The Yankee Champion — page 92: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE YANKEE CHAMPION. 85 “Hold on. No! There’s another one! Wait a minute—— There’s two more, sir.’ “Are they standing the same way?” YS, SIT.’ The captain sprang aft and got his olass. ‘Keep her as she is,’’ he said to the man at the wheel, and then he clapped the glass under his arm and ran up the fore-rigging. He ascended to the crosstrees, and found that the three sails were now visible to the naked eye. For _ ten minutes he sat there, and when he came down his face was worked upon by the most intense satis- faction. ® ‘Man the braces, fore and aft,’’ he exclaimed, as he reached the quarter-deck. ‘“‘Stand by to brace allup sharp. Down with the helm. We’ll let her go about on the other tack, Mr. Baker.’’ The brig was soon upon the starboard tack, head- ing back toward Massachusetts Bay. ‘Those are the chaps we’ve been looking for,”’’ said Nixon, as soon as the brig was upon a taut bow- line. ““There’s a frigate, and a ship and a brig. The brig is a heavy one, and I think IJ shall try my hand on her.”’ ‘“Which sails farthest from the convoy?” “The brig.” “Then I think we’d better make our minds up for her. The next thing is to get around the frigate.”’ ‘“T’ve been thinking,’’ said Nixon, “‘of making a bold stroke. You see, we are standing now the way that the frigate is. Now, I don’t believe but that we might pass our brig for what she was two weeks ago. My plan is this: I mean to stand on this tack until I think we can wear down upon the frigate at about sundown. We can easily keep her in sight Eomicboo €o cS m j