They had been for some weeks cruising up and down without even sighting a sail, when one morning, on Harry and David coming on deck, they found the captain and officers in a considerable state of excitement. The captain himself went aloft with his glass, and on his return ordered the ship’s course to be altered, and all sail to be set.
“We are in chase of some vessel or other,” observed Harry; “depend upon it the Frenchmen expect to make a prize of her.”
All hands were called on deck. Now one sail and now another was added,—some rigged out so as just to skim the surface of the water, while with buckets and scoops the sails were wetted as high as they could be reached. Harry and David could see in the far distance a large ship, which from her narrow yards and the cut of her sails Harry said he thought was really a merchantman, which of course the Frenchman took her to be.
“But suppose she is not,” said David.
“Then they will find out that they have caught a Tartar, and we shall get out of the power of this Monsieur Sourcrout,” answered Harry; “however, we mustn’t raise our hopes too high.”
“The ship ahead has shown English colours,” the boys heard from some of the crew, for they could not get a glass to look through. She, it seemed, did not like the appearance of the stranger, for she now set all sail and went off also directly before the wind. A stern chase is a long chase, but if the chaser is a faster vessel than the chased, she will come up with her at last. As the day drew on it was very evident that the schooner had gained very considerably on the chase. She was seen to be an old-fashioned merchant vessel, a regular West India trader, probably, which would afford a rich prize to the captors.
The excitement of the captain and officers was extreme. Already they anticipated the rich booty which would soon be theirs.
“Oh! do you think those people on board that vessel will give in without fighting?” asked David.
“I think very likely not,” said Harry; “we shall soon know; in less than an hour we shall be alongside.”
“What had we better do?” asked David.