Almost immediately afterwards the frigate was seen to change her course.
Her head was turned more to the east. A suppressed cheer broke from the
troops.

"It is all right now, sir," the mate said; "she is making for Brest. We
have fooled her nicely."

The boats passed and repassed between the _Sea-horse__ and the prizes, and
the frigate crossed a little more than a mile ahead.

"Five-and-twenty guns a-side," the major said. "By Jove! she would have
made short work of us."

As it was not advisable to make any change in the position until the
frigate was far on her way, the boats continued to pass to and fro,
carrying back to the _Sea-horse__ the stores that had just been removed,
until the Frenchman was five or six miles away.

"Don't you think that we might make sail again, Captain?" the major then
hailed.

"I think that we had better give him another hour, sir. Were she to see us
making sail with the prize to the south it would excite suspicion at once,
and the captain might take it into his head to come back again to inquire
into it."

"Half an hour will surely be sufficient," the major said. "She is
travelling at eight or nine knots an hour, and she is evidently bound for
port. It would be unlikely in the extreme that her commander would beat
back ten miles on what, after all, might be a fool's errand."