till Mr Ronald called all
hands to reef sails. The wind soon got the sea up, and in a short time
we were pitching away close-hauled, with the boat's head to the
north-west. Changed, indeed, was the weather since the morning: then
all had been bright, and blue, and calm; now, in the afternoon, the sky
hung dark and gloomy, with heavy clouds, and green foam-topped seas
danced wildly around us. I do not know what Mr Ronald thought about
the matter, but as I lay on my back suffering from pain, hunger, and
thirst, I began to question whether the ill-found boat would live
through the sea which was getting up.

Meantime a sharp look-out was kept for any vessel which might put us on
shore anywhere on the English coast. At length a sail was seen to the
eastward, and after watching her for some time, both Mr Ronald and
Peter were of opinion that she would cross our course. This news
cheered the spirits of all hands, for they had begun to suffer painfully
from hunger and thirst. No one had taken more than a very small piece
of black bread, for we could not deprive the poor French fishermen of
their share of food. We were most anxious, on several accounts, that
the stranger should get up to us before dark--in the first place, that
we might ascertain whether she was friend or foe, and also lest we
should miss her altogether. Should she prove French, we hoped, in spite
of our hunger, still to avoid her. To mislead any enemies, we got out
the Frenchmen's clothes left on board, and rigged ourselves out as
fishermen.

"I feel pretty sure that vessel is English, sir," said Peter, who had
been watching the stranger. "But still I can't make out what is the
matter with her; she has been handled pretty roughly, I suspect."

Mr Ronald pronounced her to be a brig-of-war without any after-sail
set; and as she drew near, we saw that there was good reason for this,
as her mainmast had been carried away by the board, while her hull also
had been much knocked about. It was clear that she had been in action.
Mr Ronald waved to her; and, to our no small satisfaction, we saw her
clewing up her sails to speak to us.

Before going alongside, however, Mr Ronald released the Frenchmen, and,
as he thought, explained to them that we were going on board the brig,
and that they might return to the French coast. The Frenchmen stretched
their limbs, and looked about them while we were going alongside the
brig. This was an operation not altoget