is
time. Captain Stewart was too much in love with him to let him go, and
sent such warm love-letters after him that his flag came gliding down,
as his comrade's had done.

Captain Stewart had shown himself a true prophet. He had met, fought
with, and won two ships of the enemy. No doubt after that his officers
were sure they had a prophet for a captain.

That evening, when the two British captains were in the cabin of the
_Constitution_, a midshipman came down and asked Captain Stewart if the
men could not have their grog.

"Why, didn't they have it?" asked the captain. "It was time for it
before the battle began."

"It was mixed for them, sir," said the midshipman, "but our old men said
they didn't want any 'Dutch courage,' so they emptied the grog-tub into
the lee scuppers."

The Englishmen stared when they heard this. It is very likely their men
had not fought without a double dose of grog.

We have not finished our story yet. Like a lady's letter, it has a
postscript. On March 10, the three ships were in a harbor of the Cape de
Verde Islands, and Captain Stewart was sending his prisoners ashore,
when three large British men-of-war were seen sailing into the harbor.

Stewart was nearly caught in a trap. Any one of these large frigates was
more than a match for the _Constitution_, and here were three in a
bunch. But, by good luck, there was a heavy fog that hid everything but
the highest sails; so there was a chance of escape.

Captain Stewart was not the man to be trapped while a chance was left.
He was what we call a "wide-awake." There was a small chance left. He
cut his cable, made a signal to the prize vessels to do the same, and in
ten minutes after the first British vessel had been seen, the American
ship and its prizes were gliding swiftly away.

On came the British ships against a stiff breeze, up the west side of
the bay. Out slipped the Yankee ships along the east side. Captain
Stewart set no sails higher than his top sails, and these were hidden
by the fog, so the British lookouts saw nothing. They did not dream of
the fine birds that were flying away.

Only when Stewart got his ship past the outer point of the harbor did he
spread his upper sails to the breeze, and the British lookouts saw with
surprise a cloud of canvas suddenly bursting out upon the air.

Now began a close chase. The _Constitution_ and her prizes had only
about a mile the start. As quick as the British ships could turn the