climbed upon the guns to look if the vessel altered her course; but no--
down she came, and the head-sails of the Utrecht having been carried
away, to their horror they perceived that she would not answer her helm,
and pay off as they required.

"Ship ahoy!" roared Philip through his trumpet--but the gale drove the
sound back.

"Ship ahoy!" cried Krantz on the gunwale, waving his hat. It was
useless--down she came, with the waters foaming under her bows, and was
now within pistol-shot of the Utrecht.

"Ship ahoy!" roared all the sailors, with a shout that must have been
heard: it was not attended to: down came the vessel upon them, and now
her cutwater was within ten yards of the Utrecht. The men of the
Utrecht, who expected that their vessel would be severed in half by the
concussion, climbed upon the weather gunwale, all ready to catch at the
ropes of the other vessel, and climb on board of her. Amine, who had
been surprised at the noise on deck, had come out, and had taken Philip
by the arm.

"Trust to me--the shock--," said Philip. He said no more; the cutwater
of the stranger touched their sides; one general cry was raised by the
sailors of the Utrecht,--they sprang to catch at the rigging of the
other vessel's bowsprit, which was now pointed between their masts--they
caught at nothing--nothing--there was no shock--no concussion of the two
vessels--the stranger appeared to cleave through them--her hull passed
along in silence--no cracking of timbers--no falling of masts--the
foreyard passed through their mainsail, yet the canvas was unrent--the
whole vessel appeared to cut through the Utrecht, yet left no trace of
injury--not fast, but slowly, as if she were really sawing through her
by the heaving and tossing of the sea with her sharp prow. The
stranger's forechains had passed their gunwale before Philip could
recover himself. "Amine," cried he at last, "the Phantom Ship!--my
father!"

The seamen of the Utrecht, more astounded by the marvellous result than
by their former danger, threw themselves down upon deck; some hastened
below, some prayed, others were dumb with astonishment and fear. Amine
appeared more calm than any, not excepting Philip; she surveyed the
vessel as it slowly forced its way through; she beheld the seamen on
board of her coolly leaning over the gunwale, as if deriding the
destruction they had occasioned; she looked for Vanderdecken himself,
and on the poop of the vessel, with hi