"Oh!" exclaimed Mr. Mathew, "they will take some time to reload such pieces."
"Upon my honour, it is an interesting sight," said Crockston, who, with arms crossed, stood perfectly at his ease looking at the scene.
"Ah! that's you," cried James Playfair, scanning the American from head to foot.
"It is me, Captain," replied the American, undisturbed. "I have come to see how these brave Federals fire; not badly, in truth, not badly."
The Captain was going to answer Crockston sharply, but at this moment a second shot struck the sea on the starboard side.
"Good!" cried James Playfair, "we have already gained two cables on this Iroquois. Your friends sail like a buoy; do you hear, Master Crockston?"
"I will not say they don't," replied the American, "and for the first time in my life it does not fail to please me."
A third shot fell still farther astern, and in less than ten minutes the Dolphin was out of range of the corvette's guns.
"So much for patent-logs, Mr. Mathew," said James Playfair; "thanks to those shot we know how to rate our speed. Now have the fires lowered; it is not worth while to waste our coal uselessly."
"It is a good ship that you command," said Miss Halliburtt to the young Captain.