Confound their
impudence."
"It is all fancy," said Lucy; "run away as fast as you can that way,"
and she pointed down the wind, "and you will see nobody will take the
trouble to run after us."
"Hoist the mainsail," cried Talboys.
They had hitherto been sailing under the foresail only. In another
minute they were running furiously before the wind with both sails
set. The boat yawed, and Lucy began to be nervous; still, the
increased rapidity of motion excited her agreeably. The
lateen-schooner, sailing under her fore-sail only, luffed directly and
stood on in the lugger's wake. Lucy's cheek burned, but she said
nothing.
"There," cried Talboys, "now do you believe me? I think we gain on
her, though."
"We are going three knots to her two, sir," said the old man, "but it
is by her good will; that is the fastest boat in the town, sailing on
a wind; at beating to windward we could tackle her easy enough, but
not at running free. Ah! there goes her mainsel up; I thought she
would not be long before she gave us that."
"Oh, how beautiful!" cried Lucy; "it is like a falcon or an eagle
sailing down on us; it seems all wings. Why don't we spread wings too
and fly away?"
"You see, miss," explained the boatman, "that schooner works her sails
different from us; going down wind she can carry her mainsel on one
side of the craft and her foresel on the other. By that she keeps on
an even keel, and, what is more, her mainsel does not take the wind
out of her foresel.
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