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A fine fighter, but treecherous like em all.... Funny thing no one on deck only him. Swarmin with men too, I'll lay." The French skipper too was at the wheel: a dapper little personage, black-a-vised, with fierce moustachios and eye-tufts. He wore a huge tricorne, and vast tawdry epaulettes. "How do you, sair?" he called, all bows and smiles and teeth, as the two ships came within biscuit-toss.
But when at length, by careful manoeuvring, we had contrived to approach within biscuit-toss of the vessel displaying it, it was discovered, to my chagrin, that she was not the brigantine, but a large barque, the skipper of which appeared to be greatly frightened at our sudden appearance near him; for he hailed us, in execrable French, that he was armed, and that if we did not sheer off forthwith he would fire into us.
Just as the corner was reached, however, and the fruit stand was but a biscuit-toss away, he suddenly collapsed. "Vere vey are!" he exclaimed. "Who?" "My mamma, and Aunt Teddy." And, turning, he scurried away as fast as his blanket would let him.
The sea is delightfully tepid, but it is not without risk, it becomes deep within biscuit-toss, there is a strong under-tow, and occasionally an ugly triangular fin may be seen cruizing about in unpleasant proximity.
But Saint Leger had already made his plans, and when presently the space between the two craft had narrowed until only a few fathoms separated them, and still there was no sign of the Spanish ship giving way, the young man put a whistle to his lips and blew a shrill blast, whereupon the helm of the Nonsuch was put hard up, and as she bore broad away the whole of her starboard broadside was poured into the approaching ship, within biscuit-toss, and the discharge was instantly followed by a dreadful outcry aboard her, mingled with the sound of rending timbers; and as the two ships drove close past each other it was seen that her foremast had been shot away.
It was then a morning that brought the first of May within a biscuit-toss of our reckoning of time: a very cold morning, the sea flat, green, and greasy, with a streaking of white about it, as though it were a flooring of marble; there was wind but no lift in the water; and Salamon Sweers, in whose watch I was, said to me, when the day broke and showed us the look of the ocean: "Blowed," said he, "if a man mightn't swear that we were under the lee of a range of high land."
They answered with a hearty cheer, and went back to their guns; and a quarter of an hour later the brig rounded-to within biscuit-toss to windward of us, giving us her larboard broadside as she did so.
The negro had just returned to the deck with these when the Shark, ranging up within a biscuit-toss of us, hailed: "Ship ahoy! what ship is that?" "The Indian Queen, of and from London to Bombay, with passengers and general cargo," replied Carter. "We have an officer and nine men belonging to you on board, sir. Will you send a boat for them, or shall we lower one of ours?"
We were a biscuit-toss away, and he sprang upon the rail at the jigger-shrouds and danced a war-dance and waved his free arm, and yelled his scorn and joy at their discomfiture to the several oilskinned figures on the stranger vessel's poop. Through the pitch-black night we continued to drive.
Virginia presently became aware that people were gathering around her in knots, gazing at a boat coming toward them. Others had been met which, on learning the dread news, turned back. But this one kept her bow steadily up the current, although she had passed within a biscuit-toss of the leader of the line of refugees. It was then that Captain Vance's hairy head appeared above the deck.
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