"
"That is just what I am afraid of. I have no doubt that we could
beat her easily working to windward in her present rig, but I am by
no means certain that she could not run away from us if we were
both free; and if she once recognised us there is no saying where
she might go to after she had shaken us off. Certainly she would
not stay in these waters.
"The question is, how can we disguise ourselves? If we took down
our mizzen and dirtied the rest of our sails, it would not be much
of a disguise. Nothing but a yacht carries anything like as big a
mainsail as ours, and our big jib and foresail, and the straight
bowsprit would tell the tale. Of course, we could fasten some
wooden battens along her side, and stretch canvas over them, and
paint it black, and so raise her side three feet, but even then the
narrowness of her hull, seen end on as it would be, in comparison
to the height of the mast and spread of canvas, would strike
Carthew at once."
"We could follow his example, sir, and make her into a brig. I dare
say we could get it done in a week."
"That might spoil her sailing, and as soon as he found that we were
in chase of him, he would at once suspect that something was wrong.
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