cr own readers

A THREE DAYS' CHASE. 91
the malicious satisfaction of observing that the poor
little privateer had not yet got a mouthful of the
charming wind which was setting us all a-skipping
nbout th e decks. In the spot where th e brig lay
there was a belt of clear white light, within which
the calm still lingered, with th e privateer sparkling in
its centre. Just as the sun went down, however, this
spot was lik ewise ruffled by th e wind , and th e bl-ig,
lik e a hunted hare roused, sprang off" again.
6. It was not till about two o'clock in the morning
that we once more carne within good shot of the brig.
She app eared, however, to po ess th e same invulnerability
as before; for we could neither strike her
hull, so as to force her to surrender, nor bring down
a yard, nor lop off a mast or a boom. It was really a
curious spectacle to see a little bit of a thing skimming
away before the wind, with such a huge monster
as the End ym ion tea ring and plunging after her, like
n voracious dolphin in pursui t of It flying-fish.
7. At last our captain became impatient: he gave
orders for the whole sta rboa rd broadside to be got
ready ; and th en, giv ing the ship a ya w, poured the
whole discha rge, as he thought, right into his wretched
victim .
Kot a man on board th e frigate expected ever to
look on th e poor brig again. What, then, was our
surprise, when th e smoke blew swiftly past, to see the
intrepid little fellow gliding away more merrily than
before; There was a general murmur of applause
at the' Frenchman's gallantry. Kext instant, however,
thi s sound was converted into hearty laughter, when,
in an swer to our thundering broads ide, a single small
gun , a six-pounde r, was fired from the brig's stern.