"Close to, sir," was the reply; but presently he continued, looking over the side, "Deuce take me, sir, if I can see her just at this present"---- "You don't? I say, quartermaster, do you see the small craft down to leeward there?" "No, sir. I sees nothing of her; but she can't be far away, sir, as she was close to, within this last half hour." By this time the night had fallen with a heavy dew and a thick haze. Presently we saw a small spark down to leeward. "Ah," said the man again, "there she is; she is in chase of something, sir." "What can they mean?" said Lanyard. "They know they cannot follow out their chase when I am on board here." The riddle was soon read. Little Binnacle had returned on board, and, as it turned out, he was determined to have some fun, in the interregnum between the unshipping of poor Donovan and Lanyard's appointment. "What is that abeam of us?" said Mr Sprawl, who had now come on deck.--"Hand me up the night-glass, Jeremy." He worked away with it for some time. At length Lanyard spoke. "Why, Sprawl, will you have the kindness to fire a gun, and show a light at the mizen peak, as the felucca _must_ be hereabouts?" "True enough, Lanyard, she cannot be far off, but"----Here we saw another flash, and this time we heard the report of the cannon--"There," continued the first lieutenant,--"there she is, sure enough; but how the devil can you expect her to come up to us, seeing she is cut off by that large craft there?" And he pointed a-beam of us, where, following the direction indicated, I soon saw a large vessel, standing under easy sail, on the same tack. "Quartermaster," exclaimed Sprawl, "keep her away, and edge down towards that chap, will ye?" The commodore was now on deck. "I was on the point of reporting to you, sir, that the felucca was a good way off to leeward, apparently cut off by a strange sail, that is sculling along right between us," said David Doublepipe. "Whereabouts," said the captain, "whereabouts is this strange sail? And why the deuce did the felucca not fire a gun?" "She did, sir," answered the lieutenant, "but I could not divine what she would be at, as she did not make the night-signal." "True enough," said Lanyard.--"I daresay all the signals and instructions, and every thing else, are locked up on board, sir. May I therefore request the favour of your standing down to her, or I don't see how we shall manage at all?"