“Then we’re lost men!” says the officer; and he caught hold by the foremast, and leaned his face against it like a child.

This was Jacka’s chance. “‘Lost,’ is it?  Iss, I reckon you be lost!—­and inside o’ ten minutes, unless you hearken to rayson.  Here you be, not twenty mile from the English coast, as I make it, and with a fair wind.  Here you be, three times that distance and more from any port o’ your own, the wind dead on her nose, and you ram-stamming the weak spot of her at a sea that’s knocking the bows to Jericho.  Now, Mossoo, you put her about, and run for Plymouth.  She may do it.  Pitch over a couple of guns forr’ad, and quit messing with a ship you don’t understand, an’ I’ll warn she will do it.”

The young Frenchy was plucky as ginger.  “What!  Take her into Plymouth, and be made prisoner.  I’ll sink first!” says he.

But you see, his crew weren’t navy men to listen to him; and they had wives and families, and knew that Cap’n Jacka’s was their only chance.  In five minutes, for all the officer’s stamping and morblewing they had the Bean Pheasant about and were running for the English coast.

Now I must go back and tell you what was happening to the Unity in all this while.  About four in the afternoon Cap’n Dick, not liking the look of the weather at all, and knowing that, so long as it lasted, he might whistle for prizes, changed his mind and determined to run back to Polperro, so as to re-ship Cap’n Jacka and the prize crew almost as soon as they arrived.  By five o’clock he was well on his way, the Unity skipping along quite as if she enjoyed it; and ran before the gale all that night.

Towards three in the morning the wind moderated, and by half-past four the gale had blown itself out.  Just about then the look-out came to Cap’n Dick, who had turned in for a spell, and reported two ships’ lights, one on each side of them.  The chances against their being Frenchmen, out here in this part of the Channel, were about five to two; so Cap’n Dick cracked on; and at daybreak—­about a quarter after five—­found himself right slap between the very two frigates that had called Jacka to halt the evening before.

One was fetching along on the port tack, and the other on the weather side of him, just making ready to put about.  They both ran up the white ensign at sight of him; but this meant nothing.  And in a few minutes the frigate to starboard fired a shot across his bows and hoisted her French flag.

Cap’n Dick feigned to take the hint.  He shortened sail and rounded at a nice distance under the lee of the enemy—­both frigates now lying-to quite contentedly with their sails aback, and lowering their boats.  But the first boat had hardly dropped a foot from the davits when he sung out, “Wurroo, lads!” and up again went the Unity’s great lug-sail in a jiffy.  The Frenchmen, like their sails, were all aback; and before they could