There ain't
another ship afloat as has got such a kink in her foremast as the
`Amethyst,' and that's her, sir, as sure as I'm Tom Hardy."

"Are you _quite_ certain?" I inquired. "Do not speak rashly because
the consequences may prove serious to us. If you are _positive_ about
the matter, I will signal him and turn the tables upon our friend
astern."

"Let me take another look, sir."

I handed over the glass, and he took another long look at her.

"Fire away with your lanterns, sir, as soon as you like," said he.
"I'll stake my liberty that yon craft is none other than the `Amethyst.'
She's a twenty-eight; but her skipper is man enough to give a good
account of Johnny, I'll be bound."

"Then rouse out the lanterns, and let's make the private signal," said
I. "But instead of hoisting them at our peak, where the Frenchman will
see them and perhaps suspect something, haul the staysail down, get a
block well up on the fore-stay, and we will run them up there; our sails
will then hide them from the craft astern."

So said, so done; we showed the private signal, and in less than a
minute it was properly answered, upon which we telegraphed the news that
a French frigate was about ten miles astern in chase of us.

Our signal was duly acknowledged; and immediately afterwards the
"Amethyst"--for she it was--bore up.

I now looked for the French frigate, to see if I could observe anything
to show that they had seen the English frigate's signal, lanterns; but
she was still carrying on upon the same tack, and, as I judged that she
and the "Amethyst" were about seventeen miles apart, I hoped that the
lights had escaped her notice.

In about twenty minutes the "Amethyst" passed us, a mile to windward,
and apparently steering a course which would run her slap on board the
Frenchman in another half-hour. There was not a light to be seen
anywhere about her; but for all that I knew that her crew were wide
awake and busy. She was running down under courses, topsails, spanker,
and jib, her topgallant-yards down upon the caps, with the sails clewed
up, but not furled; royals stowed.

"_Now_ we shall see some fun shortly," exclaimed Smellie, in high glee--
he having got an inkling that something out of the common was toward, in
that mysterious way in which people _do_ learn such things on board a
small ship, and had accordingly come on deck. But he was mistaken for
once, if by the term _fun_ he meant a frigate action; for