And I hurried aft to point it out to the skipper before it should vanish again. He looked in the direction toward which I was pointing, but was unable to see anything, his eyes being dazzled in consequence of his having been staring, in a fit of abstraction, at the illuminated compass-card in the binnacle. Neither could Lovell see anything; and while I was still endeavouring to direct their gaze to it, it disappeared.
“Are you quite certain that your eyes were not deceiving you, Mr Bowen?” demanded the skipper rather pettishly.
“Absolutely certain, sir,” I replied. “And what is more, I believe it to be the Indiaman; for just before sighting her I fancied I saw another and smaller craft about two points further to windward, and astern of the bigger ship; and I am now of opinion that what I saw was a lugger.”
“Ay,” retorted the skipper; “you fancied you saw a lugger; and so, perhaps, under the circumstances, would naturally fancy also that you saw the Indiaman. Did anybody else see anything like a sail astern of us?” he demanded in a low voice, addressing the crew.
“Yes, sir,” answered a voice from the forecastle. “I looked directly that I heard Mr Bowen sing out, and I fancied that I saw something loomin’ up dark through the fog on the weather quarter.”
“Another fancy!” ejaculated the skipper. “However,” he continued, “you may be right, Mr Bowen, after all. How far do you suppose the stranger to have been away from us?”
“Probably a matter of three miles or thereabout,” I answered. “The smaller craft would perhaps be a mile, or a mile and a half astern of her.”
“Then,” said the skipper, “we will haul the fore-sheet to windward, let our jib-sheets flow, and wait a quarter of an hour to see what comes of it. If you are correct in your surmise, Mr Bowen, we ought to see something of these strangers of yours by that time.”
“And I have no doubt we shall, sir,” answered I. “And if I may be allowed to offer a suggestion, it is that we should bring the schooner to the wind, so that she may eat out to windward of the Indiaman, all ready for bearing up and running her aboard when she heaves in sight.”
“A very good idea, Mr Bowen! we will do so,” answered the skipper.