The next morning two vessels
were seen astern at a distance of four or five miles. After examining them
through his glass, the captain sent down a message to Major Harrison
asking him to come up. In three or four minutes that officer appeared.
"There are two strange craft over there, Major; from their appearance I
have not the least doubt that they are French privateers. I thought I
should like your advice as to what had best be done."
"I don't know. You see, your guns might just as well be thrown overboard
for any good they would be," the major said. "The things would not be safe
to fire a salute with blank cartridge."
"No, they can hardly be called serviceable," the master agreed. "I spoke
to the owner about it, but he said that as we were going to sail with a
convoy it did not matter, and that we should have some others for the next
voyage."
"I should like to see your owner dangling from the yardarm," the major
said, wrathfully. "However, just at present the question is what had best
be done. Of course they could not take the ship from us, but they would
have very little difficulty in sinking her."
"The first thing is to put on every stitch of sail."
"That would avail us nothing; they can sail two feet to our one."
"Quite so, Major; I should not hope to get away, but they would think that
I was trying to do so.
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