My First Cruise | Page 7

The reply was given,
and he was asked what schooner that was. "`The Wide Awake,' from
New Orleans, bound in for Sierra Leone. Shall be happy to take any

letters or packages you have to send for that settlement, captain,"
exclaimed the speaker through his trumpet. This was all very polite.
Still more so was it when the American skipper offered to send his boat
aboard us to receive our despatches. As it happened, the captain had
been wishing to send a letter back to Sierra Leone, and several of the
officers wished to write, and as the delay would not be great, we told
the polite American that we would trouble him. He seemed well
pleased, and said that he would get his boat ready, and drop aboard us. I
remained on deck watching the schooner, for there is something very
attractive to my eye in the movements of another vessel at sea. A boat
was after some time lowered from the schooner and pulled towards us,
when she filled her fore-topsail, stood a little way on, tacked, and then
steered so as to get to windward of us. I saw our first lieutenant
watching her very narrowly when she did this, and then looking at her
boat. Presently he went into the captain's cabin. He was not there long.
When he came out he ordered a boat to be manned, with the crew all
armed, and directed the crews of three or four guns on either side to go
quietly to their quarters. I saw, meantime, that the American's boat,
instead of pulling up alongside, was passing astern of us, so as to meet
the schooner, now rapidly approaching our weather quarter. She was
still within hearing when the first lieutenant shouted, "Our despatches
are ready--come on board!" But the people in the boat pretended not to
hear, and pulled on towards the schooner. On this Sommers was
ordered to take command of the boat, and to proceed on board the
stranger. To my great delight I got leave from Uncle Tom to
accompany him. It was very kind--it was the first piece of favouritism
he had shown me. Dickey Snookes was quite jealous when he saw me
jump into the boat. "Ah, Pringle, you'll get knocked on the head, my
boy, depend on that!" was his encouraging observation. Away we
pulled towards the schooner. Her boat had reached her, and was hoisted
up. We had before not observed more than a dozen or fifteen men at the
utmost. There were now more than double that number on her deck, or
about her rigging. Every stitch of canvas she could carry was set; her
yards were braced sharp up, and away she went like a shot on a bowline.
"Give way, my lads, give way!" cried Sommers, and the men did give
way, pulling with all their might; but the schooner went through the
water much faster than we did, and in spite of all our efforts soon left

us far behind. "That was the meaning of all his politeness about the
letters-- he expected to hoodwink us, did he? the rogue!" exclaimed
Sommers. "But though we do not catch him, the frigate will; there is no
fear of that!" We pulled on after the schooner some time longer, but
Sommers at length saw that the chase was perfectly hopeless. "The
worst of it is, that the frigate will have to heave to to pick us up," he
observed. He then asked me if I should mind letting the frigate stand on
after the chase, and stand the chance of being picked up when she had
caught her. I cannot say that I particularly liked the notion of being left
all alone in a boat in the middle of the Atlantic. Still I did not like to
say so. However, the captain settled the point by heaving the frigate to
as she came up to us, and ordering us to return on board. This we did
with as little delay, as possible, when once more the frigate stood on
after the schooner. Still the latter had gained a considerable advantage,
but she was not beyond the range of our guns, and we now began to fire
away at her to make her heave to again. Of course she had no intention
of doing this if she could help it. Our shot went flying pretty thickly
after her, but still, though several struck her and cut her ropes, and
made eyelet holes in her sails, her damages were repaired as quickly as
they were produced, and there seemed a considerable chance of her
getting away from us altogether.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER 4.
THE CHASE.
Our frigate sails very fast; there are few ships in the service sail faster,
and none