everything she could carry, long before we could get through with the
necessary work. When we did get at it, notwithstanding, I found she had
not much the advantage of us, and now began to entertain some hopes of
shaking her off in the course of the night. Marble was confident of it,
and his confidence, on points of seamanship, was always entitled
to respect.

About ten, both vessels were on the starboard tack, standing to the
southward and westward, or out towards the broad Atlantic, with the brig
about a league under the Dawn's lee, and a little forward of her beam.
This was the most favourable position for us to be in, in order to effect
our purpose, since the cruiser had already passed her nearest point to us,
on that tack. The horizon to windward, and all along the margin of the sea
at the northward, was covered with clouds, which threatened, by the way, a
capfull of wind. This dark back-ground would be likely to prevent our
being seen; and the instant the night shut in the outline of the brig's
canvass, I ordered our helm put down.

It was lively business, tacking such a ship as the Dawn, under so much
canvass, and in such a breeze, with four men! The helm was lashed hard
down, and at it we went, like so many tigers. The after-yards swung
themselves though the main-tack and sheet gave us a good deal of trouble.
We braced everything aft, sharp up, before we left it, having first
managed to get the fore-yard square. When this was done, we filled all
forward, and dragged the yards and bow-lines to their places, with a will
that seemed irresistible.

There were no means of knowing whether the brig came round, about this
time, or not. Agreeably to the rule of chasing, she should have tacked
when directly abeam, unless she fancied she could eat us out of the wind
by standing on. We knew she did not tack when directly abeam, but we could
not see whether she came round after us, or not. At all events, tack or
not, she must still be near a league under our lee; and we drove on,
towards the English coast, until the day reappeared, not a man of us all
sleeping a wink that night. How anxiously we watched the ocean astern, and
to leeward, as the returning light slowly raised the veil of obscurity
from before us! Nothing was in sight, even when the sun appeared, to bathe
the entire ocean in a flood of glory. Not even a white speck in-shore; and
as for the brig, we never saw or heard more of her. Doubtless she stood
on, on th