“They’ve made us out. She’s about to heave to, sir. Hurrah! hurrah!” shouted Dick.
The frigate, coming up with the wind, hove her maintop-sail aback. The lugger stood on for a short time, then hauling her wind, ran up under the Wolf’s lee.
“What craft is that?” asked a voice from the frigate’s gangway.
“The private yacht Janet, bound from we don’t know exactly where, for Batavia, or for any British man-of-war we can fall in with, especially the Wolf,” answered Lord Reginald.
“You’ve fallen in with the very frigate you’re in search of,” answered Mr Curling, the first lieutenant, who had before spoken. “Come alongside, and let’s hear more about you.”
“That’s more than we can do with these outriggers,” said Lord Reginald. “Lower a boat, and we will step into her.”
This was speedily done, and Lord Reginald, in another minute, was ascending the sides of the frigate.
Dick hesitated about going on board. The moment he had been dreading had arrived; he must now be separated by an immeasurable distance from the man he had learned to love and respect.
Lord Reginald received a warm welcome from Captain Moubray and his brother officers. Great, indeed, was their astonishment at seeing him. It was fully believed that either the Marie had been captured, or that she had been lost in the hurricane which came on soon after the convoy reached Batavia.
“And now we must either drop your craft astern or hoist her up, for we must continue the chase of yonder piratical fleet,” said the captain.