too, and would make better times of bad weather, I thought, than would
Torode's beautiful black snake. We were sixty men all told, and every man
of us keen for the business we were on, and with sufficient confidence in
John Ozanne to make a willing crew, though among us there were not lacking
good-humoured jokes anent his well-known easy-going, happy-go-lucky
proclivities. These, however, would make for comfort on board, and for the
rest, he was a good seaman and might be expected to do his utmost to
justify the choice of his fellow-townsmen, and he was said to have a
considerable stake in the matter himself.

We had four mates, all tried Peter Port men, and our only fears were as to
possible lack of the enemy's merchant ships in quantity and quality
sufficient for our requirements. On the second day out, a slight haze on
the sky-line shortening our view, the sound of firing came down to us on
the wind, and John Ozanne promptly turned the _Swallow's_ beak in that
direction.

We edged up closer and closer, and when the haze lifted, came on a hot
little fight in progress between a big ship and a small one, and crowded
the rigging and bulwarks to make it out.

"Little chap's a Britisher, I'll wager you," said old Martin Cohu, the
bo's'un.

"A privateer then, and t'other a merchantman."

"Unless it's t'other way on. Anyway the old man will make 'em out soon;"
and we anxiously eyed John Ozanne working away with his big brass-bound
telescope, as we slanted up towards the two ships, first on one tack then
on the other.