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We made the private signal, which was unanswered, and we cleared for action; the brig making all sail on the starboard tack, and we following her she bearing about two miles on out weather-bow.
When we had proceeded a few rods from the shore, we were startled by a loud puffing and blowing near us, and looking around, to our great surprise, discovered little Brunet just upon our "weather-bow." Determined not to be outdone by his model, Jerry, he had taken to the water on his own responsibility, and arrived at the opposite shore as soon as any of the party.
Besides that they were in danger of being swamped, it appeared to the midshipman and his friend that there was a great risk of being run down. Already two or three phantom-like forms had suddenly appeared out of the darkness, and gliding by were soon lost to sight. The boy, however, had made no remark about them; suddenly he shouted, "Grandfather, a sail on the weather-bow."
N.B. She was twenty-seven, and Tad sixteen. To be sure, Tad was four feet eleven, and she was only five feet six and a half. In the afternoon, Tadcaster, Staines, and the principal officers of the ship, being at dinner in the captain's cabin, in came the officer of the watch, and reported a large spar on the weather-bow. "Well, close it, if you can; and let me know if it looks worth picking up."
Suddenly, about a quarter of a mile off their weather-bow, a couple of rockets left a long trail of yellow against the night. It was the Cape Horner, and presently Vandover made out her lights, two glowing spots moving upon the darkness, like the eyes of some nocturnal sea-monster. In a few minutes she showed a blue light on the bridge; she wanted a pilot.
We had got through the Straits; and about a couple of days after we had passed them, we made out on our weather-bow, a brig, under easy canvas, standing across our course. "`Where can she be bound to? says I to my mate, here. "`Only to the coast of Africa, says he; `for you see, sir, she had a fair wind up or down the Mediterranean.
The wind continued to increase all through the morning, and by noon it was blowing quite a fresh gale, with a correspondingly heavy sea. At five p.m. the lookout reported a sail about two points on our weather-bow. "What do you make her out to be?" demanded I.
'Halloo; what do you see? answered the captain. 'A full rigged brig, sir. 'Where away? 'Three points off our weather-bow. 'How does she appear to be heading? 'Direct for us, sir, was the answer, and as it reached the ears of the captain, he turned to the first officer, who stood beside him, and said 'Mr. Howe, that strange vessel must be a pirate.
I thought every moment we should be dragged under; but whenever this seemed likely to happen, the line was let run a bit, and the strain eased. At last the fish grew tired of dragging us, the line ceased to run out, and Tom hauled in the slack, which another man coiled away in its tub. Presently the fish rose to the surface, a short distance off our weather-bow.
Here we soon got into such a boil of a sea that the little hooker threatened to smother herself, and it became necessary for us to haul down a second and a third reef, and to take the jib off her, after which she went along quite comfortably, shipping nothing worse than an occasional sprinkling of spray over her weather-bow.
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