old Clewline,
the skipper of the "Amethyst," was too seasoned a hand to do anything
rashly. He ran down, his ship as dark as the grave, until he had
attained a position about two miles dead to windward of our pursuer,
when he hauled up and showed the private signal at his gaff-end. The
French frigate immediately edged away about four points and showed some
lanterns, but they were not a reply to the "Amethyst's" signal; so
Clewline tried another--to make quite sure of avoiding any mistake.
This was not answered at all; on the contrary, the Frenchman hauled down
his lanterns and wore short round, crowding sail at the same moment;
whereupon the "Amethyst" also bore up again and--Clewline must have had
his men aloft all the time, ready for the emergency--as she squared away
in chase, we saw her stunsails fluttering out to their boom-ends on both
sides. We then tacked and resumed our original course once more,
heartily thankful for our escape, and chuckling mightily at the thought
of the trap Johnny Crapaud had run his nose into. In less than half an
hour afterwards we lost sight of both ships.

We reached Gibraltar without further incident, and failing there to
obtain any intelligence as to Lord Hood's whereabouts, we filled up our
water and sailed again for Malta the same evening. We had a splendid
but perfectly uneventful run from the Rock, a westerly wind and fine
weather prevailing during the whole trip.

On our arrival at Malta I learned that the "Victory" was lying at Genoa,
and thither we accordingly went, picking up on the way a small French
schooner from the Levant, laden with fruit. We were over three weeks on
the passage, having an alternation of calms and strong head-winds to
contend with; so that I was heartily glad when we at length found
ourselves in port, and the _mud-hook_ down.

The "Juno" was also there, and, on delivering my despatches and making
my report, I was ordered to give up the command of the "Vigilant" to the
senior mid belonging to the "Victory," and to rejoin my own ship. This,
of course, I at once did; and I was not at all sorry to get back once
more among my old shipmates, from whom I had been separated for so long
a time.

I had not left the "Victory" many minutes before the signal was made for
our skipper to repair on board the flag-ship. His boat was still
alongside that craft when I went up over the "Juno's" side with my
trifling belongings; but by the time that I had stowed