If
she should follow her, we should be safe, as she would have little
chance of capturing us both. As the day drew on the wind increased, and
at length it became evident that the stranger intended to try and take
us.

"She may, after all, be an English frigate," said Dick to me.

"Mr Harvey doesn't suppose so, or he wouldn't be so anxious to escape
her," I answered. "He thinks it best to be on the safe side and run no
risk in the matter."

We were all at our stations, including the cook and steward, who were
told to stand by and pull and haul as they might be ordered.

I asked the latter whether he thought the ship in chase of us was
English or French.

He shrugged his shoulders, observing that he was not much of a sailor,
and could not tell one ship from another unless he saw her flag.

Mr Harvey stood with his glass in his hand, every now and then giving a
look through it astern. Then he glanced up at the sails. The
topgallant masts were bending like willow wands. Every instant the wind
was increasing, and the sea was getting up; still he was unwilling to
shorten sail while there was a possibility of escaping.

At last, after taking another look through his telescope, he shut it up,
observing to me, "She's French! there's no doubt about it. We'll hold
on as long as we can, she hasn't caught us yet."

Scarcely two minutes after this there came a crash. Away went both our
topgallant masts, and as I looked aloft, I was afraid that the top masts
would follow. Still the wreck must be cleared. Dick and I sprang up
the main rigging, and I hurried aloft to clear the main-topgallant mast,
while two others, imitating our example, ascended the fore rigging. The
brig was now plunging her bows into the fast-rising seas. It was a
difficult and dangerous work we had undertaken, but getting out our
knives, we succeeded in cutting away the rigging, and the masts and
yards with their canvas fell overboard.

"That's one way of shortening sail," said Dick as we came on deck. "To
my mind, the sooner we get a couple of reefs in the topsails, the
better."

This was indeed very evident. Mr Harvey taking the helm, the rest of
us went aloft and performed the operation. We were too much occupied to
look at the frigate. When we came down off the yards, we saw that she
had shortened sail, but not before she also had carried away her
fore-topgallant mast. We were still going as rapidly as before t