This she did when close under the citadel or out of
sight of the town, the sentinels above hearing the flaps of her canvas,
without exactly understanding whence they came. At this instant Ithuel
let off a second rocket, and the lugger showed a light on her starboard
bow, so concealed, however, on all sides but one, as to be visible only
in the direction of the boat. As this was done she put her helm hard
down and hauled her fore-sheet over flat to windward. Five minutes later
Ithuel had reached her deck, and the boat was hauled in as if it had
been inflated silk, Deceived by the second rocket, the Proserpine now
made her number with regular signal lanterns, with the intention of
obtaining that of the stranger, trusting that the promontory would
conceal it from the vessels in the bay. This told Raoul the precise
position of his enemy, and he was not sorry to see that he was already
to the westward of her; a fact that permitted him to slip round the
island again, so near in as to be complete concealed by the background
of cliffs. By the aid of an excellent night-glass, too, he was enabled
to see the frigate, distant about a league, under everything that would
draw, from her royals down, standing toward the mouth of the bay on the
larboard tack; having made her calculations so accurately as to drop
into windward of her port, with the customary breeze off the land. At
this sight Raoul laughed and ordered the mainsail taken in. Half an hour
later he directed the foresail to be brailed, brought his jigger-sheet
in flat, put his helm hard down, and hauled the jib-sheet to windward.
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