progress.

We caught one bright gleam of the sun on her copper as she lifted on the
top of a wave, just as the glowing orb of day sank into the water, and
in a few minutes darkness would cover the face of the deep. Now was to
come the tug of war, or rather, the trial of our patience. The moon had
not yet risen, although it soon would, but, in the meantime, she might
tack and stand away to the southward, or she might pass ahead of us.

"Try her with a shot, Mr Rawson," said the captain. "If we could hull
her, the fellow would heave-to."

"I would prefer knocking away some of her wings, and thus secure her,
rather than trust to such slippery gentry," I thought, as I elevated one
of the lee guns and fired.

The shot went over her or between her masts, for no damage was done. It
showed, however, that she was within range.

"Have another slap at her," said the captain. "But I do not think
there's much chance of hitting her with the sea we have on."

This time the gunner took aim, but with no better success. Another and
another shot was fired with the same want of result, and nothing seemed
in any way to daunt the chase. Darkness had now come on in earnest, and
we could just distinguish the schooner's sails through the gloom. A
number of sharp eyes were kept on her, though they at times almost lost
sight of her, and the dark clouds which hung overhead, to increase our
difficulties, every now and then sent down deluges of rain, which still
more impeded our prospect. After some time the captain, who had been
below, returned on deck.

"Whereabouts is the chase, Mr Rawson?" he asked.

"Right away under the lee cat-head," I answered, "She was there a moment
ago."

I looked again. She was nowhere to be seen. I flew to the binnacle; we
had not in any way altered our course.

"Provoking enough," observed the captain, coolly. "But I thought it
would be so."

I had nothing to say in return, but I did not despair of seeing her
again.

"She must have tacked," said the captain, "and hopes to get away to the
southward of us before the morning."

"I think not, sir," I answered. "I suspect she'll hold her course; for,
when last seen, she was drawing near us, and she hopes to pass ahead of
us in the dark; but if we can but get a gleam of moonlight to show us
her whereabouts, we may yet clip her wings for her before she gets away
from us."

Almost as I was speaking, the moon rose above the waters undimmed by a