After a moment's thought she felt that she did Captain Ratlin injustice,
for whatever might cause him to flee from the sight of what she presumed
by his remarks to be a man-of-war, yet she felt that he could not be a
pirate. True, the vessel even to her inexperienced eye was very strongly
manned, and there was a severity of discipline observed on board that
was very different from what she had seen while they were in the
Indiaman, but that man could not be a pirate, she felt that he could
not--she would not do him the injustice to think it possible.

Let the stranger be whom he might, the "Sea Witch" seemed to have no
intention of making his acquaintance, and as easily dropped the topsails
of the vessel again as she had made them, while from the manner in which
the stranger steered, it was doubtful whether his lookout had made out
the "Sea Witch" at all--and so Captain Ratlin remarked to his first
officer, while he ordered the ship to be kept on her present course for
an hour, then to haul up on the wind and run in shore again.

"Is it usual, Captain Ratlin," asked the young and beautiful girl, "for
vessels on the coast to so dread meeting each other as to deliberately
alter their course when this seems likely to be the case?"

"Trade is peculiar on this coast, and men-of-warsmen take extraordinary
liberties on board such vessels as they happen to overhaul," was the
reply. "I always avoid their company when I can do so conveniently."

As Captain Ratlin said this, his eyes met those of his companion for a
moment, which were bent anxiously upon his face, as though she would
read his inmost thoughts. He noted the expression, and replied at once: