"She don’t quite know what we are, sir," Scroggs chuckled. "She’ll know
a bit later."
Presently, as it grew lighter and she got closer, we could see her all
the time. She looked huge in that light, and had four masts and four
immense sails, not three, as we had thought at first. She was heeling
over tremendously, sailing two knots to our one, and overhauling us
fast.
If you think that I was frightened you are jolly well right.
[Illustration: H.M.S. "Ringdove" Towing the Junks ’Sally’ and ’Ferret’]
*CHAPTER VI*
*The "Sally" goes into Action*
The Chinaman draws Nearer—First Shots—The Maxim Gun—A Near
Thing—Four to One—Running the Gauntlet—"Well Done, Sir!"—At
Close Quarters—The The Grappling Iron—Left Alone
_Continued by Midshipman Ford_
"What shall we do?" I whispered to Scroggs. "Go down and have a look at
her?"
"Beggin’ your pardon, sir, you’ll just keep straight on, and edge a bit
more up in the wind, if she’ll do it. Once you’ve got the wind, sir,
and can keep it, you can do about what you like; keep away if you want
to, run down to her if you want to, and she’ll have to do what you want
her to, and when you want her to."
Then I remembered reading all about fights in the old time, and when we
were in the _Britannia_, and learnt about actions in the old sailing
days, how each side always tried to get to wind’ard first, before
fighting, and that the man who was to wind’ard could fight or not just
as he pleased. I’d never thought much of it before, but now that
Scroggs had put it so plainly, I saw, all at once, how practically
everything depended on having the wind’ard position.
"How about giving her the mainsail?" I asked Scroggs. "She’s gaining
very fast."
"She’s doing all right, sir! We doesn’t want to run away. Just you
edge up a bit more in the wind and wait for her. Time enough for the
mains’l if she be a pirate, and we have to chase her."
So we edged up into the wind again and began to stand out to sea, beyond
the island.