The signal midshipman on duty replied that he was ordering us to come within hail. We accordingly made sail towards the Bienfaisant, when Captain McBride directed us to join with him in chasing the stranger. Not till then apparently did she make us out from among the fleet of vessels crowding round us, shrouded, as we were, with the grey mists of the morning. We were all scrutinising her through our glasses, for it was still very uncertain what she might prove. Even when we stood out from among the fleet of merchantmen she gave no signs of any strong disposition to evade us, but steadily continued her course. "She must be some English privateer. No Frenchman with a head on his shoulders would run it so near the lion's den," remarked Edwards. "Faith, then, I don't believe he's got a head on his shoulders. That's a French ship, depend on it," observed O'Driscoll. Some time longer passed before we got near the chase, for the wind was light. At half-past seven, to our great satisfaction, we saw her shorten sail and get ready, it appeared, to receive us. On this the Bienfaisant hoisted her colours and fired a shot ahead of her. We also hoisted our colours. The chase on this hoisted a blue ensign and hove-to with main-topsail to the mast. On our getting within hail of her, we and the Bienfaisant did the same, when Captain McBride spoke her and inquired her name. "HMS `Romney,'" was the answer. "Last from Lisbon." "I told you so," observed Mr Edwards, when the words reached us. "She's a fifty-gun ship, I know, though I never saw her that I know of." "But that ship carries more than fifty-guns if I mistake not," I replied. "Listen! Captain McBride is again speaking her." "What does she say?" asked Edwards, as some words, the import of which we could not make out, came wafted over the water towards no. Our people, I ought to have remarked, were all at their quarters ready for friend or foe--and grim, determined-looking veterans many of them looked, with their sun-burnt faces and bearded chins. "What does she say?" exclaimed O'Driscoll. "Why, listen!--that she's French, and going to fight for the honour of la belle France. See, our consort's beginning the game."