noon
Six bells in the forenoon watch had just struck when the frigate blew up with a dull , heavy boom , not nearly so loud as I had expected to hear , but the concussion was terrific , causing the schooner to quiver to her keel , while its effect upon the languid breeze was such as to completely kill it for three or four minutes . At the end of that time it came creeping stealthily along the water again , and about half an hour later it reached the lugger , which immediately laid in her sweeps and hauled close to the wind in pursuit of us . We were at this time under all plain sail , to our royal and flying-jib , creeping along at a speed of about four and a half knots , the lugger being about a point abaft our lee beam and two miles distant from us , but looking up about half a point higher than ourselves , in her eagerness to close with us . By noon it had become apparent that we had the advantage in point of speed , so that it lay with us to make good our escape , or not , as we pleased . We had , however , lost one valuable prize , through the inopportune appearance of the lugger and her consorts , and were by no means disposed to go off empty-handed , if we could help it . We therefore quietly and unostentatiously checked our sheets and weather braces just sufficiently to permit the wind to all but spill out of our canvas , thus deadening our way somewhat ; and the men then went to dinner . Our little ruse had its desired effect , the lugger having closed up to within a mile by the time that the men were ready to turn to again ; and as the schooner had long ago been cleared for action , the galley fire was now extinguished , and the crew went to the guns in readiness for the coming struggle .