to return on board. This we did with
as little delay, as possible, when once more the frigate stood on after
the schooner. Still the latter had gained a considerable advantage, but
she was not beyond the range of our guns, and we now began to fire away
at her to make her heave to again. Of course she had no intention of
doing this if she could help it. Our shot went flying pretty thickly
after her, but still, though several struck her and cut her ropes, and
made eyelet holes in her sails, her damages were repaired as quickly as
they were produced, and there seemed a considerable chance of her
getting away from us altogether.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER 4.

THE CHASE.

Our frigate sails very fast; there are few ships in the service sail
faster, and none in most respects to surpass her, or indeed, I really
believe, to equal her. I do not know what she cannot do. The boatswain
says, and I believe him, that she can do everything but talk. Still,
somehow or other, that piccarooning-looking schooner managed to keep
ahead of us, and after some time actually ran out of the range of our
shot. She was undoubtedly one of the fastest vessels of her class ever
built, or it would not have happened. The schooner made a number of
short tacks right away in the wind's eye. This would not have suited
us, as we took longer to go about, so we had to stretch away to the
eastward, while she, tacking once more, stood to the north-west.
Sometimes we appeared to be a long way apart, then about we would go and
be almost up with her again. What we had to fear was night coming on
before we could get up to her, when very probably she would contrive to
escape in the dark. Old Gregson watched her moodily. "Of course she
will escape," he observed. "She is probably full of slaves, and would
prove a rich prize to us. We are not likely to have any luck; no ship
has that I'm on board." It seemed probable that in this case, at all
events, he would be right. We were all so eager in watching the chase
that none of us felt inclined to go below. The pangs of hunger at
dinner-time, however, drove most of us there. We had not got half
through the meal before Dickey Snookes made his appearance with the
announcement that the schooner's maintopmast had been carried away, and
that we should be soon up to her. We all rushed on deck to find matters
very much as they were when we went below, and on our return to the
berth there was Master Dickey comf