Hailes, however, rubbed his hands, when he concluded his account, saying,
"We'll beat them yet; for you see this schooner will go through what they can't go through, for the life of them."
Charles Tyrrell, however, went down to Lucy with a heavy heart. He saw that there were evidently greater danger and discomforts awaiting his course than he had anticipated, and he blamed himself severely for having persuaded Lucy to take a share in such a fate as that which seemed likely to befall him.
It was now beginning to turn dark, the ship keeling fearfully, with the press of canvass, and the strength of the wind, and it was impossible for Lucy to conceal from herself that it was blowing a gale, that they were going with the most tremendous rapidity, and that there was a terrible sea running.
Charles endeavoured to amuse her as much as he could, and talked upon every subject that he thought would interest her, speaking with hope and expectation of the morrow, and pointing tenderly, and yet ardently, to the time when she should become his own, and the happiness of each, be linked for ever, with that of the other. Of course this was the subject of all others, the most likely to interest them both; but still he could not help seeing that sometimes when a sharp sea struck the ship, and made every timber in the whole frame thereof quiver, Lucy fixed an anxious gaze upon his face, as if she would fain have inquired, Is there any danger? At length, toward nine o'clock, he said, "Well, dear Lucy, I will go up and see how we are going on. It is a very rough night for so young a sailor as you are; but do not be alarmed, my beloved; I feel confident that we shall get through it all."
On arriving upon the deck, Charles found the night, indeed, tremendous. It was raining hard, the wind was coming in sharp, heavy gusts, the shore was seen distinctly, within no very great distance of the ship, and the schooner itself was bounding on through the waters, like some terrified bird cutting through the air in full flight. The night was not so dark as might have been expected, however; for the full moon, though hidden by the clouds, still gave some degree of light, and Charles Tyrrell, looking out for the vessel, which he had seen in chase of them, thought he could distinguish it farther out to sea, than that which bore him; but much nearer than it had appeared before.
He had scarcely been five minutes upon deck, however, when he was confirmed in the supposition, by a bright flash seen in that direction, followed by the heavy roar of a cannon, mingling with the sobbing of the wind.
"Ay, fire away," said Hailes, "fire away. We'll see you at the bottom first. This is an awkward job, Mr. Tyrrell," he said, "a devilish awkward job."
"It's a terrible night, indeed," replied Charles Tyrrell; "but do you think there is any immediate danger of the ship?"
"Oh, it's not the night at all," replied Hailes. "It's bad enough, to be sure; but I've gone through twenty worse nights than this; but it is that cursed cutter. You see all we could do, she's got the better of us. If we can get round the nose, you see, and across the bay, without getting aground on the spit, we shall do well enough, and send her to the devil. But the wind's blowing dead ashore. She can go far nearer to the wind than we can, and I doubt very much whether she won't drive us into the bay; and there, you know, she has us safe."