The whole force of what had been said flashed upon me, in an instant.  I set the tri-color over a British ensign, to cause the people of this second battery to think us an English prize, and stood straight for the pass, just without which lay a small brig at anchor.  In order to make the deception more complete, we hauled up our courses, and let run the top-gallant halyards, as if ready to bring up.  Seeing this, Mons. Le Gros fancied we were about to anchor under the battery, and that we had hoisted our flags to taunt the English, for caps and hats were waved in exultation in the boat, then distant from us a quarter of a mile.  We passed close to the brig; which greeted us with acclamations and “vives la France,” as we swept by her.  My eye was on the battery, the whole time.  It was built to command the roadstead, and without any reference to the pass, which no enemy would be apt to attempt.  It is true, two heavy guns bore on this entrance, but they were in a detached work, that was never manned except in emergencies.

I drew a long breath, and felt a mountain removed from my very soul, as the ship passed out of the range of the last gun in the little semi-circle.  The soldiers were making gestures to us to indicate we were getting too far west for a good berth, but we heeded them not.  Instead of shortening sail, the fore and main tacks were boarded, and the top-gallant-sails set.  This revealed our intention, and the clamour on the shore even reached the ship.  Preparations were making to get a piece of light artillery to bear on us, and some twenty gunners began to scamper towards the detached battery.  The whole thing was now reduced to a sheer race.  We passed the last battery ten minutes before the French could reach it, the latter having to go round a considerable bay; and six minutes later, we went out to sea, with the American ensign, and jacks, and pennants flying at each mast-head, and wherever else such an emblem of triumph could be shown!

Chapter XVII.

  “O, I am out of breath in this fond chase! 
  The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.”

  Shakspeare.

Marble and I looked each other in the face, and then burst into a laugh, as the French fired a single shot from the two-gun battery, which flew beyond us, but which could scarcely hit us on account of some intervening rocks.  I altered the course of the ship in order to get a little more out of the range; after this, we had nothing to fear from the French.  The boat did not attempt to follow us, and thus ended our communication with le Polisson and her people, a that time.  As for la Fortunee, it would require at least four hours for her to beat round the end of the cluster of islands, and seeing the hopelessness of doing this in time to overtake such a ship as the Dawn, her commander made a dash in at the unfortunate brig, which he actually succeeded in cutting out from the roadstead, in spite of all the defences of the place.  The last I heard of these gentlemen, was the reports of the guns that were exchanged between the battery and the frigate, while the last I saw of them, was the smoke that floated over the spot, long after the islands had sunk beneath the horizon.  The Dawn stood directly out to sea, with the wind still at the northward, though it had drawn more through the pass in-shore.