It was evident that, whatever might be the character of the stranger, those aboard her were fully as wide awake as ourselves, for no sooner did we start to make sail than she did the same, with a celerity, too, that would not have disgraced a man-o'-war.  Within five minutes of my having given the order to make sail, both craft were thrashing hard to windward, under all plain sail to their royals.  And then we were not long in discovering that, fast as was the _Francesca_, the stranger appeared to be nearly if not quite as fast, although we in the schooner seemed to be rather the more weatherly of the two.  This, however, might simply mean that the skipper of the brig was intentionally allowing us to close very gradually with him, in order that he might have the opportunity to get a nearer look at us, and so be enabled to form a better judgment regarding our character, while making his own preparations, if indeed he happened to be the craft for which we were looking.  And of this I became increasingly convinced as we gradually neared the brig; for although she was now painted dead black to her bends, without any relief whatever, of colour, there were certain little details and peculiarities of shape and rig that I felt convinced I had seen before.