square-rigged
vessel being able to overhaul us so long as matters remained _in statu
quo_. I knew that we were sailing a good couple of points nearer the
wind than was the Frenchman astern, and I believed we were going through
the water nearly if not quite as fast as he was. By two bells in the
afternoon watch the craft had dropped to leeward until she was a couple
of points on our lee quarter, but she had certainly risen us a little,
for by standing on the weather-rail I could see the heads of her
topsails.

Matters remained in pretty much the same state for the rest of the day,
excepting that our pursuer gradually tagged away farther and farther to
leeward, until he was broad upon our lee quarter. Toward sun-down,
however, the breeze began to freshen, and our pertinacious companion
soon showed us how great an advantage this was to him, by the way in
which he drew up on our lee beam.

When I went below to tea, I found that the barometer had fallen a
little, and by the time that I had finished the meal and regained the
deck, we were jerking through a short, choppy head-sea, with our lee
bulwarks half-buried in the foam which hissed past our sides, the fore-
deck drenched with the continuous heavy shower of spray which flew in
over our weather bow, and our long yards swaying and bending as though
each had been a fishing-rod with a lively salmon at the end of the line.
I began to feel rather anxious, for the sea which the freshening breeze
had knocked up was very detrimental to _our_ speed, while upon the
frigate, owing to her vastly superior power, it had little or no effect.

Night at length fell. There was no moon, and the stars were partially
obscured by the patches of cloud which covered the sky. I began to hope
we were going to have a dark night, under cover of which we might give
our pursuer the slip. As the darkness closed down upon us, and just
before she vanished in the gloom, I took her bearings with the greatest
accuracy. She had by this time crept up to within a couple of points
abaft our lee beam, and from our deck the upper halves of her topsails
were visible. I allowed half an hour to elapse, and then tried to find
her with my night-glass. To my great disappointment, I did so without
much difficulty; and, what was worse, she was fast drawing up abreast of
us.

It was by this time as dark as it was likely to be, so I resolved to
heave about at once, in hope that we might execute the manoeuvre