All the time the party and Mr.Robinson had kept the deck, she taking a view now and then of the steamer with an opera-glass.
"Suddenly I yelled out, 'Mr.Robinson, by all that's holy, sir, that vessel there means to run us down! Lads,' I shouted, 'tumble aft quick, and see the boats all ready for lowering!' "The lady jumped up with a scream, and seized hold of Mr.Robinson's arm, who seeming to forget what he was about, shook her off, and fell to raving to me to see that the steamer didn't touch us.

By thunder, sir, there was the cowardly brute slanting her flying length as though to cross our hawse, but clearly aiming to strike us right amidships.
I shouted to the men to make ready and 'bout ship, and a minute after I shoved the tiller over, and the yacht rounded like a woman waltzing.
But before we had gathered way the steamer was after us.

The lady sent up scream after scream.

Mr.Robinson stood motionless, seeing as plain as I that if the steamer meant to sink us there was no seamanship in this wide world that could stop her; and I saw the men throwing off their shoes and half stripping themselves, ready for what was to come.
"The steamer headed dead to strike our weather-beam; she rushed at us with the foam boiling over her bows; once more I chucked the schooner right up into the wind, and the steamer went past us like a rocket under our stern.

I looked at her and sha'n't ever forget what I saw.
There was a white-haired man, with white whiskers and bareheaded, roaring and raging at us in the grasp of three or four seamen.