Hour after hour thus passed away.  A stern chase is a long chase, as everybody knows, and so the Americans must have thought it.  The wind continued much as at first for some time.  This was all in favour of the schooner, which sailed in a light wind proportionably better than the corvette.  Towards evening, however, clouds began to gather in the eastern horizon.  The bank rose higher and higher in the sky.  Now one mass darted forward--now another--and light bodies flew rapidly across the blue expanse overhead.  First the surface of the ocean was crisped over with a sparkling ripple, and then wavelets appeared, and soon they increased to waves with frothy crests; and the schooner sprung forward, the canvas swelling, the braces tautening, and the masts and spars cracking with the additional strain put on them.  For some time, though she still continued to fire, scarcely a shot from the man-of-war had come up to us, as we had still further increased our distance from her. She, however, now felt the advantage of the stronger breeze, and our pace became more equal.  Still the breeze increased.  The captain stood aft, his eye apparently watching earnestly every spar and rope aloft, to see how they stood the increasing strain.  Away we now flew, the water hissing under our bows, and the spray leaping up on either side, and streaming over us in thick showers.  The white canvas bulged, and tugged, and tugged, till I thought it would carry the masts away, and fly out of the bolt-ropes.  Captain Bruno, however, gave no orders to take it in.  He looked astern; the corvette was going along as fast as we were--perhaps faster.  This was not an occasion for shortening sail. The crew seemed to have the same opinion.  They were fighting with halters round their necks, every one full well knew; and though this consciousness may make men desperate when brought to bay, it will assuredly make them run away like arrant cowards if they have a possibility of escape.