Captain Breaker estimated that the steamer which had just come out of port was all of five miles ahead.

It was only seven o'clock in the early darkness of this latitude.
Whether the chase was the Killbright or not, it was impossible to make out in the darkness.
If it was the Killbright, Captain Passford's correspondent wrote that she was capable of making twenty knots an hour, as she had been built more for speed than anything else, though she could hardly be a profitable commercial venture.

But even accepting this speed as the difficulty to be overcome, the Bellevite would probably overhaul her in two or three hours.

The engineer felt that his reputation and that of the ship were at stake, and could not think of such a thing as failure in the first actual encounter with the enemy.
"We are gaining on her without the ghost of a doubt, Mr.Passford," said Boxie, who was ready for duty at the gun.
"No doubt of that, Tom Boxie," replied the third lieutenant.

"But she is taking it very coolly.