I found young Keene in high feather at the prospect of a tussle with so formidable an opponent as the brigantine promised to be, and we dispatched our breakfast in double-quick time, after which my lighthearted companion got out his pistols and proceeded to clean and load them carefully in anticipation of the moment when they might be needed.  And when this was done he went forward to supervise personally the sharpening of his sword by the armourer.  Meanwhile I took my sextant on deck, and had another squint through it at the chase.  It was satisfactory to find that we were overhauling her rapidly.  Then, having secured an observation of the sun for the determination of our longitude, I gave orders to clear for action, an operation which, in the case of so small a hooker as the _Francesca_, was a very simple matter. We had just completed all our preparations comfortably when Jones called my attention to the fact that the commodore was in stays, and presently she was round on the other tack and heading well up for us.  But so far had we gained on her that, when at length we crossed her hawse, there was quite two miles of clear water between us.  I commented upon this singular fact to Jones, remembering that when we parted company with the _Shark_ the _Dona Inez_ was distinctly the better sailer of the two, while now we were beating her in her own weather.