“There, well all that! 1 ’ exclaimed
the Captain, taking the wheel in his
own hands, “now, men, go below all of
you!—wc shall catch a grist or two of
grape, and you may as well keep under
cover as much as you can.”
I’/ic two yewela were now rapidly
approaching each other —the frigate
steadily pursuing her course, apparent
ly confident that the prize was within
her grasp: while the Atalanta, with the
full of her forksail shivering, was, in the
expressive language of the sailor, “eat
ing into the wind,” at a rate which put
all the calculations of pursuers at fault.
Soon, she was nearly athwhart the fore
foot of the frigate and within musket
shot.
A flash from the bow-port, and a
twenty-four pound shot dashed up a
cloud of loam directly beneath the
schooner’s bow. Another, evident
ly aimed at her, passeda fewfeet astern;
and in a moment more the frigate bra
ced sharp up, and let fly all the guns
she could bring to Lear. This manooc
vre lessened her headway, and before
she could repeat the discharge, the
I schooner had got so far up to windward
as to be out of way of her Ice broad
side. Although unable to hold her
wind with the schooner, and rapidly
falling off to leeward, the frigate ad
vanced through the waters with a ve
locity that soon brought her close to
on the lee-quarter of the Atalanta.
