Chapter 13

"Whom have we here? Buckingham, to disturb
The King hath sent him, sure: I must dissemble."

_King Henry VI_.

At first, the frigate took single reefs in her top-sails, set
topgallant-sails over them, and hauled up on taut bow-lines. But seeing no
signs of our studding-sails coming down, she shook out her reefs, squared
her yards, set top-mast studding-sails, and kept off to a course that would
be certain to intercept us. She was up on our line of sailing some little
time before we got down to her, and she kept standing off and on, hauling
up her courses, and furling her topgallant-sails and hauling down all of
her light sails, the jib excepted As for the Dawn, she kept steadily on,
carrying everything she could bear. We had top-mast and lower
studding-sails, and not a tack or sheet had been touched when we got
within a quarter of a mile of the frigate. The Englishman now showed his
colours, when we let him see the stars and stripes. Still no sail was
touched on board us. As if surprised at our obstinacy, John Bull let fly a
chase-gun, taking good care not to send the shot very near us. I thought
it time, now, to shorten sail and to pretend to see him. We began to haul
down our studding-sails, merchant-fashion, and were fairly alongside of
the frigate before even this preliminary step to heaving-to was effected.
As we approached, the frigate bore up, and ran off in company with us,
keeping a hundred fathoms distance from us, and watching us closely. At
this instant, I ordered the topgallant-sails settled on the caps, as a
sign we intended to let him board us.

At length, having reduced the sail to the three top-sails, reefed, I
hove-to the Dawn, and waited for a visit from the Englishman's boat. As
soon as the frigate saw us fairly motionless, she shot up on our weather
quarter, half a cable's length distant, swung her long, saucy-looking
yards, and lay-to herself. At the same instant her lee-quarter boat
dropped into the water, with the crew in it, a boy of a mid-shipman
scrambled down the ship's side and entered it also, a lieutenant followed,
when away the cockle of a thing swept on the crest of a sea, and was soon
pulling round under our stern. I stood on the lee quarter, examining my
visiters, as they struggled against the swell, in order to get a boat-hook
into our main chains. The men were like any other man-of-war's men, neat,
sturdy, and submissive in air. The reefer was a well-dressed boy,
evidently a gentleman's son; but the lieutenant was one of those old
weather-beaten sea-dogs, who are seldom employed in boats, unless
something more than common is to be done. He was a man of forty,
hard-featured, pock-marked, red-faced, and scowling. I afterwards
ascertained he was the son