They waited in silence, staring eagerly across the expanse of glaring water.
At last, at three o'clock in the afternoon, El Chico called out—
"There is a barque yonder that looks something like her."
"Where away?" said Baptiste.
"She's coming up close-hauled on the port-tack."
"Has she brown topsides and some bright green about her figure-head?"
"I can't make any colour out yet."
Then the mate went aloft with the binocular. After some minutes he scrambled down the rigging again. "Hurrah!" he cried, with a triumphant glitter in his eyes. "We have her safe! That is La Belle Esperance!"
"If we run a mile more to leeward we'll be right in her track," shouted El Chico from aloft.