ease--deliverance could not be far off. This was the hurricane
season, when bad weather must be expected; and these gales were much
better than a regular hurricane, which would too probably send the
schooner to the bottom.

The gale came at last to an end, and comparatively fine weather
returned. In spite of all their care, their provisions had by this time
sadly diminished, and the fruits and roots were entirely destroyed and
unfit for food. They still had a supply of salt fish and abundance of
wine, and therefore they had no cause to fear dying of actual
starvation; but such food was anything but wholesome, and they would
gladly have exchanged the finest claret for half the quantity of pure
water and a supply of bread--even the hardest of sea biscuits.

Still, True Blue setting them the example, they made the best of
everything; and Paul took care that, as soon as the weather allowed
again of their moving about the deck, no one should be idle. The French
ensign was still flying at the head of the foremast. A lookout was
always kept for any sail which might heave in sight, that they might
steer so as to try and cut her off if possible.

One morning True Blue descried two sail on the weather bow. They
appeared, when the sun rose, to be standing towards the vessel. The
hopes of all on board rose high. The strangers were pronounced to be
English merchantmen by the cut of their sails and general appearance.
They bore down till within the distance of three miles or so, and then
suddenly hauled their wind, and stood off again under all sail.

Of course this unaccountable conduct met with no small amount of
complaint, if not of abuse. Even Paul Pringle could not help saying,
"If the fellows had no intention of helping us, why did they not stand
on their proper course, without bearing down to disappoint us?"

Some hours afterwards, he suddenly struck his forehead with the palm of
his hand, and exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of that before! Of course
it's that Frenchman's flag. I ought to have known that it could never
have brought us good. The masters of these vessels evidently thought
that the craft was still a French privateer, and that the Monsieurs were
playing them off some trick in the hope of catching them. We'll not
carry the flag any longer. Haul it down, True Blue."

More anxiously even than at first, all on board kept a lookout for a
sail. Several more days passed, and on each they were doomed to