emarked Sennitt, who had his glass
constantly at his eye, "unless I am greatly mistaken, he is gradually
creeping away from us; his rigging does not show out as plainly as it
did ten minutes ago, yet there is more light."

Another long and anxious observation of the chase by both officers
followed; and, imitating their example, I also brought my glass to bear
upon the flying craft. Flying she literally seemed to be rather than
sailing. At one moment her hull was completely hidden by an intervening
wave-crest, her sails only being visible; the next she would rush into
view, her low hull deluged with spray which glanced in the moonlight
like a shower of diamonds as it flew over her almost to the height of
her low mast-heads and dissipated itself in the sea to leeward; while
her masts bent like willow wands, inclining at what seemed to me a
fearfully perilous angle with the horizon.

"Upon my word, Sennitt, I fear you are right," at last said the skipper,
bringing his glass reluctantly down into the hollow of his arm. "Let us
lay our glasses aside for half an hour, we shall then be better able to
judge which ship is gaining upon the other, and if we find that we are
losing ground, there will be nothing for it but to shake the remaining
reef out of our topsails, and get the flying-jib on her; our spars are
good, and the rigging new; both ought to be quite capable of standing a
little extra strain."

"It will be rather a risky business to increase the strain already laid
upon the spars," said the first lieutenant, glancing anxiously aloft at
the topmasts, which were springing and buckling at every plunge of the
ship, with the enormous pressure of the tightly distended topsails;
"still it is perhaps worth trying; it would be a fine feather in our
caps if we could send into port the first prize of the war."

The stipulated half-hour passed away; and at the end of that period the
unwelcome conviction forced itself upon every one that the lugger was
having the best of it.

"There is no help for it, Mr Sennitt," said the skipper, "shake that
reef out of the topsails, and set the flying-jib; she _must_ bear it."

Excited by the exhilarating influence of the chase, the hands sprang
aloft with the utmost alacrity, and in an incredibly short space of time
had the reel out and the topsails distended to their fullest extent; the
flying-jib flapped wildly in the wind for a moment or two, and then
yielded to the restraint of the