"She's almost familiar to me," speculated the Major.
"She reminds me of some boats I saw once at the West Indies," returned Charnock, "built for the fruit-trade, and so built for speed. Only they were schooners--from Salcombe, I believe. The Salcombe clippers they were called."
"Indeed!" said the Major, with a sharp interest, and he leaned forward over the rail. "Now I wonder what her name is."
Charnock held a pair of binoculars in his hand. He gave them to the Major. Wilbraham raised them to his eyes while the P. and O. closed upon the sailing-boat. The brigantine slid down the slope of a wave and hoisted her stern.
"The 'Tarifa,'" said the Major, and he shut up the binoculars. "What is her tonnage, do you think?"
"About three hundred, I should say."
"My notion precisely. Would it be of any advantage to alter her rig, supposing that she was one of the Salcombe schooners?"
"I should hardly think so," replied Charnock. "I rather understood that the schooners were noted boats."
"Ah, that's interesting," said Wilbraham, and he returned the binoculars. The steamer was now abreast of the brigantine, and in a little it drew ahead.
"By the way, Charnock, I shall hope to see more of you," resumed Major Wilbraham. "I haven't given you a card, have I?"