“She does seem to be out of her way.  Possibly it is a schooner beating up for the Hook, and finding herself too close in, she is standing to the southward to get an offing again.”

“Not she, sir.  She came out from behind Blok, and a craft of her size that wanted to go to the westward, and which found itself so close in, would have taken the first of the flood and gone through the Race like a shot.  No, no, Captain Gar’ner; this fellow is bound south as well as ourselves, and it is quite onaccountable how he should be just where he is—­so far to windward, or so far to leeward, as a body might say.  A south-south-east course, from any place behind Point Judith, would have taken him off near No Man’s Land, and here he is almost in a line with Blok Island!”

“Perhaps he is out of New London, or some of the ports on the main, and being bound to the West Indies he has been a little careless about weathering the island.  It’s no great matter, after all.”

“It is some such matter, Captain Garner, as walkin’ round a meetin’-’us’ when your ar’n’d is in at the door in front.  But there was no such craft in at Stunnin’tun or New London, as I know from havin’ been at both places within the last eight-and-forty hours.”

“You begin to make me as curious about this fellow as you seem to be yourself, sir.  And now I think the matter all over, it is somewhat extr’or’nary he should be just where he is.  It is, however, a very easy thing to get a nearer look at him, and it’s no great matter to us, intending as we do to make the islands off the Cape de Verde, if we do lose a little of our weatherly position—­keep the schooner away a point, and get a small pull on your weather braces—­give her a little sheet too, fore and aft, sir.  So, that will do—­keep her steady at that—­south-east and by south.  In two hours we shall just about speak this out-of-the-way joker.”

As every command was obeyed, the Sea Lion was soon running off free, her bowlines hanging loose, and all her canvass a rap full.  The change in her line of sailing drought the sail to leeward, a little forward of her beam; but the movement of the vessel that made the freest wind was consequently the most rapid.  In the course of half an hour the stranger was again a little abaft the beam, and he was materially nearer than when first seen.  No change was made in the route of the stranger, who now seemed disposed to stand out to sea, with the wind as it was, on an easy bowline, without paying any attention to the sail in sight.

It was noon ere the two schooners came within hail of each other.  Of course, as they drew nearer and nearer, it was possible for those on board of each to note the appearance, equipments, and other peculiarities of his neighbour.  In size, there was no apparent difference between the vessels, and there was a somewhat remarkable resemblance in the details.

“That fellow is no West India drogger,” said Roswell Gardiner, when less than a mile from the stranger.  “He carries a boat on deck, as we do, and has one on each quarter, too.  Can it be possible that he is bound after seals, as well as we are ourselves!”