officers and a number of ladies and gentlemen. From the look of them they
all seemed disturbed and anxious, and they all turned to look at me as if
I could help them.

"Carré," said the captain, as I climbed the ladder, "look there! Is that
the ---- villain?" and pointed over the starboard quarter.

One look was enough for me. I had stared hard enough at that long black
hull three days before, while it thrashed us to death with its whirling
devilries. And there was no mistaking the splash of red on his foretopsail.

"It's him, captain;" and the ladies wrung their hands, while the men looked
deadly grim, and the captain took a black turn along the deck and came back
and stood in front of them.

"It's not in an Englishman's heart to give in without a fight," he said
gruffly, "and I'm not in the habit of asking any man's advice about my own
business, but from what this man says that ---- villain over yonder can
flay us to pieces at his pleasure and we can't touch him;" and he looked at
me.

"That is so," I said.

"If we let him have his way the chances are he'll take all he wants and go.
If we fight--My God, how can we fight? We can't reach him. What would _you_
do now? You've been through it once with him," he turned suddenly on me.

"I'd give five years of my life to have a grip of his throat--"

"And how'd you get there under these conditions, my man?"