The midshipman brought up the glass; and the captain, first passing his arm round the fore-brace, to secure himself from falling to leeward with the lurching of the ship, as soon as he could bring the strange vessel into the field of the glass exclaimed, "A line-of-battle ship, by Heavens! and if I am any judge of a hull, or the painting of a ship, she is no Englishman." Other glasses were now produced, and the opinion of the captain was corroborated by that of the officers on deck. "Keep fast the foresail, Mr Hardy. We'll edge down to her. Quarter-master, see the signal halyards all clear." The captain went down to his cabin, while the frigate was kept away as he directed, the master standing at the conn. He soon came up again: "Hoist Number 3 at the fore, and Number 8 at the main. We'll see if she can answer the private signal." It was done, and the frigate, rolling heavily in the trough of the sea, and impelled by the furious elements, rapidly closed with the stranger. In less than an hour they were within half a mile of her; but the private signal remained unanswered. "Now then, bring her to the wind, Mr Pearce," said Captain M---, who had his glass upon the vessel. The frigate was luffed handsomely to the wind, not however without shipping a heavy sea. The gale, which, during the time that she was kept away before the wind, had the appearance, which it always has, of having decreased in force, now that she presented her broadside to it, roared again in all its fury. "Call the gunner--clear away the long gun forward--try with the rammer whether the shot has started from the cartridge, and then fire across the bows of that vessel." The men cast loose the gun, and the gunner taking out the bed and coin, to obtain the greatest elevation to counteract the heel of the frigate, watched the lurch, and pitched the shot close to the forefoot of the disabled vessel, who immediately showed French colours over her weather-quarter. "French colours, sir!" cried two or three at a breath. "Beat to quarters, Mr Hardy," said Captain M---. "Shall we cast loose the main-deck guns?" "No, no--that will be useless; we shall not be able to fire them, and we may have them through the sides. We'll try her with the carronades." It was easy to perceive, without the assistance of a glass, that the men on board the French line-of-battle ship were attempting, in no very scientific manner, to get a jury-mast up abaft, that, by putting after-sail on her, they might keep their vessel to the wind. The foresail they dared not take off, as, without any sail to keep her steady, the remaining mast would in all probability have rolled over the side; but without after-sail, the ship would not keep to the wind, and the consequence was, that she was two points off the wind, forging fast through the water, notwithstanding that the helm was hard a-lee. "Where are we now, Mr Pearce?" interrogated the captain--"about eight or nine leagues from the land?"