for we
have a bright night and a smooth sea."

"As that steamer has such a reputation for speed, I have no doubt they
put a very valuable cargo on board of her; probably she has a good
supply of arms in her hold."

"So much the better for us, Mr. Passford. We don't fight for
prize-money, but when a man gets to be as old as I am, a good round sum
of money don't come amiss to him. But I am sorry to see that it looks
like a change of weather," continued the sheet-anchor man, as he hitched
up his trousers, and took a survey of the heavens.

The wind began to come from the west after it had been almost a dead
calm since noon. It looked as though a heavy shower was coming up, and
clouds of mist and fog swept over the ocean. The usual lookouts had been
doubled, but, in spite of all precautions, the Bellevite lost sight of
the chase when she could not have been more than a mile from her. But
this weather was to be expected in this changeable latitude. Captain
Breaker was as perplexed as any one, however skilful, must have been in
the same situation. It was impossible to know what the chase would do,
though it was plain enough, since she put out her lights, that she would
change her course.

It was over six hundred miles to Cape Hatteras, and she had room enough
to manoeuvre in any manner she pleased. The change in the weather hardly
amounted to a storm, and probably it would be all over in a few hours.
But the chase might turn to any point of the compass, and the Bellevite
was as likely to pursue in the wrong as the right direction. But the
first thing the commander ordered the chief engineer to do was to save
his coal; though he held to his course, and the ship continued at a
moderate speed till daylight.

As the wise ones had predicted, the shower was of brief duration. As
soon as it was light enough to see, and the fog banks had been swept
away, a sharp lookout was kept for the chase. If she was ahead, she had
outsailed her pursuer; but Captain Breaker was sure she had not done
this, for she could not have had confidence enough in her heels to adopt
such a course.

"Sail, ho!" yelled a man on the cross-trees, a few minutes later.

"Where away?" called the officer of the deck.

"On the port beam, sir."

Several officers mounted the rigging to obtain a sight of the reported
sail. She was at least ten miles off, and no one could make out whether
or not it was the chase of the night before. The captain ordered the
sh