Having arrived at this understanding I filled away, and, with the cutter in tow, stood after the _Europa_, which was now in full pursuit of the second Indiaman--the _Schelde_, of 950 tons, also from Batavia, and with an even more valuable cargo than that carried by the _Haarlem_, as I now learned from the chief mate of the latter.  But oh, it was weary work to attempt to turn to windward in a light breeze in the deep, bluff-bowed, squat-sterned, Dutch-built _Haarlem_, after my experience of the smart, lively, swift-sailing British frigate; it was, therefore, with a feeling of the utmost satisfaction that shortly before the end of the second dog-watch I heard the _Europa_ once more booming out her summons to surrender, and saw the mainyard of the _Schelde_ swing slowly aback in response.  For now, the business of taking possession of this third prize once over, we could at least bear up and crowd sail for home, with a free wind to help us over the ground; for by this time Mr Percival had so far made good the damage sustained by the _Gelderland_ that he once more had the vessel under command, and was working out toward us on the port tack.  And from what I could see of the behaviour of the ship it appeared to me that, even in the guise of a brig, she would be quite able to hold her own with the slow-moving Indiamen.