She immediately communicated this by signal to the Wolf, and received in return an order to chase the stranger and ascertain her character. The other part of the signal was either not seen, or misunderstood by Lucas. “Up with the helm!” cried Lord Reginald; “square away the yards! If the fellow doesn’t appear to be too tough a customer, we will bring him to action and sail back in triumph.”
The young lord did not observe the expression which passed over Voules’s countenance, but fully believed that they had been ordered to chase, and, if to chase, to fight the vessel in sight, should she not prove to be an enemy of overwhelming force. Though Voules had never shown the white feather, he was decidedly prudent, and he remembered the Maria’s limited crew, which, though sufficient to navigate her, was not strong enough to man the guns.
The Marie looked more formidable than she really was, and as she approached the stranger made all sail to escape. The latter soon showed that her sailing powers were not much inferior to those of the Marie, by keeping almost the same distance ahead as she had been when she first discovered that she was pursued.
The Marie soon lost sight of the fleet. Voules suggested that as there was no probability of coming up with the chase for many hours, that they should haul their wind and stand back.
“Certainly I will not do that,” answered Lord Reginald. “Captain Moubray must have known that we could not come up with her in a hurry, and intended that we should overhaul her. We are gaining on her, and if we continue the chase and do not lose sight of her during the night, we shall probably, some time to-morrow, get alongside.”
“If we get so far away we shall find it no easy matter to regain the fleet,” observed Voules. “The chase may not prove to be worth the trouble we are taking to capture her.”
“That remains to be proved,” answered Lord Reginald. “If you feel uncomfortable, turn in and go to sleep, perhaps when you awake you will find that we have fought an action, and taken the enemy.”
Voules reddened at the taunt. It was a cruel return, he thought, for all the flattery he had bestowed on the young lord. “I have no wish to avoid a fight, but I say again, there is no chance of its taking place for many hours to come, at least at the slow rate at which we are now overhauling the chase, and if we take her—which is problematical—we shall find it a difficult matter to rejoin the convoy.”
Lord Reginald was in one of his obstinate moods. The more Voules urged him to abandon the chase, the more determined he was to continue it.
The wind remained fresh, and he asserted that they were gaining on the chase.