"Johnson wants to 'bout ship. Yonder vessel can see that we are making a free wind, and she'll either think we're mad or that there's something wrong with us if we 'bout ship with a beam wind. Now just tell me what I am to do." "Haul us away from that ship--that's all we want," answered one of them. At this moment the carpenter came running up the poop ladder, with nothing on but his shirt and a pair of breeches. "Hallo!" he called out fiercely; "what are you about? Do you want to put us alongside!" And he bawled out fiercely--"Port your helm! run right away under her stern!" "If you do that," I exclaimed, very anxious now to show how well-intentioned I was, "you will excite her suspicions. Steady!" I cried, seeing the ship drawing rapidly ahead; "bring her to again a point off her course." Stevens scowled at me, but did not speak. The crew clustered up the poop ladder to stare at the ship, and I caught some of them casting such threatening looks at me, that I wanted no better hint of the kind of mercy I should receive if I played them any tricks. "Mr. Stevens," said I, "leave me to manage, and I'll do you no wrong. That ship is making more way than we are, and we shall have her dead on end presently. Then I'll show you what to do." As I spoke, the vessel which we had brought well on the port-bow hoisted English colours. The old ensign soared gracefully, and stood out at the gaff-end. "We must answer her," I exclaimed to the carpenter. "You had better bend on the ensign and run it up." I suppose he knew that there could be no mischievous meaning in the display of this flag, for he obeyed me, though leisurely. The ship, when she saw that we answered her, hauled her ensign down, and after awhile, during which she sensibly increased the distance between us, and had drawn very nearly stern on, hoisted her number. "Run up the answering pennant," I exclaimed; "it will look civil any way, and it means nothing." I pointed out the signal to the carpenter, who hoisted it; but I could see by his face that he meant to obey no more orders of this kind. "Steady as she goes!" cried I, to the fellow steering. "A hand let go the weather mizzen-braces and haul in some of you to leeward." This manoeuvre laid the sails on the mizzen-mast aback; they at once impeded our way, nor, being now right ahead of us, could the people on board the ship see what we had done. The result was the vessel drew away rapidly, I taking care to luff as she got to windward, so as to keep our flying jib-boom in a direct line with her stern. To judge by the way the men glanced at me and spoke to one another, they evidently appreciated this stratagem: and Stevens condescended to say, "That's one for her." "Better than going about," I answered drily. "They've hauled down them signals," he said, blinking the point I raised by my remark. "Yes. She doesn't mean to stop to ask any questions."