The Lambs Fight Back

[jdd2035]

The Peregrines was once again in port it was one of the longest cruises that Cain had underwent the purpose was to make money. This time Cain had brought whale oil and that wonderfully expensive ambergris to port in exchange he would be bringing small amounts of gems, exotic woods and incense including jasmine, mur, and frankincense. Every thing was going well the salty breeze coming off of the harbor it was cool on his face and was a comfortable contrast with the warm sun.

All Cain had to do was make sure papers were signed at the moment letting his crew do what they did well and load the Peregrines belly with her cargo. Through the hustle and bustle of the port Cain heard someone calling to him "You there!" A loud but cheerful voice plowed through the entire port right to Cains ears. Cain turned to see who it was. It was a monument of a man standing some six and a half feet tall with long golden blonde hair very few men looked like that and he was approaching with his hands clasped behind his back. "How may I help you?" Cain said with a smile recognizing the large man or at-least thinking he recognized him.

The blonde haired man introduced himself "I am Jack O'Brian and I would like to book passage on your ship."

Well there was something that didn't happen every day. After the displeasure of transporting Mr. Smith Cain would have probably told any one else but Jack O'Brian no. But Jack or as he was better known as Post Captain Lucky Jack O'Brian was different Cain had read about every single action Jack was involved in every win, every loss and every strategic retreat the meeting was a moment that gave Cain the goose bumps. "It would be an extraordinary honor but may I ask why not take a liner?"

Jack grinned and replied "I have heard of your action against the Might of Corone that was an impressive bit of seamanship, also I can not really afford to pay for a birthing on a liner. I have ran into a patch of bad luck when my prize agent disappeared with all of my prize money. And besides liners take their time and stop at many more ports than you will and I would like to return to Corone quickly. I am hoping to get a commission."

Cain nodded those were all good reasons to want to book passage on a merchantman corvette. "Welcome aboard than we will sail with the tide. Also you will have use of my great cabin."

Jack laughed "what nonsense what stuff! You are the Captain of the Peregrine I will do no such thing as take your cabin I'll be happy with fourteen inches of space in your gun deck."

Cain would have insisted but then he knew all too well that Jack would have insisted right back so Cain merely nodded and showed the way to the Peregrines boarding ramp.

[jdd2035]

Jack was on time in fact he never left, any able seaman or rated man on the Peregrine that was not busy wound up being tasked with giving him a tour. Every deck, spar and piece of cordage was given exact detail to the eighth of an inch to the length, breadth, and acreage for Jack as he paced up and down the length of the Peregrine save for the quarterdeck his hands behind his back from time to time he complemented the boatswain, masters mate and even Cain "A crack ship! A crack ship. Lovely lines bluff bow and you crew smart with their watches."

Cain felt a bit off with some one he respected and had read of or heard about for years looking over his shoulder. He felt pressure to try and impress his guest while at the same time try to make every thing look as if it was the normal way of doing things on the Peregrine. He felt a hand on his should "just so Captain!" Jack said with a wink. The wave of pressure seemed to slide off Cains shoulders and in quick succession the Peregrine got underway properly with the crew never missing a stay.

The crew set to its rhythm holy stones on the deck which finally pushed Jack up onto the quarterdeck his superstition about officers walking on a wet getting the better of him. Jack shook his head "This isn't my place a ships officers and her Captain are supposed to be on the quarterdeck I am neither. I am merely a guest on your ship."

Cain chuckled "You're invited stop worrying so much. Besides I think the crew see's you as something of a good omen." The ship did seem to run smoother, there was less of the common bickering that existed even on truly crack ships let alone a merchant ship who's crew changes almost with every port. the course was set and the sails were clewed up double reefed on either side saving the Peregrines spars for when there was a powerful need for speed. Even so she clipped along smoothly at just over six knots on steady airs and heeling leeward a good fifteen degrees.

The weather was beautiful for sailing the breeze was coming off the Peregrines starboard beam reach maybe a little abaft but the Peregrine seemed to like it. Not as well as four points abaft on the board but sill she seemed to enjoy the the wind where it was at. The water it self had a steady roll to it and given the wind it all made sense. The water was warm and the evening promised to be a smooth one.

As the rhythm grew with able seamen hauling lines, the ships vibration and rock with the waves and all hands that were not needed sent below decks to begin eating supper Cain invited Jack to dinner in the great cabin with the boatswain and a few of the midshipmen. Jack accepted the invitation and with in the hour he and the other invitees were all with in the great cabin each with a glass of red wine in font of them and there was din of conversation between the various guests.

[jdd2035]

Dinner consisted of several courses starting off with cheese a very creamy Stilton some soft tack, pared with a smoky Gouda and a sweet red wine. As the wine began to be passed around Jack leaned foreword and asked "Prey tell me all about your action with the Might of Corone!"

As they ate Cain began explaining the entire event the chase with the privateers how he sent them on a wild goose chase with a decoy raft and then the first encounter with the Might followed by the second encounter and the final battle. Jack nodded as he ate the last of the cheese and stated "I am not sure rather it was good or poor luck getting caught in the Might of Corones wheels, but I think that it was as close to gaining the weather gage as you could get. And in the end you came out on top very well done!"

Cain smiled and nodded he knew he had gotten very lucky and was about say as much when the next course of the dinner came in a wonderful soused hogs face, saddle of mutton and a salted brisket and topped off of with a thick port almost black in color. As the faces turned red the conversations turned into a kind of fur ball where every one was yelling at one another trying to be heard over the din. The individual conversations lead far a fields with Cain and Jack discussing some of his more famous battles and Naval strategy in general.

The final course was a very heavy pudding made of hardtack, figs, other fruit and rum and washed down with more rum. Faces were very red and every one was quite jolly and had gone from casual conversation to singing half forgotten songs, or just sinking into a half sleep while at the same time trying to maintain some sort of conversation until the dinner ended in earnest and every one crawled, shuffled or was drug to their hammocks.

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The next morning Cain was bright eyed and bushy tailed with Jack being just as active finding his place pacing back and forth from the bow to just before the quarterdeck.

As the ship passed through the water that was like oily glass Cain had caught one of his younger midshipmen heaving over the rails. Cain looked upon the midshipman and grinned at him "Have a little more grog than you should have last night?" The pale, green faced lad looked up miserably and merely nodded pitifully. That was something Cain needed to nip in the bud and had just the way to do it. Cain looked at the young midshipman and nodded toward the galley and ordered "Scullery."

The poor midshipman nodded and skulked his way to the scullery. As Jack approached he said "That was crule."

Cain retorted "The midshipman, was drunk on duty, and failed to render proper obedience. Further he needs to learn how not to drink so much cleaning greasy smelly and sometimes ...fermenting food will teach this lesson well and I won't have to use the cat." Cain referred of course to the cat and nine tails.

As the ship got set into its rhythm for the day Cain ordered his boatswain up to the main cap. To get to the main cap you would have to climb the ratlines up to the main brace where the main mast and the main top mast meet. Than you climb a second set of ratlines up to where the main top and main royal mast meet followed by climbing up a latter to the very top of the mast. One hundred thirty five feet above the deck. Once on the top gallants main brace tree Cain met his boatswain with a book.

The reason why they had met was at the boatswains request. The boatswain was mostly human but with some orc down his family line somewhere. He was an exceptional seaman and a strong charismatic leader the unfortunate thing like most seamen he was illiterate. While it was not exactly an embarrassment it was still something that made the boatswain some what self conscious. So up on the highest point on the ship far from every other crew member as possible Cain had began teaching the boatswain how to read.

It was there that Cain had saw the first of several sails on the horizon, a few minutes later the look outs on the mizzen and fore masts shouted the same and Cain ordered from where he was at to bare up to them. (To catch up with the other ships.)

[jdd2035]

As the Peregrine closed in on the fleet it became quite apparent that this was not just a gathering of miscellaneous ships but a fleet of tradesmen ships belonging to the Republic of Corone. Each ship was within the previous ships wake and each roughly a cable length away from one another and they were all low in the water. These ships were not the common merchant vessels that were typically modified from an older military vessel like the Peregrine or were built not to have cannons on them. These were specifically built to defend them selves the largest of the tradesmen ships was an eighteen gun twelve pounder the smallest was a brig rigged sloop with ten four pounders.

It took the better part of a day for the Peregrine to catch up to the fleet of tradesmen and during that time Cain spent a little more time teaching his Boatswain his reading after that he spent time teaching others of his crew seamanship and navigation. It was Cains determination to make sure that by the end of this cruise every member of his crew was able to reef a sail, steer the ship, load and fire one of the ships great guns and tack into the wind. He had the Peregrines port side watch run the guns in and out and a dry run in every part in between while at the same time the starboard watch was drilled in reefing and furling and unfurling the sails.

Finally the Peregrine had caught up with the tradesmen after all the proper signals were passed among the respective ships the individual captains began sending jolly boats to the Peregrine inviting the crew to dinners all up and down the fleet and of course Cain sent his own invitations back to the various fleets. Finally after all the invitations and r.s.v.p's were sent it was settled that a grand dinner would be held in the grand cabbin on the eighteen gun, twelve pounder. As it turned out the ship was called the Monique. It was another multi-coursed meal with lots of rum, wine and porter.

Over the duration of the meal several conversations were started and stopped but one predominant one was between Captain Barton of the Monique and Jack.

Captain Barton asked or stated "So, being a Post Captain and in such a position that you are in have you heard of any of the movements of the Imperial forces?"

Swallowing a bite of a meat pie Jack replied "Well the lions share of the Imperial navy is set up defending their port in Radasanth. But recently I have heard that a squadron of ships has been sent to these waters to cut out Republic trade ships."

Captain Barton wiped his face after swallowing a drink of a red wine and asked "Do you know who is leading this squadron?"

Jack nodded "Yes its Commodore Evans of the Marlin a bold seaman of a Captain and has a bit of luck on his side. I have known him since we were shipmates on the Champion...Before the Civil War."

Captain Barton nodded and asked "What do you think the odds of encountering this squadron are?"

Jack shrugged "I couldn't make a bet on that. But it would be best to make all the speed you can."

The dinner ended after desert and more wine, rum and porter Cain and Jack returned to the Peregrine and sat down to relax. Cain asked Jack "Mind telling me the parts you didn't tell Captain Barton?"

Jack nodded "The Grayling is a crack frigate a twenty four eighteen pounder and it's entirely the rest of the squadron is too."

Cain asked "Is that all?"

Jack nodded again and said "That's all I'm sure of."

After the little conversation Cain flopped in his bed and instantly fell asleep.

[jdd2035]

Normally Cain doesn't have a hang over but what ever was drunk last night surely did a number on him and when he stepped out side of his great cabin every thing was at first bright and loud. Jack was not faring much better and as they both squinted at the horizon they struck up a conversation about the events of the previous evening.

Jack started off by stating "I saw that you were sat between the two ladies in green last night" as he stretched and popped his neck and shoulders.

Cain winced at the memory "I remember both of them both had teeth of golden yellow and their breath smelled like they rinsed their mouths out with brine."

Jack laughed before wincing in pain "don't, don't make me laugh so early in the morning especially after last night. What was that clear stuff they had us drink? It smelled like vodka but had a kick like a thirty six carronade."

Cain made his way to the scuttlebutt and began drinking from it before washing his face and turning back to Jack and stated "If we're going to get any thing done today we'll have to pass out some thinned down grog. Jack agreed and when the quartermaster had made his mix and passed it out to the crew things began to smooth out. There was something about a mix of water and rum and work that cures a hang over and by eight bells of the forenoon both Cain and Jack were in bright spirits once again. The crew of the Peregrine was close behind Cain in terms of brightening spirits. Oaths were sworn in haste and over the rails about never drinking any thing heavier than grog ever again.

It was about half an hour of the first bell in the afternoon when the lookout shouted "ON DECK THERE!" in a hesitant, deprecating howl. "Sail on the port bow!! Two maybe!" Hesitant because reporting the tradesmen fleet that every one knew about would be absurd and deprecating because he should have done so long ago instead of staring down at the deck.

Most of the crew took little notice but Cain, Jack and Grimand looked attentively at the hazy ships looming unnaturally large some four miles ahead and growing rapidly clearer as the Peregrine saild towards them- she was making five knots already on the steady wind.

"Who is that fellow that carries his mizzen-topmast stay under the main top? How old fashioned." Mentioned Grimand the Boatswain "I believe i can make out two more behind them I am surprised they have come up with us so soon."

Jack looking through a telescope stated to Grimand "who are you calling old fashioned? That's Commodore Evans and the Imperial squadron."

Cain was thinking clearly now and ordered "Mr. Grimand Haul your wind! Hard to port, hard over. Let fall the main courses, there! Strike the pedant. Forestaysail, maintopgallent, Vanguard, vanguard there clap to the main brace. Bare a hand, bare a hand. stir up your men!" He shouted.

A midshipman came running aft to report the foreroyalyard across, and the frigate sudden turn, coinciding with a heavy rol, threw him off his ballance: he fell sprawling at Cains feet.

"Kid!" Shouted Cain "Mr. Agon, this is carrying a proper deference too far!"

"Yard across, sir if you please" The Midshipman a young tifling of about sixteen said and in seeing the excitement in Cains face asked "Sir whats a foot?"

Cain said with a grin "Evans and his squadron is a foot Mr Agon. Mr Grimand, backstays to that mast at once and preventers. Do not let them set the shrouds too taut; we must not have it wrung. All stunsails and kites to the tops. Give her what sail she can carry. And thin I believe you may prepare to clear for action."

[jdd2035]

Slinging his glass, Cain ran up the mast head like a kid. The Peregrine had spun around on her heel and was now steadying on her course, close hauled and heading nort leaning far over to her port side as the sail increased upon her and her bow wave began to fling the water wide.

The Imperial frigates were fading a little in the haze, but he could see the nearest signaling. Both had been sailing on a course designed to intercept the Peregrine - they had seen him first - and no they were following his turn in chase! They would never fetch his wake unless they tacked, however; they had been too far ahead for tha. Beyond them Cain could make out a larger ship; another farther to the south west and something indistinct on the blurred horizon - perhaps a schooner. These three were still sailing large, and clearly the whole squadron had been in a line abreast, strung out to sweep twenty miles of sea; and they were standing directly for the path of the Tradesmen fleet would travel the next day.

Thunder had began to grumble and crashing as the sky became overcast and now in the midst of a distant peal there was the sound of a gun. The Commodore, no doubt calling in his leeward ships.

"Mr. Grimand" Cain shouted "Alerarian Ensign and two or three hoists of the first signal flags that come to hand, with a signal gun to windward- two guns."

The Imperial frigates were cracking on: topgallant stay sails appeared, outer jib, jib of jibs. They were throwing up a fine bow wave., and the first was making perhaps eight knots, the second nine knots; but the distance was drawing out, ond that would never do- Cains very first concern was to find out what he had to deal with.

Below Cain the deck was like an ant hill kicked over; and he could hear the noise of the decks being cleared and the removable bulkheads being moved for action. It would be some time before the apparent confusion resolved itself into a trim, efficient pattern, a clean sweep fore and aft, the cannons cast loose, their crews standing by them, every man at his post, guards at the hatch ways, and wet sand strewn across the decks. The sailors had been through the motions hundreds of times but rarely in earnest. Cain believed they would perform well: most men did, in this kind of action when they're proper led and the Peregrines crew were a decent set of sailors. A little over zealous at first but that could be dealt with.

Cain considered ~how much powder was there filled? Twenty rounds apiece was yesterdays count and plenty of wads: Hails was a good gunner. He would be as busy as any one at the moment, down in the powder room.

Jack had scrambled up to where was Cain at as nimbly as a monkey and asked "What sort of action are you planning?"

Cain looking out over the Imperial fleet and replied "That Imperial squadron means to take the entire Tradesmen fleet as a prize and prolonging the Civil War even longer. I plan to prevent that by giving this squadron a wild goose chase that they will not soon forget."

Jack nodded and before letting himself back down onto the deck asked "What help can I be?"

Cain didn't take long to reply "Lead my forecastle cannons if you please."

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~This drawing away would never do~ thought Cain. He would give the frigates another to minutes then take his measurements. The second frigate had passed the first. She was almost certainly a twenty gun frigate which was named the Dolly looking through his glass Cain guessed that the ship was armed with eighteen pounders on her main deck: the Peregrine could easily out run her but that was not what he really wanted to do. Cain moved out onto the yardarm for a better view, for the frigates laid on his quarter and it was difficult to count the gun ports. Taking another look Cain confirmed that yes the Dolly was a twenty gun frigate; and the heavy frigate behind her was a twenty four gun named the Graylng with what looked to be eighteen pounders. A very tough nut to crack if she was well handled. Cain watched them objectively and discovered that yes indeed they were well handled: both somewhat crank probably from want of stores; and both slow, of course; they must be trailing a great curtain of sea weed after so much time in the milk warm water, and they were making heavy weather of it. Beautiful ships how ever and their people obviously knew their duty. The Dolly sheeted home her foretopmast staysail in a flash. In his opinion the Grayling gun would do better with less canvas abroad; her foretopgallent seemed to be pressing her down; but no doubt her captain knew her trim best.

An able seaman appeared snorting. "Mr. Grimands duty sir and, the ship is cleared for action. Do you choose he should call the men to their stations sir?

"No" Replied Cain considering there was no question of action yet a while, and it would be a pity to keep the men standing about. "No. But pray tell him I should ike sail to be discreetly reduced. Come up the bowlines a trifle and give the sheets half a fathom or so - nothing obvious, you understand me. And our old number three foretopsail is to be bent to a hawser and veered out of the lee sternport to make a drag sail."

"Aye aye sir!" Said the able seaman and vanished. A few moments later the Peregrines speed began to slacken and the strain came onto a drag sail, opening like a parachute beneath the surface it dropped further still.

Two of the the newer of the Peregrines sailors an ordinary seaman and a landsmen really stood at the taffrail, staring over the port quarter. "I'm afraid they are coming closer," said the landsman "I can distinctly see the men on the front of the nearer one: and even on the ship behind it. See they fire a gun! And a flag appears. A Republic flag! I should congratulate the Captain on our deliverance. I confess I was worried but they are our friends!"

The able seaman replied "I wouldn't be so sure. Take a look at our colors."

The landsman looked up at the mizzen-peak, where the Alerarian flag streamed out bravely. "It's the Alerarian colors." The first landsman stated "We are sailing under false colors! Can such things be?!"

The ordinary seaman said "So are they. They seek to amuse us and we seek to amuse them. The lies are equally divided. It is an accepted convention.

A shot from the from the Dolly's bow chasers threw up a plum of water a little way from the Peregrines stern, and the landsman started back. This was followed by a ball striking the top of a wave, ricocheted onto the quarterdeck by way of the neatly piled hammocks. It fell harmlessly with a thud and the two sailors darted for it, struggled briefly until the ordinary seaman wrested it away and wrapped it in his jacket as a souvenir.

Cain was still on the in his exposed position on the mast mulling over the situation. It was clear his first order f business, having to rendezvous with the Tradesmen fleet and do every thing in his power to preserve it: nor had he the least doubt that he could outsail the Imperial frigates with their fouled bottoms - indeed, even if they had been clean he could no doubt have given them a good deal of canvas, fine ships though they were. Yet Commodore Evans was not to be underestimated that sly fox.

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The two decker no so near that her identy was certain, she was the Marlin 36 wearing the Commodores pennant. The Marlin had worn, and ow she was close hauled on the port side tack, followed by the fourth ship and a distant schooner. The fourth ship was the Bluefin an eighteen gun corvette: the schooner Cain knew little about. Evans had worn: he had not tacked. That meant he was favoring his ship. Those the two smaller frigates and the schooner, standing opposite tack, meant to cut him off, if the trio managed to head him: that was obvious - wolves on either side of a sheep.

The last shot came a touch too close -excellent practice, at this extreme range. It would be a pity to have any rigging cut away. "Mr. Grimand!" Cain called "let out a reef in the fore topsail, and haul the bowlines."

The Peregrine lept forward, inspite of her drag sail. The Grayling was leaving the Dolly far behind, and to leeward; Cain knew that he could draw the Schooner on and on, then bear up suddenly and bring her to close action - hammer her hard with his guns and either sink her or take her before her friends could come up. The temptation made him lose his breath. Glory and the prize. The image of billowing smoke, the flash of guns, masts falling, faded almost at once, and his head returned to the present. He must not risk a single spar; the Peregrine must rejoin the Tradesmen fleet intact.

The Peregrines present course was leading the squadron right for the Tradesmen fleet, a half a days sail away to the east, strung out over miles of sea unaware of how close their danger really is. Clearly Cain must lead the Imperial squadron away by some caper or another, even if it meant losing the weathergage and a comfortable one at that. The idea was to lead the squadron away until night time, and then beat up, trusting to the darkness and the Peregrine's superior sailing to shake them and reach the tradesmen in time.

Cain could go about and head south-east until about ten o'clock by then he should have fore-reached Evans so far that he could bear up cross ahead of him in the darkness and then double back. But if he did so, or offered to do so, Evans, that crafty sea wolf, might order the pursuing ships to hold onto their northerly course, stretching to windward of the Peregrine and gaining the weathergage. That would be awkward in the morning; for fast though the Peregrine was, she could not out run the Grayling and the Dolly in they were sailing full sail and she was beating up as she would have to beat up, tack after tack, to warn the Tradesmen fleet.

But then again, if Evan dd, if he ordered his ships northwards, a gap would appear in his disposition after a quarter of an hour's hailing. A gap through which the Peregrine could sprint through, bearing up suddenly and running before the wind with all the sail she could spread and passing between the Marlin and the Dolly out of range of either; for Evans' dispositions were based upon the chase moving at nine or ten knots- no ship in these waters could do better and hitherto the Peregrine had not done as well.

Bluefin the corvette, might close the gap; but although she might knock away a spar or two, it was unlikely that she could hold him long enough for the Marlin to come up. If she had a commander so determined that he would let his ship be riddled, perhaps sunk a man who would run him aboard- why then that would be a different matter.

[jdd2035]

Cain had looked hard over the water at the corvette: she vanished in a a drift of rain, and he shifted his gaze to the two decker. ~What was going on in Evans head?~ Cain thought, Evans was running east by south east under an easy sail: topsails, forecourse clewed up. One thing Cain was certain of was that Evans was more concerned with catching the Tradesmen fleet that trying to catch the Peregrine.

The moves, and the counters on either side, the varying degrees of danger, and above all Evans anticipation of the position... Cain finally came down onto the deck and ordered "hitch the runners to the mastheads and double the preventer stays." and began to pace the Peregrines quarterdeck with his hands behind his back, his eyes running from the frigates to the bigger two decker. Some of the Peregrines crew observed that Cain seemed to grow in occasions such as this.

Finally coming to a decision Cain ordered "Mr. Grimand! We will go about!"

Mr. Grimand knowing his profession nodded and answered "Yes sir, shall I cast off the drag-sail?"

Cain shook his head to the negative "No and we will not go about too quick, take your time with the orders if you will please."

As the Boatswains pipes rang clear "All hands about ship" Cain stood on the ships rail and fixed the Marlin with his telescope, pivoting as the Peregrine turned up into wind. Just after the order of "Mainsail haul" and the sharp cutting pipe of belay, Cain saw the signal run up aboard the flag ship and a puff of a gun on her quarter deck. The Grayling and Dolly had begun their pursuit, but now the Grayling paid off again and stood on. The Dolly on the other hand was already past the eye of the wind when a second gun drove the order home, the order to stand on northwards and gain the weather gage and she had to wear right around to come up on to her former tack. "Damn" Cain said under his breath the mistake would narrow the precious gap by a quarter of a mile.

The minutes passed and the Imperial frigates stood on to the north by north west, growing smaller. First the Grayling followed by the Dolly crossed the wake of the Peregrine, gaining the weather gage: there was no changing his mind now. The Marlin and her two tiers of cannons clearly to be seen lay on the starboard beam sailing parallel to the Peregrine. There was no sound but the high steady note of the wind in the rigging and the beat of the sea on the Peregrines port bow. The far spaced ships scarcely seemed to move in relation to one another from one minute to the next - there seemed to be all the peaceful room in the world.

[jdd2035]

The Marlin dropped her foresail the angle widened half a degree. Cain checked all the positions yet again, looked at the dog-vane and said "Mr. Grimand, the stunsails are in the tops I believe?"

Mr. Grimand nodded "Yes sir."

"Very well, In ten minutes we must cast off the drag sail, bear up, set royals, stunsails aloft and alow if she will bear them, and bring the wind two points on the quarter. We must make sail as quick as ever sail was made, brailing up the drier and hauling down the staysails at the same time of course. Send two masters mates to the wheel. Lower the starboard port-lids. Make all ready, and stand by to let go the drag-sail when I give the signal."

Still the minutes dropped by; the critical point was coming, but slowly, incredibly slowly. Cain stoically upon that busy deck, began to whistle softly as he watched the far off Evans: but then he checked himself - he wanted no more than a brisk top-gallant breeze. Any thing more, or any thing like a hollow sea, would favor the two decker, the tall, far heavier ship; and he knew, to his cost, how fast the big Imperial ships could move.

A last glance to windward: the forces were exactly ballanced: the moment had come, Cain drew a deep breath, and shouted "Let go there!" An instant splash "Hard to port!" The Peregrine turned on her heel, her yards coming around to admiration, sails flashing out as others vanished, and there close on her starboard quarter was her foaming wake, showing a sweet tight curve. She leaped forward with a tremendous new thrust, her masts groaning, and settled on her new course, not deviating by a quarter of a point. She was heading exactly where he had wanted her to head, straight for the potential gap, and she was moving even faster than he had hoped. The higher spars were bending like coach whips, just this side of carrying. "Mr. Grimand, that was a prettily executed turn: I am very well pleased."

The Peregrine was tearing through the water, moving faster and faster until she reached a steady eleven knots, and the masts stopped their groaning. The back stays grew a shade less rigid, and leaning on one, gauging its tension as he stared at the Marlin, he said, "Main and fore royalstunsails!"

The Marlin was just as brisk in her motions as the Peregrine, well manned but was caught unawares. She did not begin her turn until the Peregrine had set her royal studding sails and here masts were complaining again as the drove her two hundred fifty hundred tons even faster through the sea: her deck leaning sharply, her lee head rails burried in the foam, the sea roaring along her side, and the hands standing mute never a sound for and aft. Yet when the Marlin did turn she bore up hard to bring the wind on her starboard quarter, settling on a course that would give her beautiful deep cut sails all possible thrust to intercept the Peregrine at some point south west to cut her off, that is to say, if she could not find another knot or so. At the same time the Marlin sent up hoist after hoist of signals, some directed, no doubt, at the invisible schooner to leeward and others to bring the Greyling and Dolly pelting down after the Peregrine.