"I hope you won't prove a true prophet, Sammy, most devoutly." I could see, also, from Mr Mackay's anxious manner and that of the captain, though neither said anything further about the matter, that their fears were not allayed.

There was no doubt that they shared the same impression as that of Sam Weeks; for as we bore away now nor'-nor'- west, with the south-west wind on our quarter, more sail was made on the ship, and a strong current running in the same direction helping us on, we were found to be going over eight knots when the log was hove at six bells, just before dinner-time.
"Old Jock" beamed again at this, walking up and down the poop and rubbing his hands and sniffing with his long nose in the air to catch the breeze, as was his wont when the Silver Queen was travelling through the water.
"By Jingo, we'll weather 'em yet!" he said to Mr Mackay, who also seemed more relieved in his mind; "we'll weather 'em yet." "Yes, I think so, too," said the latter, scanning the horizon with the big telescope away to windward.

"There isn't a trace of them anywhere out there now, and there are no islands for them to hide behind where we last sighted them; so, if we can only carry-on like this, perhaps we'll be able to give them the slip--eh ?" "Humph!" grumbled the other, "so I told you, Mackay; and, you know, when I say a thing I always mean a thing!" The afternoon passed without any further appearance of the proa or junk, and then the evening came on, the wind veering round to our beam at sunset, making us brace up more sharply.

We looked about us pretty keenly now, as might be imagined, but still nothing was to be seen of our whilom pursuers; and so all on board turned in that night much more comfortably than on the preceding one, when the danger appeared more immediate.
The morning, however, told a different tale.
At the early dawn, when I was with Mr Mackay on the poop, the port watch coming on deck just then in their turn of duty, we could see nothing of the suspicious strangers; however as the sun rose higher up, his rays lit a more extended range of sea, and then, far-away off on the horizon to windward, could be seen two tiny white sails in the distance dead astern of us.
"Sail ho!" shouted I from the mizzen cross-trees, where I had gone to look out, Tom Jerrold being sent up aloft forward for the same purpose.
"Sail ho!" "Where away ?" cried Mr Mackay, clutching the glass and climbing up into the rigging as he spoke, being as spry as a cat.

"What do you make out ?" "Two of them, sir," said I; "and I believe it's these pirates, sir, again.