At four in the afternoon, a ship was seen from the masthead,
bearing about north-east, standing in for us under all sail, which
she continued so to do until sundown, at which time she was too far
off to distinguish signals, and the ships in shore only to be seen
from the tops; they were standing off to the southward and
eastward. As we could not ascertain before dark what the ship in
the offing was, I determined to stand for her, and get near enough
to make the night signal.
At ten in the evening, being within six or eight miles of the
strange sail, the private signal was made, and kept up nearly one
hour, but finding she could not answer it, I concluded she and the
ships in shore were enemy.
I immediately hauled off to the southward and eastward, and made
all sail, having determined to lie off till daylight to see what
they were. The ship that we had been chasing hauled off after us,
showing a light, and occasionally making signals, supposed to be
for the ships in shore.
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