In another half-hour they had reached this point. No signs had been
seen of the frigate, and Ralph felt sure that she must have been
anchored in some bay whose headland prevented her seeing the
approaching craft; for had she noticed them she would assuredly have
set out to intercept them before they reached the island, which lay
almost dead to windward of them. He was just turning to go when one of
the men gave a sudden exclamation. He turned round again and saw the
frigate just appearing from behind the other island. She was
close-hauled, and it was soon evident by her course that she was
beating up for the point round which the other two ships had
disappeared.
Ralph was puzzled at this; for if she had made out the brig and
schooner, her natural course would have been to have made for the
other end of the island, so as to cut them off as they sailed past it;
whereas they would now, when they gained the extremity of the island,
find themselves five or six miles astern of the other two craft. The
French sailors were equally puzzled, and there was a hot argument
between them; but they finally concluded that her appearance at that
moment must be accidental, and she could not have made out the
privateers. They had just told Ralph to run down with the news to the
harbor when a light was thrown upon the mystery; for from the other
end of the island from which the frigate had emerged a large schooner
appeared.
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