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The last letters pitched on deck wrapped round pieces of coal, and the Gloucester men shouted messages to their wives and womenfolks and owners, while the We're Here finished the musical ride through the Fleet, her headsails quivering like a man's hand when he raises it to say good-by.
The helm of the stranger was put down, and with her headsails backed against the masts, she lay, hove to. Captain Westerway imitated the manoeuvre, and the "Crusader" likewise became almost stationary. Scarcely even now crediting what they had seen, and feeling as if they were in a dream, the two sisters watched the stranger. A boat was lowered.
Thus it chanced that, as the tattooed man sat dozing and dreaming, he was startled into wakefulness and animation by the appearance of a flying jib beyond the western islet. Two more headsails followed; and before the tattooed man had scrambled to his feet, a topsail schooner of some hundred tons had luffed about the sentinel, and was standing up the bay, close-hauled.
One of the boats was immediately to shove ahead and cut the cable, while certain of the men had been directed to hoist the headsails, so that the prize might, without an instant's delay, be making her way down the harbour before any assistance could come off to her from the land. The moment for action was approaching.
"We must bear up for Samoa," said Harry. "It is very provoking, but there is no place nearer where we can hope to obtain a fresh spar." Accordingly the headsails were again hoisted, the fore-topsail was set, and the helm being put up, away we ran before the wind on a course for Upalu, the centre island of the group, in which Apia, the chief port, is situated.
And out of the race, for we were all too near the finish for her to win out then unless the Johnnie and the Withrow capsized entirely. Mr. Duncan, when he saw the Lucy's crew trying to save the headsails, couldn't contain himself. "Cut 'em away cut 'em to hell!" he sang out, and we all had to smile, he spoke so excitedly. But it was no use.
As soon as the Zodiac was got dead before the wind, the main-topsail and topgallant-sails were hoisted; the studdensail-booms were run out, and studdensails set, which much made amends for the loss of the headsails, as long as they desired only to keep before the wind. Notwithstanding, however, all the canvas the Zodiac could set, the corsair still came up with her hand over hand.
The hissing breakers rose on either hand not twenty fathoms from the vessel; the seas roared up astern; now a huge billow lifted us, and then down we glided into comparatively smooth water. "Stand by to shorten sail!" shouted Harry. "Port the helm!" "Port it is," cried Tom. The headsails were handed, the schooner was rounded to, the anchor let go, and she rode in safety inside the reef.
Then it was down with the wheel, down with headsails, let go fore-halyards, over with the anchor, and there she was, another fisherman of Gloucester, at rest in harbor after an all-night fight with a lively breeze.
It was from the eastward. Again it came stronger. It was the most favourable wind we could have. "Loose the headsails man the windlass," cried Harry. "I shall be thankful if we can avoid injuring more of the ignorant savages." The anchor was quickly hove up the headsails and then the mainsail set, and the schooner glided on towards the passage through the reef.
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