f
escaping capture."

Mr. Campbell, with a sneering laugh, remarked that his eyes never yet
deceived him, and that he could see as far in the dark as any one! The
captain, however, was staggered by the obstinacy with which I adhered to
my statement, and said to the mate, "It is possible that Hawser may
see something in that quarter which we cannot see, and as it is nearly
daylight it may be well to get the schooner under sail and commence
running down the coast."

We began to hoist our sails; but before the foresail was set, a flash of
light appeared in the north-east followed by the report of a gun,
thus confirming the correctness of my assertion and establishing the
excellence of my eyesight. We lost no time in getting sail on the
schooner; and now Captain Moncrieff regretted that instead of running
in towards the land he had not adopted means during the night of getting
the weather-gage, when he could have laughed at the efforts of the
Guarda Costa to interrupt our voyage.

Daylight appeared in the east, when the Spanish schooner was plainly
seen; also another vessel which had fallen into her hands whilst she was
quietly lying to, hoping to pounce upon us. As soon as objects could be
distinctly seen, the boat of the Guarda Costa was returning from a
visit to the stranger, and the Spaniard having got a glimpse of the
pilot-boat, showed a determination to become better acquainted with the
object of our voyage. The affair became exciting. We were close in with
the shore, running directly before the wind with a fresh breeze. The
schooner had got in our wake and was crowding all sail in pursuit.

It soon became manifest that we could not escape. Our pursuer was hardly
a gunshot off, and slowly but surely lessening the space between us. The
sagacious Mr. Campbell regarded our capture as inevitable, and, true
to his characteristics, repeated the stratagem which had served him so
successfully when we were molested by the Patriot privateer. He doffed
his old garments, which were not worth stealing, and clad himself from
top to toe in two or three complete suits of his best clothing. He came
on deck resembling a swathed mummy, and perspiring freely under the
heavy load.

When the Guarda Costa had approached within fair gunshot, and we were
every minute expecting an iron shower, we saw at a short distance
ahead on a projecting point of land, a fort on which several guns were
mounted, and the Patriot flag was waving from a