‘Oh, by all means go slap for her, captain!’ said I. ‘That you know will be my cousin’s first order.’ ‘Trim sail, the watch!’ he bawled out. The helm was put over and the yacht’s head fell off till you saw by the line of the flashing glass through which the fellow aloft continued to peer that the hidden sail had been brought about two points on the lee bow. All was now bustle on deck with trimming canvas, setting studdingsails, and the like. The dawn had found us close hauled with the topgallantsail lifting and every sheet flat aft, and now we were carrying the wind abaft the beam with a subdued stormy heave of the yacht over the sulky swell. Indeed, Finn should have made sail to the first shift of helm; but the poor fellow seemed to have lost his head till he had talked with me, scarce knowing how to settle his mind as to the right course to be instantly adopted in the face of that unexpected apparition which was showing like a snow-flake from aloft. For my part, I thought, I could not better employ the leisure that yet remained than by preparing for what was to come by a cold brine bath. So down I went, telling Finn that I would rout out Sir Wilfrid as I passed through the cabin and give him the news. CHAPTER XVII. WE RAISE THE SCHOONER. I descended into the cabin, walked straight to the door of Wilfrid’s berth and knocked. ‘Who’s there?’ ‘I, Charles. I have news for you.’ ‘Come in, come in!’ I entered and found Wilfrid in his bunk propped up on his elbow, his eyes looking twice their natural size with the intensity of his stare, and one long uncouth leg already flung over the edge so that his posture was as if he had been suddenly paralysed whilst in the act of springing on to the deck. ‘What news in the name of heaven? Quick, now, like a dear boy!’ ‘There’s a schooner-yacht uncommonly like your “Shark” away down on the lee bow visible from aloft.’ He whipped his other leg out of bed and sat bold upright. I had expected some extravagance of behaviour in him on his hearing this, but greatly to my surprise he sat silent in his bunk eyeing me, his brow dark and his lips moving for several seconds, which might have been minutes for the time they seemed to run into. ‘What is to-day, Charles?’ ‘Thursday.’ ‘Ha! It should be Monday. That light last night was an omen, as I told you. I knew some great event could not be far off.’ His eyes kindled under their quivering lids and an odd smile twisted his mouth into the expression of a sarcastic grin. It was as ugly a look in him as I had ever seen, and it gained heavily in the effect it produced by his comparatively quiet manner. ‘We are heading directly for her, of course?’ ‘Finn has her about two points on the lee bow,’ said I. ‘Will that do?’ he exclaimed. ‘Why, yes; hold a weather-gage of the chase, it is said; though I think we shall be having a northerly blast upon us before the sun touches his meridian.’ ‘Is she the “Shark,” Charles?’