As we lay at our anchors off Salee, we had a view from the mast-head of
the open sea, over a point of land which ran out below the town. Snug
as we were, it was one day blowing a heavy gale outside from the
northward. Dark clouds chased each other across the sky, and the
ocean--black and gloomy--was sprinkled over with white-topped seas. I
was engaged aloft about the rigging, when I observed a sail to the
north-west staggering along with as much canvas as she could carry. So
rapidly did she make her way through the water, that I soon perceived
that she was a brig, and that she was standing towards the harbour. The
reason of her carrying so much sail, with so heavy a gale blowing, was
soon explained. Two or three miles astern of her came a large ship,
with all her topsails set, evidently in chase. The latter, better able
from her size to bear a heavy press of sail, was coming up with her
rapidly. On seeing this I hailed the deck, and the captain, and Mr
Carr, and Peter, and others, soon came aloft to watch the progress of
the chase.

"I make it all out clearly," exclaimed the captain, after watching the
state of affairs through his glass. "That craft is the very rover which
plundered this vessel, or exactly like her; and the ship is a British
man-of-war corvette, which is in chase of her. I can make out the
English ensign clearly. The rover hopes to get into port before the
guns of the corvette can be brought to bear on her; and that's just what
I hope the rascal won't be able to do."

"But that's the very craft Stenning is said to be on board," observed
Mr Carr. "Poor fellow, it will go hard with him when the corvette's
guns begin to play on the brig."

"I wish that we could run out and bring her to action, so as to give the
corvette time to come up and take possession," said I to Peter, who was
near me.

"If the weather were moderate we might do it; but, with this gale
blowing, I doubt if even our captain would run the risk," he answered.
"Besides you see, Jack, all the people we have had anything to do with
here would get into a great scrape if we played such a trick to one of
their vessels. Yet I tell you, lad, I would like the fun amazingly.
The villains don't deserve any mercy at our hands."

While Peter and I were discussing the subject, so were the captain and
Mr Carr. They gave up the idea of running out to meet the rover, as
thereby they would have but little chance of saving the life of W