ared--the former low
down upon the horizon,--and we had an uninterrupted view of the wild
scene around us.

We were heading straight out from the land, and sailing so close to the
wind that we were taking the seas nearly stem-on; and I frankly confess
that my heart was, metaphorically speaking, in my mouth for the greatest
part of that night, while watching the little craft rush bodily into the
steep slope of wave after wave, and felt her quiver like a frightened
thing as they swept hissing and seething over our heads. My admiration
for the skill of her builder was boundless; for, had I not witnessed the
cutter's achievements, I could never have credited the power of wood and
iron to successfully resist such a terrific strain and battering as she
received.

When the first wild struggle for existence was over, and we had fairly
settled down to our work in that mad life-or-death race, we had time to
look round and see how our opponent had come out of the struggle. We
had not far to look. There she was, about three miles to leeward, and
well on our quarter, dashing gallantly on; now rushing upward upon the
crest of a wave, amid a deluge of spray, and lifting her fore-foot out
of the water as though about to leave the element altogether and take
flight into the air, like a startled sea-bird; and anon plunging down
into the trough until only a small portion of the heads of her sails was
visible. She was evidently making much better weather of it than we
were; but on the other hand half-an-hour's patient observation revealed
to us the comforting fact that, notwithstanding her vaunted speed, we
were both head-reaching and weathering upon her.

Satisfied at length that this was actually the case, I asked Giaccomo
what he now thought of our chances of escape.

"We shall get away from her," he replied exultingly. "I have no longer
any fear of _her_; what I now dread is the possibility of the cutter
foundering from under us. There must be a considerable amount of water
making its way into her interior, with the sea sweeping over us thus
incessantly; indeed, I am convinced that we are sensibly deeper in the
water than we were."

"Do you think you could manage to get the pump under way?" I asked.

"I would _try_," he replied; "but the well is on the larboard side,
close by my feet, and deep under water."

"Then," said I, "we must endeavour to get her round upon the other tack.
We will watch for a `smooth,' and directl