Soon Oleson announced that we could put the halyards to the winches, and we sent the foresail and mainsail up in no time. Then we set the spanker and had all the lower canvas on her.
The schooner lay well over under the pressure, and we sent her along a good ten knots, while we cleared up the gear and made things shipshape. The boats were soon black specks in the sunshine.
"Now, then, let's get to work on that yellow boy right," said the old man.
"No, don't let him get too far away from us," said Slade. "The two ladies are in that boat with the big Chink, and we better attend to it first."
We hauled our wind and began reaching back, the boat with Yellow Dog being kept right under the jibboom end.
"I reckon I'll take the wheel and you go forward, Mr. Garnett," said Gantline.
"Will you run him down?" I asked.
"Without any mistake at all—if you'll give me the course right when he gets in close," said the captain.
"But the ladies, the passengers?" said Slade.
"We'll do the best we can for them—just as well to get killed that way as to get away with those fellows, isn't it?"