ery much altered the manner of some of the
gentlemen. They were all ready enough to fight, but they put on much
more serious countenances than they had at first worn, and kept eyeing
the stranger curiously through their telescopes. Still the stranger
kept bowling away before us on our starboard-bow, yawing about so as not
greatly to increase his distance from us. If he could thus outsail us
before the wind, he would be very certain to beat us hollow on a wind.
We had, therefore, not the slightest prospect of being able to get away
from him so long as he chose to keep us company. Suddenly he luffed up
with his head to the northward.

"He thinks that he had better not play us any tricks; he has found out
that we are too strong for him," observed Mr Jones. Scarcely had the
mate spoken, when a dozen men or so appeared on the deck of the felucca,
and launched a boat from it into the water. As soon as she was afloat,
two people stepped into her. One seized the oars, and the other seated
himself in the stern-sheets.

"Well, that is a rum-looking little figure!" I heard one of our
passengers exclaim, bursting into a fit of laughter. "I wonder if he is
skipper of that craft?"

"She's not a craft that will stand much joking," observed the first
mate. "See, sir; she has begun to show that she is not lightly armed."

He pointed to the deck of the felucca, on which there now appeared at
least full thirty men. They looked like a fierce set of desperadoes.
They were of all colours, from the fair skin of the Saxon to the ebony
hue of some of the people of Africa. The captain saw, I suppose, that
there was no use in trying to prevent the boat from coming alongside;
for had he done so, the felucca would very quickly have been after us
again, and might not another time have treated us so civilly. He
therefore, as soon as the boat shoved off from the side of the felucca,
ordered the sails to be clewed up, to allow her more easily to approach.

As she pulled towards us, we were able to examine the people in her. He
who sat in the stern-sheets was a little old man, with a little
three-cornered hat on his head, and a blue long-skirted coat and
waistcoat, richly laced. He had on also, I afterwards saw,
knee-breeches, and huge silver buckles to his shoes. His countenance
seemed wizened and dried up like a piece of parchment. Some of the
younger passengers especially seemed to think him, by their remarks, a
fair subject for