I had it in my mind to take in all the canvas and lie perdu until the brig had crossed our course and was well out of our road to the northward; but that would still be leaving him the weather-gauge; and I saw fully as clearly as Bob did the advantage of obtaining this, if possible; so on we stood, boldly, lying a good point higher than we had been before steering, yet keeping every sail a good clean full, and drawing to perfection.
The wind, however, was dropping fast; and by the time that the sun was on the meridian we were not going more than five knots. This made me extremely anxious; more particularly as the stranger proved a remarkably fast vessel; so much so, that it still remained a matter of doubt which of us would cross the other.
Bob, on the other hand, was delighted beyond measure, stoutly avowing that the falling breeze was little, if anything, short of a divine manifestation in our favour. He declared himself ready to stake all he was possessed of in the world (and if the brig should turn out to be the pirate, he actually was staking his life) on our speed as against that of the stranger in light winds, and was already chuckling in anticipation over that craft’s discomfiture.
She was within about five miles of us, still maintaining her relative position of about four points on our lee-bow, when Bob served dinner on deck, as was our custom in fine weather.
We were very busy with the viands, keeping one eye always on the brig however, when we noticed something fluttering over her taffrail; and the next moment a flag of some sort floated up to her peak.
I was at the tiller; so Bob took the glass, and levelling it at the brig, gave her a more thorough scrutiny than we had bestowed upon her at all hitherto.
“The stars and stripes, and a pennant!” exclaimed he, with his eye still at the tube. “Lord bless us for the two pretty innocents he takes us for, Harry; but there, of course he don’t know as we’ve got his character and all about him at our fingers’ ends. Well, anyhow, we won’t be behindhand with him in the matter of politeness;” and therewith Master Bob dived below, returning in a moment with our ensign and club burgee in his hand, which he bent to their respective halliards and ran them up—the one to our gaff-end, and the other to our mast-head.
As we had by this time finished our meal, Bob cleared the things away, muttering something about having “plenty to do afore long besides eating and drinking.”
Our colours had not been displayed above a minute, when four small balls were seen ascending to the brig’s main royal-mast-head, where they broke abroad and waved lazily out in the failing breeze as a signal.
Bob at once assumed the duties of signal-officer, by once more taking a peep through the glass.