A BATTLE ON A SMALL SCALE "On deck!" shouted the lookout at the foremast head.

"Light on the starboard bow!" "Silence, all!" cried the commander, as soon as he heard the hail from aloft.

"Go forward, Mr.Pennant, silence the hands, and direct the lookout to hail in lower tones." The third lieutenant sprang forward to obey the order, and Christy followed him at a more moderate pace, consistent with his dignity as the officer highest in rank on board.

It was not so much a question of dignity, however, with him as it was the intention to preserve his self-possession.

A light had been reported on the starboard bow; but Christy had no more means of knowing what it meant than any other person on deck.